The Secretary
Moscow, 1958. At the height of the Cold War, MI6 secretary Lois Vale is on a deep cover mission to identify a diplomatic traitor. She can trust only one man: Johann, a German journalist also working covertly for the British secret service. As the trail leads to Vienna and the Black Sea, Lois and Johann begin an affair but as love grows, so does the danger to Lois.
A tense Cold War spy story told from the perspective of a bright young working class woman recruited to MI6 at a time when men were in charge of making history and women were expendable.
Publication date: February 28, 2025
Death in Provence
“Serena Kent blends Agatha Christie with Peter Mayle in an atmospheric, well-plotted story rich in action, drama and dogged detective work, and simply oozing Gallic charm. Penelope Kite’s new life and crime adventures in this enchanting corner of Provence are a delight for all crime fans.” Lancashire Evening Post
“Penelope sparkles, turning what could have been a lightweight Shirley Temple into champagne. Although Kent makes no promises, updates on her heroine’s further adventures would be most welcome.” Kirkus
“While the quirky characters are enjoyable, it’s the details of Provençal life that will attract armchair travelers, fans of Peter Mayle, Frances Mayes, or even David P. Wagner’s Italy-set “Rick Montoya” mysteries.” Library Journal
Death in Avignon
The second book in the deliciously entertaining Penelope Kite mysteries. Escapist, entertaining crime fiction set in glamorous Provence.
Published in the UK by Orion and Harper in the USA.
300 Days of Sun
“A deeply satisfying novel, a rich story with a strong feeling for time and place and the expert pacing of the best thrillers. Readers will appreciate Lawrenson’s ability to combine stunning atmosphere with a fascinating historical backstory.” Booklist, starred review
“With its lush settings, high-stakes suspense, and novel-within-a-novel, 300 DAYS OF SUN delivers a labyrinth of complex relationships the reader is both breathless to solve and eager to return to upon completion. I lost sleep reading this fabulous, haunting novel.” Erika Robuck, author of Hemingway’s Girl and The House of Hawthorne
Selected as a Great Group Read for the Woman’s National Book Association National Reading Group Month (USA).
The Sea Garden
“THE SEA GARDEN weaves a double spell, and honestly, it got me right from the start. Lawrenson steeps her story of the invisible heroes of the French Resistance crossing borders – and here, crossing time – deep in the eerie beauty of the South of France. The result is a marvellous strange fruit: think Graham Greene served up with a dash of Poe.”
Sarah Blake, bestselling author of The Postmistress
“Deborah Lawrenson’s writing is delicious. Her stories are atmospheric, intoxicating and impossible not to get lost in.”
Sarah Jio, bestselling author of Goodnight June and Blackberry Winter
“Spellbinding…sumptuous.”
Publishers Weekly
The Lantern
“I absolutely adored this beautifully written, modern Gothic novel, set in Provence, full of scents, colors and mystery. It will hook you in from the start and weave its dark, lush magic around you.”
— Tatiana de Rosnay, author of Sarah’s Key and A Secret Kept
“With The Lantern , Deborah Lawrenson delivers a feast of sights, sounds and smells that grow and change and linger, like a wonderfully complex perfume. I was captivated by this marvelous, haunting book—at times vivid and lush, at times provocative and chilling.”
— Garth Stein, author of The Art of Racing in the Rain
“The Lantern is a seductive mixture of a Gothic ghost story and a modern romance that unfolds in a marvelous, crumbling Provencal farmhouse. If the story doesn’t keep you up all night reading, the sharp and beautiful descriptions of the South of France will. Deborah Lawrenson has written an alluring, dark novel that will haunt you and leave you wanting more.”
— Danielle Trussoni, author of Angelology
“Deborah Lawrenson is a master of mood and shadow as she spins this absorbing tale of intense passion and growing dread. Her Provence is sumptuous and forbidding and utterly real. Prepare to be riveted.”
— Paula McLain, author of The Paris Wife
Songs of Blue and Gold
“Evocative and beautifully written” Katie Fforde
“Beautifully addressing love and loss, and considering the question of how well we really know those closest to us, Songs of Blue and Gold is an artfully written book which enlivens the landscape of Corfu, peopling it with memorable characters and a surprising plot.” Waterstones magazine
The Art of Falling
“A superbly crafted novel that deserves to be called the new Captain Corelli or perhaps the new Birdsong…Moving, elegiac and lyrical” Daily Mail
“Fact fuses with fiction as the delicately lyrical writing draws you on to discover the truth behind the disappearance of the main character’s father. The Art of Falling manages to be a literary novel without being pretentious, and as such has appeal to a wide audience.” Book and Magazine Collector
“Vivid and insightful, an account of the sadness of war in Italy seen through the eyes of soldiers and villagers who lived through it.” TripFiction.com