THE HONEY AND THE STING

'Fremantle builds the tension with delicious skill in this page-turning thriller. She is excellent on the precariousness of life for history’s powerless women.'
The Times

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Out Now in Paperback

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​'A wonderfully inventive reimagining of the most dramatic murder of early Stuart England, but a novel whose power taps into something older and deeper. The interwoven story of the three sisters resonates with myth, as does the darkly ambivalent child who links the two strands of the novel and adds a satisfyingly astringent flavour to its resolution.'
​Andrew Taylor, author of The Ashes of London

​​‘The Honey and The Sting is a lush, thrilling page-turner humming with its own exquisite dark beauty. I loved it.’ 
Eve Chase author of The Glass House

​Three sisters
Three secrets
Three ways to fall...

England 1628

Forcibly seduced by the powerful George Villiers, doctor's daughter  Hester is cast aside to raise their illegitimate son alone and in secret, hoping to never see his father again.

Melis's visions cause disquiet and talk. She sees what others can't _ and what has yet to be. She'd be denounced as a witch if Hester wasn't so carefully protective.

Young Hope's beauty marks her out, drawing unwelcome attention to the family. yet she cannot always resist others' advances. And her sisters cannot always be on their guard.

When Villiers decides to claim his son against Hester's wishes, the sisters find themselves almost friendless and at his mercy. But the women hold a grave secret. The question is, will what they know be their undoing or their salvation?

Because in the right hands, a secret is the deadliest weapon of all...​

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The Honey and the Sting is a gripping page-turner that propels a trio of vivid and engaging young women towards their complex and separate destinies. Elizabeth Fremantle has a real gift for making historical worlds as fresh and immediate as our own, especially a pre-industrial England rooted in the land. Hugely enjoyable.
VB Grey, author of Tell Me How it Ends

An intelligent and atmospheric thriller with superbly drawn characters that all but step off the page. EC Fremantle has done it again.
Essie Fox author of The Last Days of Leda Grey