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Chapters (55)
  1. Praise for Georgina Clarke
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  51. Historical Note
  52. Acknowledgements
  53. Also by Georgina Clarke
  54. About the Author
  55. Copyright

As I researched this novel, I made contact with writers whose knowledge of the history and culture of the period immediately after the First World War helped me immensely. Among them were Lucy Jane Santos, who gave me tips about early-twentieth-century make-up and shopping – and sent me down some delightful fashion website rabbit holes – and Jonathan Holmes, who shared his awesome knowledge of the music of that period.

The life of this book began exactly a hundred years after the date it is set, in March 2020. Writing it was my solace during the first Covid lockdown, undertaken mostly in the early hours of the morning, when, like many others, I was restless and awake. In the daytime, I was (again, like many others) trying to do my job via Zoom and simultaneously teaching a reluctant nine-year-old how to calculate percentages and use adjectives. So, I salute, in passing, my son’s teachers at King’s St Alban’s and my former colleagues at Worcester Cathedral.

I spent a lot of time during lockdown with my son, Sebastian, and my husband, Tim. I am always happy to be in their company, even though I was forced to watch far too many Marvel films in 2020. Tim, at least, was happy to engage in cocktail research during lockdown – which we decided was crucial to the novel.

This book is, in part, about female friendship. I am blessed with many wonderful friends whose laughter and good sense keep me going. In particular, I’m shouting out to Yvonne Pollitt, Sarah Henderson, Jenny Floyd, Elaine Wilmore, Hannah Persaud, Kay Garlick, Nikki Groarke and my cousin, Meriel Comley-Bull.

But this book is dedicated to two dear friends who know me almost more than I know myself, whose opinions matter greatly and with whom I have laughed and cried for many years: Faith Claringbull and Jane Tillier.

Also by Georgina Clarke

Also by Georgina Clarke

Death and the Harlot

The Corpse Played Dead

georginaclarkeauthor.com

About the Author

About the Author

(author photo: Anastasia Jobson)

GEORGINA CLARKE has a degree in theology and completed a PhD in history part-time, while working as a parish priest. Her love of the past is at the heart of her fiction: her Lizzie Hardwicke crime series (published by Canelo) is set in the mid-eighteenth century, and her latest novel – The Dazzle of the Light – unfolds in 1920s London and is inspired by the real-life activities of the women-led Forty Thieves crime syndicate.

In 2021, Georgina began working as a tutor at The Queen’s Foundation in Birmingham, training clergy. When she’s not working, she enjoys dressmaking, running and mooching around old houses. She lives in Worcester with her husband, son and two lively cats.

vervebooks.co.uk/georgina-clarke

If you enjoyed The Dazzle of the Light, look out for The Lost Girls by Heather Young, available now from VERVE Books!