The Bells of Westminster

• A TIMES HISTORICAL FICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR *
• A SUNDAY TIMES HISTORICAL FICTION PICK OF THE MONTH *

‘A splendid romp from a wonderfully clever historical novelist’ – TELEGRAPH’An exhilarating voyage into another era’ – FINANCIAL TIMES

He looked as if he had just received some very bad news. In that he was certainly right, for he was perfectly and incontrovertibly dead…

London, 1774. Susan Bell spends her days within the confines of Westminster Abbey, one of many who live in the grounds of the ancient building. Her father, the kindly Dean of Westminster, is always busy keeping the many canons and vergers in check, when not being romantically pursued by forceful widows. Life at the abbey is uneventful, even after the unwelcome arrival of Susan’s cousin Lindley and his unusual scientific demonstrations. That is until the Society of Antiquaries come armed with a letter from King George III, demanding to open the tomb of Edward I.

As the Society prepares to open the tomb, a ghostly figure is seen walking the abbey cloisters, wearing the crown and shroud of the dead king. Then there is further uproar when one of the Antiquaries is found viciously murdered, and the corpse of Edward I
is stolen. With her father’s position under threat from the scandal, Susan feels dutybound to investigate these strange occurrences. Could one of the Society members be harbouring a murderous secret? Or is one of the abbey’s own a killer?

The new historical mystery from the bestselling author of Black Drop, Blue Water and Scarlet Town. Perfect for readers of Andrew Taylor, Laura Shepherd-Robinson and S.J. Parris.

Author Biography

Leonora Nattrass studied eighteenth-century literature and politics, and spent ten years lecturing in English and publishing works on William Cobbett. She lives in Cornwall, in a seventeenth-century house with seventeenth-century draughts, and spins the fleeces of her Ryeland sheep into yarn. Her first novel, Black Drop, was published in 2021, and was a Sunday Times Historical Fiction Book of the Month. Her second, Blue Water, was published in 2022 and was a Waterstones Thriller of the Month. Her third novel, Scarlet Town, was published in 2023 and shortlisted for the CWA Historical Dagger award.