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In his first adult novel, Simon Mayo delivers the kind of content that characterises the best of reading group fiction. A robust historical novel with a beating heart, MAD BLOOD STIRRING shines new light on one of life´s oldest truths; sometimes, in our darkest hour, it can be the most unlikely of things that see us through.

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1815: The war is over but for the inmates at Dartmoor Prison, peace - like home - is still a long way away.

On the eve of the year 1815, the American sailors of the Eagle finally arrive at Dartmoor prison; bedraggled, exhausted but burning with hope. They´ve only had one thing to sustain them - a snatched whisper overheard along the way.

The war is over.

Joe Hill thought he´d left the war outside these walls but it´s quickly clear that there´s a different type of fight to be had within. The seven prison blocks surrounding him have been segregated; six white and one black. As his voice rings out across the courtyard, announcing the peace, the redcoat guards bristle and the inmates stir. The powder keg was already fixed to blow and Joe has just lit the fuse.

Elizabeth Shortland, wife of the Governor looks down at the swirling crowd from the window of her own personal prison. The peace means the end is near, that she needn´t be here for ever. But suddenly, she cannot bear the thought of leaving.

Inspired by a true story, Mad Blood Stirring tells of a few frantic months in the suffocating atmosphere of a prison awaiting liberation. It is a story of hope and freedom, of loss and suffering. It is a story about how sometimes, in our darkest hour, it can be the most unlikely of things that see us through.

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"Wonderful - a story I never heard before, told with style, pace, character, texture, and tension ... bliss." Lee Child 20180226

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Simon Mayo is one of Britain´s best-loved radio presenters. He is also the presenter of Simon Mayo´s Books of the Year podcast. Mad Blood Stirring is his first adult novel.

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