The Sleeping Beauties by Lucy Ashe

An unputdownable tale of obsession , jealousy and heartache against the backdrop of WW2

May 1945 and at long last, Rosamund Caradon is feeling optimistic. As she returns the last few evacuees to London from her Devonshire manor, she vows to protect dance-obsessed daughter Jasmine from further peril.

But a chance meeting with a Sadler's Wells ballet dancer changes everything.

When the beautiful, elusive Briar Woods bursts into Rosamund's train carriage, it's clear her sights are set on the immediately captivated Jasmine. And Rosamund cannot shake the eerie feeling this accidental encounter is not what it seems.

For Briar may be far away from the pointe shoes and greasepaint of the Sleeping Beauty ballet that is so much a part of her, but her performance for Rosamund might just be her most successful yet.

This, Briar feels, is a show for a mother and daughter. A dance that could turn deadly...

One of Lucy Popescu's Books to Look Forward to in 2024 in Camden New Journal