Things in Jars

Description

'I loved Himself and The Hoarder but this book takes things to another level - thrilling, mysterious, twisted but more than anything, beautifully written and filled to bursting point with heart.' - Graham Norton London, 1863. Bridie Devine, the finest female detective of her age, is taking on her toughest case yet. Reeling from her last job and with her reputation in tatters, a remarkable puzzle has come her way. Christabel Berwick has been kidnapped. But Christabel is no ordinary child. She is not supposed to exist. As Bridie fights to recover the stolen child she enters a world of fanatical anatomists, crooked surgeons and mercenary showmen. Anomalies are in fashion, curiosities are the thing, and fortunes are won and lost in the name of entertainment. The public love a spectacle and Christabel may well prove the most remarkable spectacle London has ever seen. Things in Jars is an enchanting Victorian detective novel that explores what it is to be human in inhumane times.

Jess Kidd was brought up in London as part of a large family from County Mayo and has been praised for her original fictional voice. Her first novel, Himself, was shortlisted for the Irish Book Awards in 2016 and she was winner of the Costa Short Story Award in the same year. In 2017, Himself was shortlisted for the Authors' Club Best First Novel Award and longlisted for the CWA John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger. Her second novel, The Hoarder, a tale of a lonely care worker and her cranky client set in West London, was described as 'a lyrical gothic detective saga' (Guardian) and 'a brilliantly imaginative tale of secrets and lies, grief and guilt' (Daily Express). Both books were BBC Radio 2 Book Club picks. @JessKiddHerself | jesskidd.com

I loved Himself and The Hoarder but this book takes things to another level - thrilling, mysterious, twisted but more than anything, beautifully written and filled to bursting point with heart -- GRAHAM NORTON This unusual Victorian detective tale is hugely satisfying and beautifully written . . . Kidd gives the world what is instantly one of fiction's great spectral double acts * * The Times * * Jess Kidd's stories are so magical, she should be a genre all to herself . . . Things in Jars is exquisite. Perfect storytelling -- JOANNA CANNON, author of THE TROUBLE WITH GOATS AND SHEEP This pacy piece of Victorian crime fiction delivers chills galore . . . done with panache . . . Her imagination runs wild, in tightly controlled prose. Her concision makes the book feel like a high-pressure jar * * Guardian * * A twisting, precis-defying plot . . . Arresting, funny and well-written * * Sunday Times * * An extraordinary tale full of dark magic, wicked humour and hugely entertaining characters. An absolute treat! -- RUTH HOGAN, author of THE KEEPER OF LOST THINGS Kidd writes prose that is full to the brim with life, and overflowing. Victorian London is rendered lavishly in all its stench and glory . . . Features the most endearing of heroines . . . Kidd excels at atmospheric description . . . Kidd's sentences contain so much delight in the language, whether conveying brutality or rescue and repair, that there are frequent jolts of pleasure for the reader . . . Revel in the rich, wild text * * Financial Times * * A masterclass in storytelling. One of those books that truly does make you laugh out loud, that shakes and remakes what you think a story can be. It's rare to find a book so satisfying -- KIRAN MILLWOOD HARGRAVE Jess Kidd writes gorgeously Gothic novels in the kind of prose that makes you sigh with its loveliness, as a cast of charismatic characters venture into extraordinary situations . . . A terrifically imaginative writer . . . There's danger aplenty, wistful love and longing, unstinting friendship and the kind of writing that offers something to cherish on every page. Utterly unique, entirely beguiling * * Sunday Express * * Bridie is a marvellous creation, imbued with a deeply romantic spirit, and the words used to describe her are often beautiful and inspired. This book has a rare attraction . . . Kidd has a brilliant imagination and she's fearless in her use of it: her no. 1 job as writer seems to be to astonish the reader, and she certainly does that * * Spectator * *