Moonlight And The Pearler S Daughter

Moonlight and the Pearler's Daughter

Moonlight and the Pearler's Daughter

"Western Australia, 1886 After months at sea, a slow boat makes its passage from London to the shores of Bannin Bay. The sea is a shocking blue, and gulls float above battered mangrove jetties. From the deck, young Eliza Brightwell and her family eye their strange new home. Here is an unforgiving land where fortune sits patiently at the bottom of the ocean. A land where pearl shells bloom to the size of soup plates. Where men are coaxed into unthinkable places and unspeakable acts by the promise of unimaginable riches. Ten years later, the pearldiving boat captained by Eliza's eccentric father returns after months at sea-without Eliza's father on it. Whispers from the townsfolk point to mutiny or murder. Headstrong Eliza knows it is up to her to discover who, or what, is really responsible. As she searches for the truth, delving beneath the glamorous veneer of south sea pearls, Eliza discovers that, underneath it all, lies a town of sweltering, stinking decay. The sun-scorched streets of Bannin Bay, a place she once thought she knew so well, are teeming with corruption, prejudice and blackmail. How far is Eliza willing to push herself in order to solve the mystery and save the ones she loves? And what family secrets will come to haunt her along the way?"--

Moonlight and the Pearler's Daughter

'Beautifully written, unflinching and brimming with adventure' – Jennifer Saint, author of Ariadne and Elektra 'Immersive storytelling, a rollicking mystery and a take-no-prisoners heroine' – Stylist 1896, Bannin Bay, Australia. When British pearl-boat captain Charles Brightwell goes missing out at sea, rumours of mutiny and murder swell within the bay's dens and back alleys. Only his headstrong daughter, Eliza, refuses to believe her father is dead, and sets out on a dangerous journey to uncover the truth. But in a town teeming with corruption, prejudice, and blackmail, Eliza soon learns that the answers she seeks might cost more than pearls. How much is she willing to sacrifice to find them? 'Both a breathtaking adventure story and a moving testimony to the lengths we go to for the people we love, it swept me away from the first page' – Emma Stonex, author of The Lamplighters Times Best Historical Fiction Pick A Woman & Home Best Book Stylist Top Pick Shortlisted for the HWA Debut Crown Award and the Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize Compelling, fiercely feminist, and atmospheric, Lizzie Pook's Moonlight and the Pearler's Daughter is a truly mesmerising novel.