WINNER OF A BETTY TRASK AWARD 2016SHORTLISTED FOR THE AUTHORS' CLUB BEST FIRST NOVEL AWARD 2016FINALIST FOR THE LOCUS FIRST NOVEL AWARD 2016 An International Bestseller A Guardian Summer Read An Amazon Best Book of the Month A Goodreads Best Book of the Month A Buzzfeed Summer Read A Foyles Book of the Month A Huffington Post Summer Read A Yorkshire Post Book of the Week In 1883 Thaniel Steepleton returns to his tiny flat to find a gold pocketwatch on his pillow When the watch saves Thaniel's life in a blast that destroys Scotland Yard he goes in search of its maker Keita Mori
- a kind lonely Japanese immigrant Meanwhile Grace Carrow is sneaking into an Oxford library desperate to prove the existence of the luminiferous ether before her mother can force her to marry As the lives of these three characters become entwined events spiral out of control until Thaniel is torn between loyalties futures & opposing geniuses