Black Silk and Buried Secrets

The second captivating novel featuring intrepid heroine Tatty Crowe and the fascinating world of Sydney’s Victorian funeral business, from bestselling historical fiction author Deborah Challinor. Sydney, 1871. Twenty-five-year-old widow Tatty Crowe is the owner of busy undertaking firm Crowe Funerals. Life and business are good until Tatty notices how many women are dying after unlawful abortions, and after a terrible tragedy strikes close to home, she vows to expose the culprit.

And then there are the whispered rumours of baby farming. Once again Tatty sets out to investigate the crisis and finds herself immersed in the dark and sometimes heartless world of paid foster care and adoption. Along the way she encounters an old foe, and clashes with a new adversary who, it transpires, is far more dangerous.

From the grim slums of Chippendale and Newtown to the grand houses of Woolloomooloo to Sydney’s rowdy Criminal Court, comes the next chapter in the story of compassionate and clever – but headstrong – Tatty Crowe.

Praise for Black Silk and Sympathy:

‘In this expertly crafted novel, Challinor delivers a captivating tale of resilience, reinvention and determination … [with] a thrilling twist’ Books+Publishing

Author Biography

Deborah Challinor has a PhD in history and is the author of numerous bestselling novels, including the Children of War series, the Convict Girls series, the Smuggler’s Wife series and the Restless Years series. She has also written one young adult novel and two non-fiction books. In 2018, Deborah was made a member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to literature and historical research. She lives in New Zealand with her husband.