Knives Out meets The Binding in this historical romp full of magic, queer romance and adventure. A Restless Truth by Freya Marske is the thrilling follow-up to A Marvellous Light.
'It's the lesbian locked-room murder mystery of my dreams. Beyond delightful!' - Alix E. Harrow, author of The Ten Thousand Doors of January
Maud Blyth has always longed for adventure. She'd hoped for plenty of it when she agreed to help her beloved older brother unravel a magical conspiracy. She even volunteered to serve as an old lady's companion on an ocean liner. But Maud didn't expect the old lady to turn up dead on the very first day of the voyage.
Now she has to deal with a dead body, a disrespectful parrot, and the lovely, dangerously outrageous Violet Debenham. Violet is everything Maud has been trained to distrust, yet can't help but desire: a magician, an actress and a magnet for scandal.
Surrounded by open sea and a ship full of suspects, Maud and Violet must learn to drop the masks they've learned to wear. Only then might they work together to locate a magical object worth killing for - and unmask a murderer. All without becoming dead in the water themselves.
Set in an alternative Edwardian England filled with magic, murder and romance, A Restless Truth is the spellbinding second book in The Last Binding trilogy by Freya Marske. Continue the series with A Power Unbound.
About the Author
Freya Marske is the author of A Power Unbound, A Restless Truth and A Marvellous Light, the latter of which became an international bestseller and won the Romantic Novelists' Association's Award for Romantic Fantasy. Her work has appeared in Analog and has been shortlisted for three Aurealis Awards. She is also a Hugo-nominated podcaster, and won the Ditmar Award for Best New Talent. She lives in Australia.
Industry Reviews
A Restless Truth is a delectable sapphic fantasy-adventure on the high seas. Maud and Violet stole my heart from page one. Never has the term 'to ship' been more appropriate -- Megan Bannen, author of The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy
Jaw-droppingly fantastic. Anyone who's ever hoped that the Miss Phryne Fisher Mysteries had a bit more magic and a lot more sex is going to adore this book, which doesn't skimp on either. Add to that fantastic, thoroughly captivating characters, a deeply engaging story and divinely lyrical prose. In a word: delightful -- Jenn Lyons, author of The Ruin of Kings
The perfect book if you're looking for oceanbound queer shenanigans, suspense in a coherently magical world, or opulent historical fiction! -- Malka Older, author of The Mimicking of Known Successes
A magical world of exquisite refinement, where peril skims beneath manners, interiors bespeak both faultless taste and deadly secrets, and the sexual tension crescendos until it literally makes sparks fly. A dazzling debut -- Shelley Parker-Chan, author of She Who Became the Sun,on A Marvellous Light
A breathtaking queer romantic fantasy . . . Sensual erotic scenes, an intriguing magic system, and a puzzling mystery combine to make this novel a wonder -- Publishers Weekly starred review on A Marvellous Light
Mystery! Magic! Murder! . . . This book is a confection, both marvellous and light -- Alix E. Harrow, author of Starling House on A Marvellous Light
