Book description
Eugenie de Boncoeur has fled the violence of the French Revolution to
find sanctuary in England at the home of her cousin, Hetta. At first,
the two girls find themselves at loggerheads: Hetta can't understand
Eugenie's preoccupation with clothes and appearance, and scorns her
politics. Soon, however, they are drawn together by a shared sense of
danger, for across the Channel waits the vengeful Pale Assassin,
determined to claim Eugenie for himself. With her brother's life at
stake, how can she refuse his dreadful bargain? But it will mean
sacrificing her chance of love and returning to Paris in the grip of the
Terror. Eugenie must now decide her destiny - with or without Hetta's
help. Patricia Elliott was born in London, but grew up in Europe and
the Far East. A voracious reader since childhood (where she had the
resources of ten different school libraries), she also made up ghost
stories to scare her friends! As an adult, she worked in publishing in
London and in a children's bookshop in New York. She now teaches a
course in children's literature at an adult education college, and is
writing further novels. She lives in Barnes with her husband and two
sons. Her first book, The Ice Boy, won the Fidler Award for a first
novel, was shortlisted for the Branford Boase Award and the West Sussex
award. Her second novel, Murkmere, was longlisted for the Guardian
Children's Fiction Award.
