All Her Beautiful Deaths: A gripping dual-timeline gothic mystery

London, 1865. Desperate for work, Minnie takes employment as a maid for the wealthy Culpepper twins. The siblings lead a strange and unconventional life: Edmund operates a laboratory from the house while Edith experiments with morbid photography. Drawn in by a dangerous attraction to one of the twins, and with a sick sister of her own to provide for, by the time Minnie makes a disturbing discovery it's too late – she must stay and unravel the mysteries of Culpepper House before she becomes a victim of one of Edith's photographs herself.

London, present day. Grieving artist Hadley is consumed by an album of Victorian death photography, including the exquisite image of a deceased young girl with a swan. When this photograph is involved in an art world scandal, Hadley is given the opportunity to create an installation surrounding the image. But the enigmatic Kit Culpepper, of the Culpepper Trust, has other plans. He offers Hadley an eye-watering sum of money to sell him the album and never speak of its contents again. As Hadley digs deeper into the album's truths, she begins to suspect Kit Culpepper is guarding a deathly secret... and she's not entirely sure how far he'll go to keep it.

A gripping dual-timeline gothic mystery inspired by the macabre world of Victorian death photography, All Her Beautiful Deaths offers a powerful exploration of classism and ownership in the art world, while beautifully portraying expressions of grief and love. Perfect for fans of Fingersmith by Sarah Waters and The Burial Plot by Elizabeth Macneal, with echoes of Daphne du Maurier.

'Death photography, in which the recently deceased were posed before a camera, today seems a peculiarly macabre Victorian practice. In this dual-time narrative, Rushby uses it as a means to explore grief, loss and the intertwining of past and present... Rushby skilfully brings her two narratives together as her novel progresses' - TIMES

'A deliciously gothic dual-time read that I couldn't put down. Enter Edith Culpepper's world and be prepared to be taken on an unexpected journey. Twists aplenty and a fascinating insight into the Victorian practice of death photography. Utterly engaging' - JENNI KEER, author of The Ravenswood Witch

'Deliciously macabre and deeply felt, All Her Beautiful Deaths is an enthralling tale of grief, art, love and death' - CHRISTINE WELLS, author of The Lost Perfumes of Paris

'Perfect winter entertainment, a mix of the Gothic, fantasy and romance' - GOOD READING MAGAZINE

'A macabre family mystery that weaves across the generations, All Her Beautiful Deaths is also a twist-filled love story that gets under your skin. Intrigue builds as the story pulls in the dark side of Victorian photography and the politics of today's art world to reach an unexpectedly life-affirming denouement. An addictive read' - CAROLYN KIRBY, author of The Conviction of Cora Burns

'Delicately crafted and darkly immersive, All Her Beautiful Deaths serves up sumptuously gothic settings, deliciously macabre goings-on and the alluring thread of a singular uncanny compulsion across time' - ALLY BLAKE

PRAISE FOR A. RUSHBY

'Adored this gorgeous, sumptuously gothic feminist novel' - EMMA COWING, author of The Show Woman

'Utterly compelling' - CHRISTINE WELLS, author of The Paris Gown

'Captivating from start to end' - ABBIE EATON, author of Dragonhart

'Two timelines collide with imaginative verve' - TIMES

'Unsettling and addictive... A bold new voice in horror' - SEATTLE TIMES

This novel contains discussions of mental health issues, domestic violence, animal cruelty and drug use.

© 2026 Verve Books (E-bog): 9780857309297

Udgivelsesdato

E-bog: 1. september 2026