'You must cross my palm with silver first, my pretty miss.'

1860s, London. The capital's high society ladies like nothing more than to while away an evening at a private supper party, drinking sweet wine, sharing confidences - and having their fortunes read. But palm-reading is a perilous business: the lines of the left hand can unlock secrets and reveal futures best kept hidden.

When fortune-teller Miss Rose is called to entertain Lady Quayle and her guests at Portland Place, she sees in the palm of shy, cautious Emily a future she is forced to keep to herself. 'A quiet life, my dear' is what she tells the girl. But she spies two little crosses that spell something quite different - fearful, violent death.

As Rose's predictions start coming true, her own fortunes become embroiled in the suspect fates of others and the future suddenly seems a dark and dangerous place. With a plucky heroine and a rollicking story, Sara Stockbridge's second novel is a cauldron of subterfuge and mysticism.

My Thoughts:

This book is fantastic !

I have always had a strong interest in gypsies and my husbands nan is a gypsy and lived in painted wagon so anything connected to gypsies is right up my street. I only saw this book by chance when looking on fantastic fiction so I was soon off to my local library.

Firstly if you want a book about the gypsy way of life then this book isn’t for you. The story is about a young girl, Tabith Quayle who is forced in to a society that she doesn’t really want. When she falls for a gypsy she plots with her friend to runaway. The other main character is Rose who is a gypsy and she reads palms and gets involved with the Quayles.

I just couldn’t put this book down. It has everything in it for me, a love story, a mystery, gypsies and fortune telling. The book was so easy to read and I found I was flying through the pages. The book was a pleasure to read from start to finish and I really cannot find anything negative to say about it. ( )