The Bedlam Stacks

From the internationally bestselling author of The Watchmaker of Filigree Street comes an astonishing historical novel set in the magical forests of South America; perfect for fans of The Night Circus; The Essex Serpent and The Muse AN AMAZON BEST BOOK OF THE MONTH Deep in uncharted Peru; the holy town of Bedlam stands at the edge of a forest. The shrine statues move; and anyone who crosses the border dies. But somewhere inside are cinchona trees; whose bark yields quinine: the only known treatment for malaria. By 1859; on the other side of the Pacific; the hunt for a reliable source of quinine is critical and the India Office searches out its last qualified expeditionary; the injured Merrick Tremayne. Against his own better judgement; Merrick finds himself dispatched to Bedlam under orders to bring back cinchona cuttings at any cost. As Merrick travels into hostile territory; he meets Raphael; a priest around whom the villagers spin unsettlingly familiar stories of impossible disappearances and living stone. It is through him that Merrick finally discovers a legacy that will prove more dangerous and valuable than the India Office could ever have imagined.