A disgraced woman. A faraway land. A forbidden love…An unforgettable tale set in Victorian London and 1840s China from a shining, young historical talent.A disgraced woman. A faraway land. A forbidden love…An unforgettable tale set in Victorian London and 1840s China from a shining, young historical talent.Desperate to shield her from scandal, Mary's brother-in-law, the ambitious botanist Robert Fortune, forces her to accompany him on a mission to China to steal tea plants for the East India Company. But Robert conceals his secret motives – to spy for the British forces, newly victorious in the recent Opium War.His task is both difficult and dangerous – the British are still regarded as enemies by the Chinese and exporting tea bushes carries the death sentence. In these harsh conditions Mary grieves for her London life and the baby she has been forced to leave behind, while her fury at Robert intensifies.As their quest becomes increasingly treacherous, Robert and Mary disguise themselves as a mandarin and man-servant. Thousands of miles from everything familiar, Mary revels in her new freedom and the Chinese way of life – and when danger strikes, finds unexpected reserves of courage.The Secret Mandarin is an unforgettable story of love, fortitude and recklessness – of a strong woman determined to make it in a man's world and a man who will stop at nothing to fulfil his desires.‘A truly sumptuous, action-packed Oriental adventure that might just be our favourite historical romance of the year.’Daily Record‘An enchanting story that draws you in… perfect for whiling away the hours on a rainy day.’Closer‘If you like mystery, history, love and adventure then this book is for you!’ Scottish Home & Country‘A very enjoyalbe voyage to the Far East.’ Weekly NewsSara Sheridan is an historical novelist who writes two different kinds of books. One is a series of cosy crime noir mysteries set in Brighton in the 1950s – Brighton Belle – and the other is a set of novels based on the real-life stories of late Georgian and early Victorian explorers and adventurers (1820 – 1845) – The Secret Mandarin and Secret of the Sands. Tipped in Company and GQ magazines, she has been nominated for a Young Achiever Award. She received a Scottish Library Award for Truth or Dare, her first novel, and was shortlisted for the Saltire Book Prize. An occasional journalist and blogger, Sara appears on BBC Radio 4's From Our Own Correspondent and blogs for the Guardian and the London Review of Books. She is a twitter evangelist and a self-confessed swot. Sara sits on the Committee of the Society of Authors in Scotland where she lives and also on the board of the UK-wide writers' collective '26' and took part in the acclaimed 26 Treasures project in 2010 at the V&A, in 2011 at NationalMuseum of Scotland and in 2012 at the Children's Museum, Bethnal Green.She is a member of the Historical Writers Association and the Crime WritersAssociation. Sara also mentors for the Scottish Book Trust.•Avon’s first foray into historical fiction.• Sara Sheridan is an exciting new talent - one of a new breed of young historical writers determined to bring the past electrifyingly to life.• Merges fact and fiction - Sara researched the life of real-life botanist Robert Fortune to piece together his adventures.• Fortune was the man responsible for introducing tea plants to India and thereby making the great British cuppa a staple of our everyday life.• Sumptuous, evocative and mesmerising - will appeal to fans of Lisa See, Anchee Min, The Pirate’s Daughter and The Piano Teacher.• Major PR including tie-up with Edinburgh’s botanical Gardens and Kew.• Sara’s next novel will be partially set in Arabia.All bookshop, independent and library sales to Gardners Books and Bertrams.www.gardners.comwww.bertrams.comwww.harpercollins.co.uk/avonCompetition: Memoirs of a Geisha;A Thousand Splendid Suns;The;Kite Runner;Woman in the White Kimono;Guardian of Lies;Tuscan Contessa;Missing Sister;Beekeeper of Aleppo;Paper Wife;Meet Me in Bombay;. Khaled Hosseini;Ana Johns;Kate Furnivall;Dinah Jefferies;Jeffries;Christy Lefteri;Laila Ibrahim;Jenny Ashcroft;
Publicat de: HarperCollins Publishers