The Tenth Gift

An escapist page-turner set in 17th-century Cornwall and Morocco, based on the real-life raids on the Cornish coast by Barbary corsairs.

In an exclusive London restaurant, Julia Lovat is given a gift that will change her life. The antique book of Jacobean embroidery delights her, but when she looks more closely, she discovers within its faded pages the extraordinary diary of a young Cornish girl, calling to her from across the centuries. On a Sunday morning in July 1625, Barbary pirates sail into a quiet Cornish bay and storm the church. Their loot: sixty men, women and children, bound for northern Morocco where they will be sold as slaves. Amongst them is Cat Tregenna, a talented young embroiderer. But as her diary reveals, Cat is anything but the compliant slave her captors were expecting...

About the Author

Jane Johnson is a British novelist and publisher. She is the UK editor for George R.R. Martin, Robin Hobb and Dean Koontz and was for many years publisher of the works of J.R.R. Tolkien. Married to a Berber chef she met while researching The Tenth Gift, she lives in Cornwall and Morocco.