Theatre of Marvels

by Lianne Dillsworth (£14.99, HB, Cornerstone) Meet Zillah, an orphan plucked from the slums of St Giles to perform as The Great Amazonia – an African Tribal Queen. As the headline act at Crillick’s Variety Theatre, Zillah can see her star rising, as she mixes with high society in Victorian London. It’s not until she bumps into Lucien Winters, who shines a light on her heritage and identity, that she questions the price she’s willing to pay for this new life. And then a new stage act mysteriously disappears… Exploitation and empowerment, race and class are all explored in this historical novel, with wonderful back-stage detail.