Hesse Phillips Historie^Lightborne: A Times Best Historical Fiction Book of 2024

A stunning debut on queer love, betrayal and survival in Elizabethan England. Perfect for fans of Hilary Mantel and Maggie O’Farrell.
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‘Vivid, punchy, brilliantly original’ SUNDAY TIMES
‘Hugely impressive, visceral and moving’ FINANCIAL TIMES
‘Imaginative, atmospheric, and heart-poundingly tense’ NEIL BLACKMORE
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England, 1593. Kit Marlowe is one of London’s most beloved playwrights. He lives audaciously, leaving lovers – and enemies – in his wake.

But the city’s streets are infested with spies. When Marlowe is arrested for treason, heresy and sodomy – all crimes punishable by death – old friends turn foes, bitter rivals emerge, and a stranger becomes Marlowe’s dearest ally – if only he can be trusted.

In an era where suspicion and duplicity rule, loyalty can be fatal.

Richly atmospheric and tenderly imagined, Lightborne is the thrilling tale of an enigmatic, infamous character, and a love that flourishes from the margins.
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More praise for Lightborne

‘Exerts a powerful pull’  IRISH TIMES
‘The kind of brilliant writing that rescues historical fiction from the museum’ JOSEPH O’CONNOR
‘A deeply impressive achievement, meticulously researched and fabulously rendered’ NIALL BOURKE