The Darlings of the Asylum

‘ by Noel O’Reilly grips like a vice’ Nicola Cornick I must pull myself together. I had to find Dr Rastrick and demand my immediate release. My stomach knotted at the prospect, but I knew I was perfectly sane and that he must see reason. In 1886, a respectable young woman must acquire a husband. But Violet Pring does not want to marry. She longs to be a professional artist and live on her own terms. When her scheming mother secures a desirable marriage proposal from an eligible Brighton gentleman for her, Violet protests. Her family believes she is deranged and deluded, so she is locked away in Hillwood Grange Lunatic Asylum against her will. In her new cage, Violet faces an even greater challenge: she must escape the clutches of a sinister and formidable doctor and set herself free. This tantalizing Gothic novel from Noel O’Reilly tells a thrilling story of duty and desire, madness and sanity, truth and delusion from within a Victorian asylum. Praise for Noel O’Reilly: ‘Always engaging and readable’ ‘Written with a blazing energy and a Gothic edge’ ‘Noel O’Reilly’s lyrical writing brilliantly evokes the struggles of life in such a dramatic setting’ ‘The narrative rattles along irresistibly all the way to its suitably gothic climax’ ‘This darkly atmospheric psychological thriller oozes menace’ ‘Wow! I have been on the edge of my seat with this one! … grips like a vice’ ‘Full of secrets, suspicions and rumour’ ‘Perfect prose, a fast-paced, intricate plot’ ‘A gripping historical tale… I loved it’ ‘Echoes of Du Maurier’ ‘Gripping’