The Lost Apprentice is a deliciously twisty, dark academia fantasy novel, perfect for fans of The Atlis Six, A Study in Drowning and Ninth House. 

FÁILTE TO THE SOS

Fiadh Whelan should be over the moon. After months spent burning the midnight oil, at twenty-three years of age, everything she’s worked hard to achieve is finally within her grasp. Incredibly, she has her pick of prestigious apprenticeships. But when her beloved cousin goes missing, Fiadh’s world falls apart.

WHERE KNOWLEDGE IS ONLY FOR THE WORTHY

She seems to be the only person who won’t accept the neat explanation that Muriel messed up at work and ran away. Fiadh suspects her cousin’s former colleagues are lying; and, determined to find the truth, she accepts an apprenticeship at the firm responsible for her cousin’s disappearance. Her plan is simple: stay under the radar and investigate everyone. Annoyingly, that plan goes to hell when her rival, Keefe ‘swan man’ O’Kelly, sticks his beak where it’s not wanted and delves into a past she’d rather remain buried.

AND DARK DEEDS ARE AFOOT

In fact, it feels as though everyone around her is hiding secrets, making it hard to know whom to trust. Yet, it’s sink or swim at Heron Early LLP and Fiadh has to compete for a coveted spot in the SoS, a secret society of solicitors she believes may be the key to finding Muriel.

But every apprentice eventually learns an unfortunate truth: once a dark deed is signed, sealed and delivered – you’re theirs to control.