"A bravura historical debut . . . a gloriously immersive escape." ― Guardian Wolf Hall meets The Favourite in Lucy Jago's A Net For Small Fishes , a gripping dark novel based on the true scandal of two women determined to create their own fates in the Jacobean court. With Frankie, I could have the life I had always wanted . . . and with me she could forge something more satisfying from her own . . . When Frances Howard, beautiful but unhappy wife of the Earl of Essex, meets the talented Anne Turner, the two strike up an unlikely, yet powerful, friendship. Frances makes Anne her confidante, sweeping her into a glamorous and extravagant world, riven with bitter rivalry. As the women grow closer, each hopes to change her circumstances. Frances is trapped in a miserable marriage while loving another, and newly-widowed Anne struggles to keep herself and her six children alive as she waits for a promised proposal. A desperate plan to change their fortunes is hatched. But navigating the Jacobean court is a dangerous game and one misstep could cost them everything. An Amazon Best Book of November 2021: A Net for Small Fishes is a juicy historical novel that combines the literary spells of Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall and the delicious feminine drama of Julia Quinn’s Bridgerton . In it, two women of two different ages and two very different stations of the court forge an unlikely friendship as they each reckon with society, love, bad men, and power. Emboldened by each other, they hatch a plan to chase their dreams, which could be gravely dangerous for them and their families if it goes awry. A riveting and immersive tale about the bravery, alliance, and strength of women in the face of oppression and expectation. —Al Woodworth, Amazon Editor A Most Anticipated Book of the Month (PopSugar, The Mary Sue, Business Insider ) "Jago weaves an intricate web of social, sexual, and political maneuvers that entangles all her characters . . . [A] narrative stuffed with vividly drawn secondary characters and atmospheric set pieces . . . highly satisfying entertainment." ― Washington Post "A juicy historical novel that combines the literary spells of Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall and the delicious feminine drama of Julia Quinn’s Bridgerton . A riveting and immersive tale about the bravery, alliance, and strength of women in the face of oppression and expectation." ―Amazon "A terrific first novel, rich in colour, character, place, and time. If you like your history spiced with sex, scandal, and the sweet sensibilities of female friendship, then this is for you." ―Sarah Dunant, New York Times bestselling author of The Birth of Venus "The Jacobean Era comes to life in this sumptuous story of a scandal that rocked the times. At the heart of this glorious novel is a friendship between Anne Turner, a gentlewoman and Frances Howard, a privileged woman of the upper class who is stuck in an abusive marriage with no intention of staying in it. Though they come from different social classes, they cleave together to change the course of their lives through tragedy and loss to find happiness. Romance, intrigue, beauty, and truth ― it's all here as the women determine their own fate in a time when choice was impossible. Lucy Jago writes as though she was there ― this author is a wonder." ―Adriana Trigiani, New York Times bestselling author of The Shoemaker's Wife "Based on a true story, A Net for Small Fishes is a magnificently accomplished piece of historical fiction set in Jacobean London. This stunning novel of two brave and independent women doing what they must to survive in a man’s world is ripe with scandal and gossip, lust and betrayal, corruption and venality―thoroughly modern resonances, in other words. Lucy Jago marshals all this with consummate skill and wit, but she also writes with tremendous heart. The result is a thoroughly entertaining and deeply satisfying read. I can’t recommend it highly enough." ―Alex George, author of The Paris Hours " A Net for Small Fishes is strung so tight with suspense that I read with my heart in my throat, watching as Anne and Frankie meet the myriad, shifting treacheries of their lives with an awe-inspiring largeness of spirit, loyalty, and love. This novel immersed me so fully in another world that I seemed to breathe its air, walk its halls―yet for me its greatest achievement lies in the vivid life it gives these women, who are forces of nature but also fully human, and who dare to try to carve out a space in their world that can fit them. Their story is spellbinding." ―Clare Beams, author of The Illness Lesson "Brilliant . . . Jago’s striking depictions of bearbaiting and court mourning, wedding breakfasts and adulterous trysts capture both the brutality and the refinement of Jacobean London. Anne’s shrewd narration grounds the novel’s explosive drama even as she slides toward mortal danger one apparently logical choice at a time. It adds up t