Cirrus@Austlit

'When the Earl of Salt Hendon marries squire’s daughter Jane Despard, Society is aghast. But Jane and Lord Salt share a secret past of mistrust, heartache and misery. Four years on, they are forced into a marriage neither wants; the Earl to honor a dying man’s wish; Jane to save her stepbrother from financial ruin. Beautiful inside and out, the patient and ever optimistic Jane believes love conquers all; the Earl will take some convincing. Enter Diana St. John, who has been living in a fool’s paradise believing she would be the next Countess of Salt Hendon. She will go to extreme lengths, even murder, to hold the Earl’s attention. Can the newlyweds overcome past prejudices and sinister opposition to fall in love all over again?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Inspired by a real-life 19th century scandal, Clarke deftly writes about the privileged world of the Victorian upper-class, where Hugh is forced by his overbearing mother, Lady Lillian, to conform to society’s views concerning sex. Hugh’s inquisitive and rebellious nature leads Lady Lillian to send the innocent young man away to Thorndike Academy to be educated according to English etiquette. Instead, his schooldays ignited forbidden desires for an older student, Edmund. However, it would be Hugh’s affair with William, a working-class man, which would cause him so much angst as well as ecstasy. For a time, Hugh and William journey to the French Riviera, the scene of hedonistic delights, but also profound sadness and contempt. Moreover, what Lady Lillian feared – Hugh’s innocence becoming tainted – had come to pass, and this is reflected in his public disgrace and subsequent captivity in Reading Gaol. Rejected and betrayed, Hugh’s life journey ultimately leads him to the dark, dingy rooms of an infamous boarding house, a place of unrestrained drug addiction and sensual pleasures as well as the site for murder.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

''Death in Xanadu' is a savage indictment against the movie industry, and in this world of celluloid fantasy, the ultimate power belongs to the studio mogul Carlton Hislop, who can either destroy careers or create them – on the condition that they submit themselves to him. Author Aaron J Clarke turns a jaundiced eye on Xanadu, and the result is a depiction of a chain-smoking, heavy drinking, coke snorting, megalomaniac – not to mention perverse – movie mogul, who will stop at nothing to get what he wants and likewise, prevent his abhorrent desires from being publicized. Drawn into this scandal are the producers Tiffany, Lisa and Tony, in addition to the casting director, Kathy, who nominates child actors Frank and Freddie for roles in an upcoming film. Carlton becomes fixated on the young actors the moment he sees their audition. And so the malevolent man descends down a path of depravity, which ultimately leads to his humiliating escape from America and subsequent punishment in tropical Brazil.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'In The Sinner's Kiss, Clarke tells the story of betrayal, revenge in France and Morocco during the fin de siecle. Three women are drawn to the Lothario, Gabriel. Madame de Rosa desires him to be her instrument of revenge. Justine and Esmee, in contrast, desire him to escape the confines of society, a world where enemies prepare to strike like Madame de Rosa whose actions have dangerous, tragic consequences not only for her, but also for the other women. Their stories are woven into the fabric of nineteenth century conventions regarding female conduct, where those who desire pay a price.' (Publisher's blurb.)