Julie Owen Moylan

1955: In a cramped apartment on the Lower East Side, school teachers Dovie and Gillian live as lodgers, unable to reveal the truth about their relationship. They guard their private lives fiercely - until someone guesses their secret. 1975: Twenty years on, in the same apartment, Ava Winters is desperately trying to conceal her mother's fragile mental state from the critical eyes of their neighbours. But, one sweltering July morning, Ava's mother escapes. Alone after her mother's departure, Ava takes delivery of a parcel. The box is addressed only to 'Apartment 3B', and contains a photograph of a woman with the word 'LIAR' scrawled across her face. Seeking refuge from her own crisis, Ava determines to track the owner of the photograph down. And, in so doing, discovers a shocking chain of kindnesses, lies and betrayals - with one woman at the centre of it all...

'Julie Owen Moylan writes about mid-20th century women like no-one else' Laura PricePRE-ORDER the dazzlingly compulsive new novel from Julie Owen Moylan – perfect for fans of Cabaret and The Whalebone Theatre Berlin, 1926. After the death of their parents, sisters Leni and Annette only have each other. Dreaming of better days, but desperate, Leni finds work at a notorious the Babylon Circus. From the dancer’s barely-there costumes, to the glimmering mirrors that cover the walls, the Babylon Circus is a place where reality and fantasy merge. For Leni, it’s an overwhelming new world, and she’s happiest hiding in the shadows. Until she meets the cabaret’s resident pianist, Paul… Twenty years later, the Babylon Circus is in ruins. Leni and Annette have a new mouth to feed. And Paul is nowhere to be seen. Once again, Leni and Annette must depend on each other. But one of the sisters is hiding a secret. And, sooner or later, it must come to light.PRAISE FOR JULIE OWEN 'Touching, entertaining and hopeful' Sunday Times'Dazzling' Good Housekeeping 'I was gripped from the first page' Sara Cox'Psychologically astute and emotionally absorbing,' DAILY MAIL'A wonderfully evocative, immersive novel that brings 50s London to life, from the smog and the nightlife to attitudes towards women' SUNDAY EXPRESS'Emotional, immersive and utterly absorbing' JENNIFER SAINT