The Secret Photographs

At the golden hour, hidden truths and desires come to light . . . In the genteel squares and stuccoed villas of late-Victorian Brighton, Ellen and Reynold Harper - twins, companions, colleagues, - ply their trade as portrait photographers. But at the golden hour, the girls arrive to pose for the lucrative - and dangerous - illicit photographs that really keep the Harpers' business afloat. This is the other, shadowy world of the city: a world of erotic tableaux, boundary-crossing music hall artistes, and the sinister figure of the local gangster, the Croc. But when Ellen is drawn into the orbit of unhappy newly-wed Clementine, she finds herself torn between loyalty to her brother, her dangerous attraction to their new model, Lily, and a burgeoning friendship with Clem. And as the two worlds of Brighton collide, the three women discover that there is only a knife edge between the promise of freedom, and the threat of ruin . . . Atmospheric, sensual and powerfully moving , The Golden Hour is a spellbinding portrait of three women determined to find their freedom - perfect for fans of Sarah Waters, The Doll Factory and The Essex Serpent ***Jacquie Bloese's stunning debut, THE FRENCH HOUSE, is available now*