Theatre of Marvels by Lianne Dillsworth

Behind the spectacle there are always secrets.

Unruly crowds descend on Crillick's Variety Theatre. Young actress, Zillah, is headlining tonight.

An orphan from the slums of St Giles, her rise to stardom is her ticket out - to be gawped and gazed at is a price she's willing to pay. Rising up the echelons of society is everything Zillah has ever dreamed of. But when a new stage act disappears, Zillah is haunted by a feeling that something is amiss.

Is the woman in danger? Her pursuit of the truth takes her into the underbelly of the city - from gas-lit streets to the sumptuous parlours of Mayfair - as she seeks the help of notorious criminals from her past and finds herself torn between two powerful admirers. Caught in a labyrinth of dangerous truths, will Zillah face ruin - or will she be the maker of her fate?