Riptide : From Sunday Times bestselling author Gareth Rubin comes a dazzling mystery in which one man's past is written in blood - but his future is still unwritten

From Sunday Times bestselling author Gareth Rubin comes a dazzling puzzle-box mystery in which one man's past is written in blood - but his future is still unwritten.

1804, Isle of Ray, Essex. Lysander Rose has spent his life searching for the truth about his mother, who was abducted when he was just a baby. When the men who took her return for him, Lysander is forced to flee the only home he has ever known.

His escape leads him to a strange and dangerous clue: a lurid penny-blood chapbook that appears to contain the story of his own origins. As Lysander follows its trail from the Essex coast to the shadowed streets of Edinburgh, he is drawn into the orbit of a secretive organisation known only as the Circle.

Soon he is entangled in a world of murder, blackmail and political intrigue. At its heart lies an exiled king - and a conspiracy that could shape the fate of nations.

But if Lysander's past has already been written, can he still choose how his story ends?

Perfect for fans of Anthony Horowitz, Stuart Turton and C. J. Sansom.

From the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Turnglass. Perfect for fans of Anthony Horowitz and Stuart Turton.

A dazzling, puzzle-box mystery of secrets, power and hidden truths

1804, Isle of Ray, Essex. Lysander Rose has spent his life searching for the truth about his mother, abducted when he was just a baby.

When the men who took her return for him, Lysander is forced to flee - leaving behind everything he knows. But in his escape, he uncovers a clue that draws him into the orbit of a secretive organisation known only as the Circle.

As Lysander follows the trail from the Essex coast to the shadowed streets of Edinburgh, he finds himself entangled in a world of murder, blackmail and political intrigue. At its centre: an exiled king, and a conspiracy that could shape the fate of nations.

And stranger still, the secrets of Lysander's own past seem to be hidden in the pages of a lurid penny-blood chapbook - a story that may hold the key to who he really is.

But as the truth of his origins begins to emerge, Lysander must decide whether he can escape the fate others have written for him.

Praise for Gareth Rubin

'A stunning, ingenious, truly immersive mystery' Chris Whitaker

'A risky idea, beautifully executed' Telegraph

'An intricate and thoroughly mesmerising tale' Guardian

'An ambitious novel that is also an easy, enjoyable read' The Times, Crime Book of the Month