From the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Turnglass. Perfect for fans of Anthony Horowitz and Stuart Turton.

A dazzling, puzzle-box mystery of secrets, power and hidden truths

1804, Isle of Ray, Essex. Lysander Rose has spent his life searching for the truth about his mother, abducted when he was just a baby.

When the men who took her return for him, Lysander is forced to flee – leaving behind everything he knows. But in his escape, he uncovers a clue that draws him into the orbit of a secretive organisation known only as the Circle.

As Lysander follows the trail from the Essex coast to the shadowed streets of Edinburgh, he finds himself entangled in a world of murder, blackmail and political intrigue. At its centre: an exiled king, and a conspiracy that could shape the fate of nations.

And stranger still, the secrets of Lysander’s own past seem to be hidden in the pages of a lurid penny-blood chapbook – a story that may hold the key to who he really is.

But as the truth of his origins begins to emerge, Lysander must decide whether he can escape the fate others have written for him.

Praise for Gareth Rubin

‘A stunning, ingenious, truly immersive mystery’ Chris Whitaker

‘A risky idea, beautifully executed’ Telegraph

‘An intricate and thoroughly mesmerising tale’ Guardian

‘An ambitious novel that is also an easy, enjoyable read’ The Times, Crime Book of the Month