The Pretender: A Novel by Jo Harkin (HC) Fantasy marking the arrival of a

marking the arrival of a major new writer

through one girl at a hinge point in history

and illuminates the ‘wound beneath the cool’ that marks so many of her characters

"It's a rare treasure to find a historically imagined novel that is at once fully versed in the facts and unafraid of weaving those truths into a story that dares to explore the unanswered questions

Most people don’t even notice them—three tiny figures sitting at the end of a long pier in the corner of one of the most famous paintings in the world

The Pretender: A Novel by Jo Harkin (HC) Fantasy marking the arrival of aSet in the tumultuous period of the Tudors' ascent, The Pretender brings to life the little known story of Lambert Simnel. From humble beginnings as a peasant boy, Lambert's life takes an astonishing turn when, at just ten years old, he becomes a claimant to the English throne as one of the last of the Plantagenet line. As Lambert navigates the treacherous waters of royal intrigue and court life, complex themes of identity, power, and destiny unfold,