Persephone Code
'Told with zip and humour…most enjoyable' Historical Novel Society
'The Regency as we've never seen it before!' Emma Orchard, author of A Duke of One's Own
1812
Deep below the hills of the Buckinghamshire countryside, the infamous Hellfire Caves house a pleasure palace for the idle rich – a secret society steeped in satanism, opium and debauchery of the highest order.
When the club’s warden, Antony Pennington, is brutally murdered, his bastard sister, Dora, must follow the clues to decode who the killer is, aided by an unexpected ally – ex-Army officer, former opium addict and son of a Viscount, Dr Jacob Sandys.
As a shadow dogs their every footstep, Dora and Jacob find themselves in the midst of a shocking conspiracy, caught between the legendary Illuminati and the Hell Fire Club. With time running out, they must fight against both the most influential gentleman of the ton – and the undeniable attraction they feel towards each other…
Readers can't get enough of The Persephone Code:‘I won't lie, I picked this book up because of the cover – absolutely stunning…it was a perfect read’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘This book was so good, I couldn't put it down’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Simply delicious! This book is absolutely glorious…in the midst of a lot of Regency retellings, it stands out … There is a wry wit throughout which balances beautifully with the dark themes’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘This book is absolutely fantastic!!! I was so caught up in reading it that I missed lunch, and it was past time to start dinner. Only the rumbling of my stomach made me put it down for a quick meal, after which I resumed my reading’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Starts with a bang, never really pauses for breath, and has two main protagonists who are instantly likeable and easy to cheer for!’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘A roller-coaster ride with plenty of twists’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘What a compelling read! I found it a captivating, dynamic and enthralling book that kept me glued to the pages from beginning to end’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘The writing of this book was exquisite … I was hanging on to every last word’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Julia Golding is a multi-award winning writer for adults, young adults and children. She also writes under the pen names of Joss Stirling and Eve Edwards. Over a million and a half of her books have been sold around the world with bestselling titles in a wide range of age categories. She is also Director of the Oxford Centre for Fantasy which uses the inspiration of Oxford Fantasy writers such as Tolkien, C.S. Lewis and Lewis Carroll to inspire new creativity.
She can be found taking an early nineteenth century perspective on modern life in her Jane Austen podcast 'What Would Jane Do?'.
As well as being a screenwriter and author of over sixty books, Julia is also a former British diplomat and Oxfam policy advisor. Read carefully and you'll spot all sorts of material from her diplomatic and Oxfam careers popping up in unexpected places. She has a doctorate in English literature from Oxford.