The Corpse Queen

In this dark and twisty feminist historical mystery, a teenage girl starts a new life as a grave robber but quickly becomes entangled in a murderer's plans.Soon after her best friend Kitty mysteriously dies, orphaned seventeen-year-old Molly Green is sent away to live with her "aunt." With no relations that she knows of, Molly assumes she has been sold as a maid for the price of an extra donation in the church orphanage's coffers. Such a thing is not unheard of. There are only so many options for an unmarried girl in 1850s Philadelphia. Only, when Molly arrives, she discovers her aunt is very much real, exceedingly wealthy, and with secrets of her own. Secrets and wealth she intends to share-for a price.Molly's estranged aunt Ava, has built her empire by robbing graves and selling the corpses to medical students who need bodies to practice surgical procedures. And she wants Molly to help her procure the corpses. As Molly learns her aunt's trade in the dead of night and explores the mansion by day, she is both horrified and deeply intrigued by the anatomy lessons held at the old church on her aunt's property. Enigmatic Doctor LaValle's lessons are a heady mixture of knowledge and power and Molly has never wanted anything more than to join his male-only group of students. But the cost of inclusion is steep and with a murderer loose in the city, the pursuit of power and opportunity becomes a deadly dance.

PITCH-PERFECT ATMOSPHERIC WRITING: Heather's writing is commercial and pacey. Heather expertly captures the haunting, dark underbelly of Philadelphia in the 1850s and the slow-burn tension will have readers devouring her every word. Even at the creepiest and most unsettling moments there is an undeniable sense of wonder and beauty in her writing.COMMERCIAL APPEAL: Full of twists and turns, this is a historical mystery that will keep readers on their toes and is perfect for fans of Kerri Maniscalco's Stalking Jack the Ripper series. The light romance in the story is also immensely satisfying and has its foundation in mutual respect and consent between the characters.FEMINIST THEMES: This is a powerful and layered story with potential crossover appeal. Rich with deep and thought provoking questions about what it means to be a woman, to have ownership over your own body, to live with agency, and thrive in a male-dominated society will have readers of feminist thrillers like Wilder Girls and The Grace Year reaching for this next.HISTORICAL INSPIRATION: While fiction, this story is rooted in historical fact. Body snatchers, also known as Resurrectionists, stole, shipped, and sold corpses across the country on the black market for medical students to use for anatomy lessons throughout the 1800s in the US, England, and Scotland. The historical truth underlying the narrative makes the setting and mystery that much more compelling.EXQUISITE YA DEBUT: Though Heather is the author of an adult horror e-book original published on the Random House side, The Corpse Queen will be her YA and print debut and marks her arrival as an exciting new voice in YA.MORE TO COME: We have another historical mystery standalone signed up with her, so more to come soon from this talented author.