The Music Of The Spheres

Jan 13, 2026 9:18 AM

Author:Elizabeth Redfern

London, the summer of 1795: a season of revolutionary fervour, scientific discovery and vicious murders. The British government is in disarray, unable to stem the flood of secrets to Paris; betrayals that doom her war efforts to failure. In rural Kensington a group of French emigr-s are pursuing a scientific dream, the discovery of a planet they call Selene. The group has fallen under the spell of a beautiful and amoral woman - Auguste de Montpellier who is at once their muse and dark angel. Meanwhile a killer lurks in the back streets of the capital: the victims are all prostitutes and have been paid in French Louis d'Or, the currency of France's spies. Jonathan Absey is a Home Office clerk whose official task is to smash the French spy ring. Privately however, he has become obsessed with the murders. These interests intersect when he finds himself drawn into the Montpellier circle, yet his pursuit for truth remains obscured through coded letters, opium and conspiracy. Absey must uncover the mystery before the summer dies; an invasion fleet is being prepared to set sail across the channel and the lives of those on board now rest on his discoveries.

Reviews

Unputdownable

—— Guardian

Remarkable, a glittering tale of London in 1795, full of science, intrigue, war, revolution and obsessive passion

—— Guardian

An engrossing read and a rich, pungent evocation of the period

—— Observer

Unputdownable...brilliantly handled to keep the reader guessing right to the end

—— Charles Palliser

Striking and original...a star is born

—— Literary Review

Intriguing

—— Tina Moran , Daily Express

A gripping page turner

—— O, The Oprah Magazine

Jenkins shows she has a gift for tender comedy

—— Scotsman

A moving study

—— Suzy Feay , Financial Times

I can think of no better companion than Janette Jenkins' pitch-perfect reimagining of a regret-tinged twilight of Noel Coward's life

—— Harper's Bazaar

A study in melancholy, very well observed

—— William Leith , Evening Standard

Perfectly-tuned imagining… Jenkins’ telling of it...saves it from any hint of predictability

—— Lesley Mcdowell , Independent on Sunday

Jenkins’s prose is thoughtful and sensitive…and her depiction of Coward’s final stage performance, which was a disaster, is particularly insightful

—— Lesley McDowell, 5 stars , Independent On Sunday

As broad and panoramic as ever.

—— Craig Brown , Mail on Sunday

There are some dazzling satirical riffs and politically incorrect laughs.

—— Jake Kerridge , Sunday Express

Wolfe’s prose is as punchy as ever.

—— Time Out

Energetically set against the deco licentiousness of Florida’s steamiest party capital.

—— Vogue

Class, family, wealth and corruption are all themes in this examination of life in Miami.

—— Sunday Business Post

[Tells] us about the way we live now... enjoyable.

—— Wynn Wheldon , Spectator

Classic Wolfe. A delight

—— William Leith , Evening Standard

Epic, hectic, satirical… It’s scathing, funny, and has great set-piece scenes

—— Brandon Robshaw , Independent on Sunday

Contemporary Miami gets the Wolfe treatment in a grand, sweeping satire on race, class, lust and immigration

—— Sunday Telegraph

Wonderful

—— Robert Bound , Monocle

Parks is one of the best living writers of English, and this book is so good you don't want it to end

—— Nicholas Lezard , Guardian

If, like me, you relish Italy, railways and grumbling, this is the most transporting book

—— Christopher Hirst , Independent

A fun, informative and detailed journey

—— By the Dart

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