Miss Marley: A Christmas ghost story – a prequel to A Christmas Carol

‘Exquisite’ Veronica Henry Before A Christmas Carol there was… Miss Marley A seasonal tale of kindness and goodwill Orphans Clara and Jacob Marley live by their wits, scavenging for scraps in the poorest alleyways of London, in the shadow of the workhouse. Every night, Jake promises his little sister ‘tomorrow will be better’ and when the chance to escape poverty comes their way, he seizes it despite the terrible price. And so Jacob Marley is set on a path that leads to his infamous partnership with Ebenezer Scrooge. As Jacob builds a fortress of wealth to keep the world out, only Clara can warn him of the hideous fate that awaits him if he refuses to let love and kindness into his heart… In Miss Marley, Vanessa Lafaye weaves a spellbinding Dickensian tale of ghosts, goodwill and hope – a perfect prequel to A Christmas Carol. Praise for Miss Marley: ‘A spellbinding Dickensian tale of ghosts, goodwill and hope’ Mail on Sunday ‘Redemptive… a fitting legacy for a writer who is so sadly missed’ Red ‘Evocative’ Heat ‘Delightful’ Sunday Mirror ‘A reminder of the power of kindness and love’ Stylist A ‘gem of a tale’ Sunday Express ‘A beautifully written Dickensian tale’ Candis ‘Captivating … A beautiful and tender fable’ Daily Express ‘Fantastic’ Good Housekeeping ‘Ghosts, goodwill and hope on every page’ My Weekly ‘Lafaye masterfully brings the setting of 19th-Century London to life’ Woman ‘Love, disappointment, kindness and greed all play their parts in this delightful companion piece to Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol’ Woman & Home ‘A seasonal tale of kindness and goodwill that captures the atmosphere of Dickens’ Yours ‘Exquisite’ Veronica Henry ‘A beautiful, warm, rich hug of a story and bittersweet reminder to embrace life and enrich others as you go’ Liz Fenwick In this historical fiction, Vanessa Lafaye masterfully intertwines the supernatural and gothic elements, creating a top-tier narrative that is both captivating and evocative. The classic tale of Jacob Marley is reimagined, shedding light on his life before his infamous partnership with Ebenezer Scrooge, and the terrible price he paid for his wealth. For fans of Liz Hyder (The Gifts), Ruth Druart (The Last Hours in Paris), Kristin Hannah (The Women), Robert Ingpen (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Through the Looking-Glass & The Hunting of the Snark), and Lisa Shambrook (A Winter's Romance).