Short-listed for the Crimefest/Specsavers Debut Crime Fiction Award 2020
Longlisted for the Historical Writers Association (HWA) Debut Crown award 2019
To believe in her future, she must uncover her past...
Birmingham, 1885. Born in a gaol and raised in a workhouse, Cora Burns has always struggled to control the violence inside her.
Haunted by memories of a terrible crime, she seeks a new life working as a servant in the house of scientist Thomas Jerwood. Here, Cora befriends a young girl, Violet, who seems to be the subject of a living experiment. But is Jerwood also secretly studying Cora...?
With the power and intrigue of Laura Purcell'sThe Silent Companionsand Sarah Schmidt'sSee What I Have Done, Carolyn Kirby's stunning debut takes the reader on a heart-breaking journey through Victorian Birmingham and questions where we first learn violence: from our scars or from our hearts.
LONGLISTED FOR THE 2019 HWA DEBUT CROWN
To believe in her future, she must uncover her past...
Birmingham, 1885.
Born in a gaol and raised in a workhouse, Cora Burns has always struggled to control the violence inside her.
Haunted by memories of a terrible crime, she seeks a new life working as a servant in the house of scientist Thomas Jerwood. Here, Cora befriends a young girl, Violet, who seems to be the subject of a living experiment. But is Jerwood also secretly studying Cora...?
With the power and intrigue of Laura Purcell's The Silent Companions and Sarah Schmidt's See What I Have Done, Carolyn Kirby's stunning debut takes the reader on a heart-breaking journey through Victorian Birmingham and questions where we first learn violence: from our scars or from our hearts.
'Even at its darkest it is beautifully written, the research is meticulous and the complex Cora makes a flawed but affecting heroine. A great historical novel with bite' - Sunday Mirror
'Kirby writes with skill and gusto' - Times
'This richly woven Gothic tale is an atmospheric treat' - Heat Magazine
'Perfect for fans of Sarah Waters, this book took me into Cora's world so expertly I experienced it with every sense' - Cass Green, author of The Woman Next Door, In A Cottage In A Wood, Don't You Cry
'The Conviction of Cora Burns is a striking debut. Rich in gothic darkness and period detail, the brutality of Victorian Britain is exquisitely drawn. A beautifully-written story which enveloped me from first page to last' - Amanda Jennings, author of Cliff House and In Her Wake
