The city of tears - Kate Mosse

'A gorgeously written, utterly absorbing epic . . . I absolutely loved it' - Lucy Foley

'This is historical fiction to devour. Nobody does it like Kate Mosse' - Anthony Horowitz, on The Burning Chambers

'A novel with vast scope and ambition, brilliantly achieved . . . I was utterly immersed in this spell-binding story' Rosamund Lupton, author of Sister

June 1572: for ten, violent years the Wars of Religion have raged across France. Neighbours have become enemies, countless lives have been lost, and the country has been torn apart over matters of religion, citizenship and sovereignty. But now a precarious peace is in the balance: a royal wedding has been negotiated by Catherine de' Medici and Jeanne d'Albret, an alliance between the Catholic Crown and Henri, the Huguenot king of Navarre. It is a marriage that could see France reunited at last.

Meanwhile in Puivert, an invitation has arrived for Minou Joubert and her family to attend this historic wedding in Paris in August. But what Minou does not know is that the Joubert family's oldest enemy, Vidal, will also be there. Nor that, within days of the marriage, on the eve of the Feast Day of St Bartholomew, Minou's family will be scattered to the four winds and one of her beloved children will have disappeared without trace . . .

A breath-taking novel of revenge, persecution and loss, sweeping from Paris and Chartres to the City of Tears itself - the great refugee city of Amsterdam - this is a story of one family's fight to stay together, to survive and to find each other, against the devastating tides of history . . .

Following on from the Sunday Times number one bestseller, The Burning Chambers, Kate Mosse's The City of Tears is the second thrilling historical epic in The Burning Chambers series, for fans of Ken Follett and Dan Brown.

Kate Mosse is an award-winning novelist, playwright and non-fiction writer, the author of six novels and short story collections, including the multimillion-selling Languedoc Trilogy - Labyrinth, Sepulchre and Citadel - and number one bestselling Gothic fiction The Winter Ghosts and The Taxidermist's Daughter. Her books have been translated into thirty-seven languages and published in more than forty countries. The Founder Director of the Women's Prize for Fiction, she is also the Deputy Chair of the National Theatre in London.

Kate divides her time between Chichester in West Sussex and Carcassonne in south-west France.

That rare thing, a novel with vast scope and ambition, brilliantly achieved, but also deeply personal, finely detailed and nuanced. I was utterly immersed in this spell-binding story
Rosamund Lupton, author of Three Hours

A gorgeously written, utterly absorbing epic and, despite being set in the sixteenth century, has some very pertinent messages for our time about the evils of religious persecution and the transcendent power of love and family. In case it's not clear enough yet, I absolutely LOVED it
Lucy Foley, author of The Hunting Party

This powerful story of love, secrets and deceit is pacy, rich and stylish - and as compelling as they come. One to stay up late for
Isabel Ashdown, author of Lake Child

A vibrant sequel to 2018's Burning Chambers . . . The fascinating historical detail fuels the drama and keeps the plot zipping along
Publisher's Weekly

Mosse's narrative lyricism, beautifully drawn female characters and deft journey from the past to the present day are a cut above
Scotland on Sunday on The Burning Chambers

Mosse is a master storyteller
Madeline Miller, author of Circe

A powerful storyteller with an abundant imagination
Daily Telegraph

Mosse's fans will relish this tale of secrets, love and treachery
The Times on The Burning Chambers

Another of Mosse's immersive dramas, which takes you to the heart of the past
Grazia on The Burning Chambers

Gripping, complex and intensely atmospheric
Mail on Sunday on The Burning Chambers