The Quick

A sly and glittering addition to the literature of the macabre . . . As soon as you have breathed with relief, much worse horrors begin. It's a skilled, assured performance, and it's hard to believe it is a first novel.

A Gothic blockbuster. - Independent

Energetically throwing together real history and gothic fantasy, Owen has produced a novel that is macabre, readable and atmospheric. - Sunday Times

A suspenseful, gloriously atmospheric first novel, and a feast of gothic storytelling that is impossible to resist.

Debut gothic mystery from a new British talent. - Mail on Sunday

Richly immersive... The story twists from coming-of-age to night of the undead. - Bookseller

A gripping Gothic tour of Victorian Yorkshire and London which is full of shocks and surprises, The Quick is an assured and forceful debut from an exciting new British author. A novel to devour, re-read and recommend. - Bookseller

An amazing debut. - Company

Lauren Owen has created an utterly beguiling fantastical world. As emotionally involving as it is suspenseful, The Quick will establish her as one of contemporary fiction's most dazzling talents. - Horror Cult Films

A devilishly dark, bloodthirsty thriller. - Good Housekeeping

Gripping… Owen has constructed a fantasy world with clear rules and solid foundations, and from these she flies. There's a sense of joy in the writing, and it's infectious. - Intelligent Life

You'll love The Quick… At times unnerving, at times truly terrifying, The Quick is definitely some of the best gothic fiction we've read in months. - Woman's Way

Lauren Owen has conjured up a sumptuous, supernatural feast that slowly takes hold and leaves you wanting more and more as every page turns… Very hard to put down. - UK Press Syndication

Some of the most convincing, witty and assured writing I've been lucky enough to read in ages… Lauren Owen is a ridiculously strong talent and I for one can't wait to see what she does next. - Domestic Sluttery

Bury your head in atmospheric literary Victoriana. - Sunday Times

Full of suspense. - Sun

The book’s energy, its wide reach and rich detail make it a confident example of the “unputdownable” novel. - The Economist

Atmospheric… Sinister. - Elle

What a debut! - Woman & Home

Huge, weird, wonderful and quite scary, too. - Heat

A bold debut. - Shortlist

Brilliantly nauseating. - Lady

A sumptuous, supernatural feast... Leaves you wanting more and more as every page turns. - UK Press Syndication

A new world of adventure, romance and delicious horror. - No. 1

A calm, elegantly observed love story … followed by something altogether more gothic and full-blooded. - Literary Review

Camp, quirky and fun. - Living North

An intriguing blend of historical and supernatural fiction. - yattar yattar

A suspenseful, gloriously atmospheric first novel, and a feast of gothic storytelling that is impossible to resist.

A sly and glittering addition to the literature of the macabre . . . As soon as you have breathed with relief, much worse horrors begin. It's a skilled, assured performance, and it's hard to believe it is a first novel.

A major debut adventure

'A suspenseful, gloriously atmospheric first novel, and a feast of gothic storytelling that is impossible to resist.' KATE ATKINSON

'A sly and glittering addition to the literature of the macabre . . . As soon as you have breathed with relief, much worse horrors begin. It's a skilled, assured performance, and it's hard to believe it is a first novel.' – HILARY MANTEL

Lead debut - acquired in global international pre-empt by Random House and Random House Inc. - supported by major marketing campaign (physical and digital)

For fans of Erin Morgenstern (The Night Circus), Sarah Waters (Fingersmith) and Susanna Clarke (Dr Norrel & Jonathan Strange) and Sherlock Holmes.

A very commercial adventure - a novel of abandoned country houses, the squalid labyrinth of Victorian London, taboo sexuality, monstrous desires, murder, enormous twists and sensation - which combines the pure thrill of a great story with the highest artistic standards.

"Ambitious, elegant, atmospheric and often deeply poignant, The Quick is a seamless blend of Victorian London and rich imagination. This is a book to savour." - Tana French