Crimson and Bone

Marina Fiorato Hodder & Stoughton. Out now

We meet heroine Annie at a desperate moment – penniless and forced into prostitution, she is on the point of jumping off Waterloo Bridge. Salvation comes in the form of wealthy artist Francis, who makes her his model and his muse. As he effects a Pygmalion transformation on Annie, his paintings make them both the toast of London. But aspects of Francis’s behaviour begin to unsettle Annie – and then there’s the matter of a spate of murders. From a vividly conjured Victorian London to a picture-postcard Florence, this is captivating Gothic blend of mystery and romance.