Publishers Weekly
★ 12/18/2023
Pook (Moonlight and the Pearler’s Daughter) delivers a brilliant historical about a woman’s search for the truth behind her sister’s death during an Arctic expedition. After a tantalizing prologue, Constance Horton, 20, disguises herself as a cabin boy to join the Makepeace on its 1849 journey to the Arctic in search of missing explorer Sir John Franklin, who sought the fabled Northwest Passage linking the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Two years later, Constance’s sister, Maude, receives a letter stating only that Constance died by “misadventure.” Maude refuses to accept such a vague explanation, even though the British Admiralty is reluctant to provide her with further details about the accident. Eventually, a clerk surreptitiously hands over the diary that Constance kept while aboard the Makepeace. In it, Maude finds entries that cast suspicion on expedition scientist Edison Stowe. She cozies up to Stowe, accompanying him on a new—and rather grisly—business venture in order to extract whatever details she can about Constance’s death. Pook’s masterful pacing and meticulous attention to historical detail make this sing. Fans of Stuart Tarton’s high seas whodunits will be rapt. Agent: Madeleine Milburn, Madeleine Milburn Agency. (Jan.)
From the Publisher
A Washington Post Most Anticipated Book of January 2024
“Maude’s sister, Constance, disguised herself as a man to board a ship bound for the Arctic Circle and never returned. The British Admiralty claims that her sister’s death was an unfortunate tragedy, but Maude suspects foul play, especially after Constance’s journals are passed to her under a table in a macabre bar in Victorian London. Pook’s engrossing historical mystery alternates between Constance’s dispatches from the frigid north and Maude’s search for answers, a perilous inquiry that takes her to grisly places.”—The Washington Post
“Brilliant . . . Pook’s masterful pacing and meticulous attention to historical detail make this sing. Fans of Stuart Tarton’s high seas whodunits will be rapt.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review
“A spellbinding novel set in the frozen Arctic and in London during the height of murder mania.... Pook paints a macabre image of a time when death was often more valuable than life itself.”—Kirkus
“In a stellar follow-up to her debut, Moonlight and the Pearler’s Daughter (2022), Pook once again weaves a rousing tale around the escapades of a bold, spirited, and cunning woman.”—Booklist
“From the boisterous gallows crowd to the ice fields of the Arctic, Pook conjures up a compellingly vivid scene. A rip-roaring and guillotine-sharp critique of Victorian ‘murder mania’. I couldn’t tear myself away.”—ELLERY LLOYD, New York Times bestselling author of The Club
"Pook takes us on a heart-stopping ride through the dark underbelly of Victorian London and the icy plains of the Arctic. Stunningly written and meticulously researched, this is escapist fiction at its best. Grisly, addictive fun - as glorious as the titular character's revenge. I devoured it in 24 hours." –EMILIA HART, author of New York Times bestseller Weyward
"Lizzie Pook is a master of suspense. The story of one sister's love and determination to avenge her sister's death, is an unforgettable, atmospheric thrill ride."-—ADRIANA TRIGIANI, bestselling author of The Good Left Undone
“Thrilling, heartfelt and utterly compulsive, Maude Horton’s Glorious Revenge is a triumphant second novel. It is that rare thing — a gripping adventure story and an intelligent, richly textured portrait of a moment in history. Every page is steeped in atmosphere, from the gallows of Victorian London to the perils of polar exploration aboard the great ship Makepeace, as Pook combines impressive research with fine-tuned characterisation, a galloping plot and absolute command of her story. This is a glorious creation indeed — I loved it.”—EMMA STONEX, author of The Lamplighters
“Lizzie Pook effortlessly blends a wild Arctic adventure with a riveting tale of a sister’s burning desire for revenge, the tension tightening like a hangman’s noose. Her writing is atmospheric, gripping and beautiful - the execution of this novel is flawless.”—AMY McCULLOCH, author of Breathless
"Adventurous and beautifully written. I loved the clever, propulsive storytelling and the wealth of historical detail . . . so accomplished, I thoroughly enjoyed it."—ROSIE ANDREWS, author of The Leviathan
"Dark, thrilling & completely absorbing, MAUDE HORTON'S GLORIOUS REVENGE is glorious. Lizzie Pook taps into a centuries-long fascination with true crime taking us from the Arctic via gruesome hangings into Madame Tussaud’s. I loved Maude and was rooting for her from the get-go. BRAVO!"—NIKKI MAY, author of Wahala
“Yet another page turner from Lizzie Pook. Maude Horton's Glorious Revenge is a captivating historical thriller with an unusual heroine at its heart. I loved this story of two sisters, a heartbreaking mystery, and a life-or-death quest.”—CHARMAINE WILKERSON, author of Black Cake
“Such a brilliant book! Every page is stuffed with adventure and character, rendered so evocatively you feel like you’re dashing around with Maude in 1850. A joyous, propulsive piece of writing from a truly talented writer.”—STUART TURTON, author of The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle
JANUARY 2024 - AudioFile
Genevieve Gaunt never disappoints as she delivers the rich tapestry of characters, locales, and motivations in Pook's shipboard thriller. In 1849, Maude's sister, Constance, escaped the stodginess of Victorian England by disguising herself as a boy and signing on to the MAKEPEACE for an Arctic expedition. Two years later, Maude learns that Constance died in "a tragic accident," but after receiving Constance's diary, Maude suspects that expedition scientist Edison Stowe may have been involved. Maude follows in Constance's footsteps, disguising herself as a boy and joining the MAKEPEACE to keep an eye on Stowe. Gaunt's delivery is impeccable as Arctic storms, killing cold, starvation, and disease threaten them all. She makes listeners feel Stowe's pathological connection to bones and Maude's growing terror. Exciting listening. S.J.H. © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
2024-01-05
In 1850, after learning about her younger sister’s mysterious death aboard a British expedition vessel, Maud Horton takes it upon herself to track down the killer and exact her revenge.
Though they were attached at the hip as young girls, Maude and Constance Horton could not have been more different. While Maude was scientifically minded and seemed content to spend the rest of her days working in their grandfather’s apothecary, Constance was a romantic at heart and yearned to see the world beyond the grimy streets of London. In an act of rebellion, Constance disguised herself as a young man and stowed away on the Makepeace, a ship destined for the desolate sea lane known as the Northwest Passage. It was a risky move, to say the least, and the journey eventually led to her death. When Maude receives her sister’s effects two years later, she can't shake the feeling that the truth is being kept from her, especially when she reads Constance’s increasingly alarming diary entries. With evidence pointing toward Edison Stowe, the ship’s scientist, having murdered Constance, Maude decides to join him on his latest grisly business venture: a rail tour of public hangings in England. In a novel packed with fascinating characters with a wide array of motivations, Maude takes a back seat to both Constance and Edison. Though the narrator is charming and clever, readers will find themselves wanting to spend more time sailing on the Makepeace with Constance or following Edison through smog-choked streets. Pook’s writing really shines in her descriptions of London. People's obsession with murder was at an all-time high there, and huge profits were being made from public hangings, amid other grotesque trivializations of death. Pook paints a macabre image of a time when death was often more valuable than life itself.
A spellbinding novel set in the frozen Arctic and in London during the height of murder mania.
