The Asylum | Fiction - www.zzdbook.com

The Asylum

Dec 4, 2025 8:10 PM

Author:John Harwood

The Asylum

A young woman wakes in a strange bed.

A sickly light filters through a metal grille.

Doctor Maynard Straker steps into the room, and speaks.

‘Have no fear, Miss Ashton. I am entirely at your service.’

This, however, is not her name.

And she should not be here – in the Asylum.

She is Miss Georgina Ferrars, and she can prove it.

But when Dr Straker sends a telegram to her uncle in London, the reply is swift:

GEORGINA FERRARS HERE STOP

YOUR PATIENT MUST BE IMPOSTER STOP

Madness? Mistaken identity? Or are there more malevolent forces at work?

Reviews

A twisting tale of greed, deceit and betrayal

—— Daily Telegraph

Readers are guaranteed a thoroughly diverting time in Harwood’s not-to-be-trusted hands… A dizzying dance…we love every minute of it

—— Barry Forshaw , Independent

Harwood has a talent amounting to genius for channeling the spirit of 19th-century sensation fiction

—— Andrew Taylor , Spectator

Deliciously spooky

—— New York Times Book Review

Harwood, master of creeping Victorian horror, does it again in his latest tale of pervasive evil and madness

—— Booklist

It is a brilliantly constructed 21st-century take on a 19th-century literary form and a satisfactorily confusing read

—— Good Book Guide

Full of intrigue, conspiracies, and the accurate details so essential to good historical fiction . . . Anyone who has even the slightest fascination with the Tudors will want to devour this delectable novel in a single sitting

—— Tasha Alexander , New York Times bestselling author of Death in the Floating City

The Boleyn King deftly blends compelling characters, flawless social history, and courtly romance into an enthralling tale that’s impossible to put down

—— Stefanie Pintoff, , Edgar Award–winning author of Secret of the White Rose

... highly entertains with its fine pacing, plot, and detail. Perfect for Philippa Gregory fans

—— Julie Trevelyan

A sumptuous, vividly imagined novel of a Boleyn king’s fateful rise to power amid the treacherous glamour of the Tudor court. A fantastic debut!

—— C. W. Gortner, author of , The Queen’s Vow

A fascinating journey into what might have been, this novel of alternate history will keep you turning the pages and leave you hoping for a sequel

—— Kate Emerson, author of , A Royal Inheritance

Fans of both Stephenie Meyer and Philippa Gregory will find much to love in this evocative and well-written debut

—— Francine Mathews, author of , Jack 1939

Immensely addictive and twisty—kudos to Laura Andersen for her crafty plotting and rich characterizations. Deliciously scandalous and seductive, The Boleyn King delivers history and romance with equal passion

—— Becca Fitzpatrick , New York Times bestselling author of Hush, Hush

From the intrigue of the Tudor court to the battlefields of France, you will be entranced by the power, emotion, and sweeping romance of this spellbinding novel. I loved it and can’t wait for the next book in the series!

—— Syrie James, bestselling author of , The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen

... a riveting page-turner ... For historical fiction fans and Tudor aficionados, The Boleyn King is a must-read

—— Sherry Jones, author of , Four Sisters, All Queens

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