City of Crows [Paperback]

A gothic masterpiece. Better Read Than Dead

Set in seventeenth-century Francea country in the thrall of dark magic, its social fabric weakened by years of plagueChris Womersley'sCity of Crowsis a richly imagined and engrossing tour de force. Inspired by real-life events, it tells the story of Charlotte Picot, a young woman from the country forced to venture to the fearsome city of Paris in search of her only-remaining son, Nicolas. Fate (or coincidence) places the quick-witted charlatan Adam Lesage in her path. Lesage is newly released from the prison galleys and on the hunt for treasure, but, believing him to be a spirit she has summoned from the underworld, Charlotte enlists his help in finding her child.

Charlotte and Lesagecomically ill-matched but nevertheless essential to one anotherjourney to Paris, then known as the City of Crows: Charlotte in search of Nicolas, and Lesage seeking a fresh start.

Dazzlingly told, with humor and flair,City of Crowsis a novel for readers who like their fiction atmospheric, adventurous, spine-tingling, and beautifully written. Pre-revolutionary France, with all its ribaldry, superstition, and intrigue is mesmerizing, and Charlotte Picot's storythe story of a mother in search of her lost sonholds universal appeal.

Chris Womersleys previous novels have been awarded the Ned Kelly Award for Best First Fiction, the Indie Award for Best Fiction, the ABIA Award for Literary Fiction, and have been shortlisted for the Miles Franklin Award,The AgeBook of the Year, and the ALS Gold Medal for Literature. His short fiction has appeared inGranta,The Best Australian Stories,MeanjinandGriffith Review. Womersley lives in Melbourne with his wife and son.

Praise forCity of Crows

By interweaving the trivial, the humorous and the grisliest of the grisly, Chris Womersley straps us in for a shivery ride.Katharine Grant,The New York Times Book lc8