A master forger transforms a young woman’s life – but what will it cost her?
In post-war Flanders, Adelais de Wolf's family is slowly, inexplicably, falling apart: her mother evermore lost to religious devotion, her father to alcohol. But with the death of a beloved uncle, Adelais finds herself in receipt of an unexpected legacy: a shuttered house in a rundown district and its contents – contents that hold the promise of independence and wealth. All that is required is application, nerve, and a willingness to break the law.
Adelais stifles her doubts and her fortunes are transformed. But with her rise comes complications: her victimless crimes may not be as victimless as she supposed. Nor has she counted on the singular fanaticism of Major de Smet of the Federal Gendarmerie, a brutal detective who never forgives and never forgets.
Caught in a dangerous game of cat and mouse, will Adelais find that her new life comes at too high a price?
Cinematic and seductive, The House with Nine Locks is a compelling and sweeping historical novel with characters you won’t soon forget.
PRAISE FOR PHILIP GRAY
’Immensely enjoyable’
BBC TWO BETWEEN THE COVERS
'Atmospheric’
The Times
‘Haunting, cinematic and utterly gripping’
D. B. JOHN
‘Literary class, intellectual depth and thriller pacing’
MATT REES
‘Enthralling, enchanting . . . he really is that good’
DAVID YOUNG