SHORTLISTED FOR THE AUTHORS'' CLUB BEST FIRST NOVEL AWARD

''What a ride!'' India Knight, Sunday Times Summer reads

‘Thrilling… a sumptuous feast of plotting and intrigue’ Mail on Sunday

‘A complete joy’ Bettany Hughes

‘Gloriously immersive’ Guardian

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Frances Howard has beauty and a powerful family – and is the most unhappy creature in the world.

Anne Turner has wit and talent – but no stage on which to display them. Little stands between her and the abyss of destitution.

When these two very different women meet in strange circumstances, a powerful friendship is sparked. Frankie sweeps Anne into a world of splendour that exceeds all she imagined: a Court whose foreign king is a stranger to his own subjects; where ancient families fight for power, and where the sovereign’s favourite may rise and rise – so long as he remains in favour.

Anne and Frankie dare to seek a little happiness for themselves in this extravagant, savage hunting ground. But as they gain notice, they also gain enemies; what began as a search for love and safety leads to desperate acts that could cost them everything.

Based on the true scandal that rocked the court of James I, A Net for Small Fishes is the most gripping novel you''ll read this year: an exhilarating dive into the pitch-dark waters of the Jacobean court.