{"product_id":"the-company-the-chilling-gothic-thriller-9781399802659","title":"The Company: The Chilling Gothic Thriller","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'[A] stunning Gothic chiller' \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003eIrish Times\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Diabolically good . . . J.M. Varese's gothic tale is sinuously elegant and claustrophobic as deadly Victorian wallpaper' \u003c\/b\u003eKate Griffin, author of \u003ci\u003eFyneshade\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eLondon, 1870.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eLucy Braithwhite lives a privileged existence as heir to the fortune of Braithwhite \u0026amp; Company - the most successful purveyor of English luxury wallpapers the world over. The company's formulas have been respected for nearly a century, but have always remained cloaked in mystery. No one has been able to explain the originality of design, or the brilliance of their colours, leaving many to wonder if the mysterious spell-like effect of their wallpapers is due simply to artistry, or something more sinister. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWhen Mr Luckhurst, the company's manager, and the man who has acted as surrogate father to Lucy and her invalid brother John since they were children, suddenly dies, Lucy is shocked to discover that there is no succession plan in place. Who will ensure that the company and her family continue to thrive? \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe answer soon arrives in the form of the young and alluring Julian Rivers, who, unbeknownst to Lucy and John, has been essential to the company's operations for some time. At first, he seems like the answer to their prayers, but as Lucy begins piecing together Julian's true intentions, and John begins seeing spectral visions in the house's wallpaper, it becomes clear to Lucy that she must do everything within her power to oppose the diabolic forces that have risen up to destroy her family. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eSet against the backdrop of the real-life arsenic wallpaper controversy of the late 19th century, \u003ci\u003eThe Company\u003c\/i\u003e is a dark and haunting slice of gothic Victoriana, following one woman's fight to preserve all that she holds dear.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e'A chilling gothic thriller . . . entrancing, entwining, and entrapping' \u003c\/b\u003eHollis Seamon, author of \u003ci\u003eCorporeality\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e'\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eVarese brings to life the true grittiness of 19th-century London' \u003c\/b\u003eAmanda Foreman, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Duchess\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e'\u003ci\u003eThe Company \u003c\/i\u003ecreeps up on its readers before it so splendidly pounces. The new master of suspense has arrived' \u003c\/b\u003eJohn Bowen, author of \u003ci\u003eOther Dickens\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eJ.M. Varese\u003c\/b\u003e is an American novelist and literary historian whose first novel, \u003ci\u003eThe Spirit Photographer\u003c\/i\u003e (2018), was published to critical acclaim. Varese has also written widely on Victorian literature and culture, and has served in various capacities, most recently as Director of Outreach, for The Dickens Project at the University of California for over two decades.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Baskerville Publishers","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50900260552978,"sku":"9781399802659","price":12.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_11366ebc-484f-4585-b9d9-bd8e38e90e5d.jpg?v=1738377439","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-company-the-chilling-gothic-thriller-9781399802659","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}