The Bleeding

‘A wonderfully dark, intricately woven historical thriller spanning three generations … it will have you hooked from the very first page´ ‘A gripping story of murder and black magic …Gustawsson slowly weaves together three seemingly disparate strands of her narrative with a skill that shows why she is such an admired crime writer in her native France´ ‘Intriguingly dark and vivid, and so cleverly told through three different time frames´ ________________ Lucienne’s two daughters are believed dead when her mansion burns to the ground, but she is certain that her girls are still alive and embarks on a journey into the depths of the spiritualist community to find them. Teenager Lina’s father has died in the French Resistance, and as she struggles to fit in at school, her mother introduces her to an elderly woman at the asylum where she works, changing Lina’s life in the darkest way imaginable. A former schoolteacher is accused of brutally stabbing her husband – a famous university professor – to death. Detective Maxine Grant, who has recently lost her own husband and is parenting a teenager and a new baby single-handedly, takes on the investigation. Under enormous personal pressure, Maxine makes a series of macabre discoveries that link directly to historical cases involving black magic and murder, secret societies and spiritism … and women at breaking point, who will stop at nothing to protect the ones they love… _________________ ‘This novel is a whirlpool that draws you irresistibly into levels of darkness so much deeper than you can possibly be ready for´ ‘I found myself racing through the book, always wanting one more page, one more chapter. A wonderfully creepy, unsettling read, with a superb twist in its tail´ ‘Gustawsson’s writing is so vivid, it’s electrifying. Utterly compelling´ ‘I was hooked from the first page – a stunning and beautifully written gothic thriller full of atmosphere, intrigue and delight´ ‘Brilliant … the last chapters knocked me sideways, and it’s a long time since that’s happened´ ‘A dark world of elegance and grotesque … mesmeric´ ‘Harrowing, compelling, haunting, vivid, twisty and shocking! ´ ‘A powerful page-turner´ ‘A satisfying, full-fat mystery´ ‘Assured telling of a complex story´ ‘A real page-turner, I loved it´ ‘A bold and intelligent read´ ‘Utterly compelling´ ‘Cleverly plotted, simply excellent´ ‘A must-read´ ‘Gritty, bone-chilling, and harrowing – it’s not for the faint of heart, and not to be missed´ ‘A relentless heart-stopping masterpiece´