A net for small fishes - Lucy Jago

SHORTLISTED FOR THE AUTHORS' CLUB BEST FIRST NOVEL AWARD'What a ride!' India Knight, Sunday Times Summer reads'Thrilling a sumptuous feast of plotting and intrigue' Mail on Sunday 'A complete joy' Bettany Hughes 'Gloriously immersive' Guardian-------------------------------------------------Frances Howard has beauty and a powerful family - and is the most unhappy creature in the world.Anne Turner has wit and talent - but no stage on which to display them. Little stands between her and the abyss of destitution.When these two very different women meet in strange circumstances, a powerful friendship is sparked. Frankie sweeps Anne into a world of splendour that exceeds all she imagined: a Court whose foreign king is a stranger to his own subjects; where ancient families fight for power, and where the sovereign's favourite may rise and rise - so long as he remains in favour.Anne and Frankie dare to seek a little happiness for themselves in this extravagant, savage hunting ground. But as they gain notice, they also gain enemies; what began as a search for love and safety leads to desperate acts that could cost them everything. Based on the true scandal that rocked the court of James I, A Net for Small Fishes is the most gripping novel you'll read this year: an exhilarating dive into the pitch-dark waters of the Jacobean court.