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A Restless Truth

A magical, sapphic locked-room murder mystery

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A Restless Truth

By: Freya Marske
Narrated by: Aysha Kala
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About this listen

Knives Out meets The Binding in this historical romp full of magic, queer romance and adventure. A Restless Truth by Freya Marske is the thrilling follow-up to A Marvellous Light.

'It's the lesbian locked-room murder mystery of my dreams. Beyond delightful!' - Alix E. Harrow, author of The Ten Thousand Doors of January

Maud Blyth has always longed for adventure. She’d hoped for plenty of it when she agreed to help her beloved older brother unravel a magical conspiracy. She even volunteered to serve as an old lady's companion on an ocean liner. But Maud didn't expect the old lady to turn up dead on the very first day of the voyage.

Now she has to deal with a dead body, a disrespectful parrot, and the lovely, dangerously outrageous Violet Debenham. Violet is everything Maud has been trained to distrust, yet can’t help but desire: a magician, an actress and a magnet for scandal.

Surrounded by open sea and a ship full of suspects, Maud and Violet must learn to drop the masks they’ve learned to wear. Only then might they work together to locate a magical object worth killing for – and unmask a murderer. All without becoming dead in the water themselves.

Set in an alternative Edwardian England filled with magic, murder and romance, A Restless Truth is the spellbinding second book in The Last Binding trilogy by Freya Marske.

Continue the series with A Power Unbound.

 20th Century Crime Fantasy Fiction Historical Magic Murder Mystery Romance Exciting Magic Users LGBTQIA+

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Critic reviews

A Restless Truth is a delectable sapphic fantasy-adventure on the high seas. Maud and Violet stole my heart from page one. Never has the term 'to ship' been more appropriate (Megan Bannen, author of The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy)
Jaw-droppingly fantastic. Anyone who's ever hoped that the Miss Phryne Fisher Mysteries had a bit more magic and a lot more sex is going to adore this book, which doesn't skimp on either. Add to that fantastic, thoroughly captivating characters, a deeply engaging story and divinely lyrical prose. In a word: delightful (Jenn Lyons, author of The Ruin of Kings)
The perfect book if you're looking for oceanbound queer shenanigans, suspense in a coherently magical world, or opulent historical fiction! (Malka Older, author of The Mimicking of Known Successes)
A magical world of exquisite refinement, where peril skims beneath manners, interiors bespeak both faultless taste and deadly secrets, and the sexual tension crescendos until it literally makes sparks fly. A dazzling debut (Shelley Parker-Chan, author of She Who Became the Sun,on A Marvellous Light)
A breathtaking queer romantic fantasy . . . Sensual erotic scenes, an intriguing magic system, and a puzzling mystery combine to make this novel a wonder (Publishers Weekly starred review on A Marvellous Light)
Mystery! Magic! Murder! . . . This book is a confection, both marvellous and light (Alix E. Harrow, author of Starling House on A Marvellous Light)
All stars
Most relevant
I absolutely loved this book. A brilliant continuation of the series! You can really feel Freya's growth as a writer between, and A Marvellous Light was fantastic as well, so that says something!

fantastic!

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This book sat with me deeply by the end. I really enjoyed the slightly different balance of story to romance elements in this book, it gave me more love for the world, and felt appropriate for the characters. I found the complex characters relatable in a way that I don’t often in literature. A tiny bit slow in the first quarter when they start to investigate the mystery, but more than worth the wait to finish. Love the magic system being built. Absolutely left wishing there were more. The protagonists in this one do have a different dynamic to Robin and Edwin, but in a way which feels rich and interesting in its difference. I have a paperback copy of the last book so probably won’t review that one on audible, but rest assured I’m sure I’m going to enjoy it and will probably cry! Thankyou for a great series.

Fantastic read

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This was such a great continuation from A Marvellous Light. The characters are just as well written and the plot is still amazing. Can't wait to read the next one!

So good!

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4.25/5

A delightful sequel to A Marvellous Light. Robin's sister Maud is travelling on an ocean liner from America to Britain as a lady's companion. However, her mistress is murdered and the killers are after her piece of the contract. with help from the beautiful Violet, the reluctant Lord Hawthorn and less than honest Mr Ross, Muad must work out who is responsible and stop them from retrieving what they desire.

- The characters were super fun and distinct, each with their own attitudes and mannerisms. Also the wonderfully queer nature of the book was amazing and well written within the characters.

- The book struck an excellent balance between mystery, comedy and spice. I laughed so hard at some points (Maud's book purchases) and some of the scenes made me sweat but it was all well spaced and thought out.

- As is often the case with middle books in the trilogy, there's a lot of continuation from the first book and then a lot of set up for the final book. This is the case here. However, I feel the book is enjoyable and carries its own story very well without relying too much on what has happened before and what is to happen next.

A fun installment and I'm now very excited for the third book, coming in November.

.

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I really loved the second book in this series. Maud is *such* a good character, she's so precocious and stubborn but also whole and real. I thought the interactions between the four main characters was fun and sets up the relationship between Lord Hawthorne and Ross well. The whole story takes place on a ship travelling to England and I love this kind of restrained setting.

I personally disagree with some comments made by another reviewer. In terms of lesbophobia, I'm not sure it counts as such when that argument (of women having an easier time of things than men) is being used as a flirtation device.

Also, I truly don't think that there was only lust between Maud and Violet. Don't get me wrong, they have plenty of lust between them, but it is absolutely mixed with the slow beginning of a romance. The book takes place over one week or so and it's definitely not an insta-love, but I totally believed in it!

SO bloody hyped for the next book!

Fantastic Sequel, I adore Maud!

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