Pandora: A Georgian adventure builds on mystery and suspense

Susan Stokes-Chapman: her debut novel is is an atmospheric mystery that flirts with magical realism, containing more than a hint of Gothic and even a touch of ghostly chiller

FICTION

Pandora

By Susan Stokes-Chapman

Harvill Secker, €18.20

Set in Georgian London, Susan Stokes-Chapman’s debut novel is an old-school adventure story that skirts the line between historical fiction and fantasy – and just about stays on the right side of believability.

It’s 1799 and Dora Blake is at something of a crossroads. She lives in a cramped attic above Blake’s Emporium for Exotic Antiquities, a shop once owned and run by her parents. It’s been ...