The Conviction of Cora Burns

By Carolyn Kirby

SHORTLISTED FOR THE CRIMEFEST/SPECSAVERS DEBUT CRIME FICTION AWARD 2020

LONGLISTED FOR THE 2019 HWA DEBUT CROWN

To believe in her future, she must uncover her past...

Birmingham, 1885.

Born in a gaol and raised in a workhouse, Cora Burns has always struggled to control the violence inside her.

Haunted by memories of a terrible crime, she seeks a new life working as a servant in the house of scientist Thomas Jerwood. Here, Cora befriends a young girl, Violet, who seems to be the subject of a living experiment. But is Jerwood also secretly studying Cora...?

With the power and intrigue of Laura Purcell's The Silent Companions and Sarah Schmidt's See What I Have Done, Carolyn Kirby's stunning debut takes the reader on a heart-breaking journey through Victorian Birmingham and questions where we first learn violence: from our scars or from our hearts.

'Even at its darkest it is beautifully written, the research is meticulous and the complex Cora makes a flawed but affecting heroine. A great historical novel with bite' - Sunday Mirror

'Kirby writes with skill and gusto' - Times

'This richly woven Gothic tale is an atmospheric treat' - Heat Magazine

'Perfect for fans of Sarah Waters, this book took me into Cora's world so expertly I experienced it with every sense' - Cass Green, author of The Woman Next Door, In A Cottage In A Wood, Don't You Cry

'The Conviction of Cora Burns is a striking debut. Rich in gothic darkness and period detail, the brutality of Victorian Britain is exquisitely drawn. A beautifully-written story which enveloped me from first page to last' - Amanda Jennings, author of Cliff House and In Her Wake

• Language: English
• Publisher: No Exit Press
• Release date: Mar 21, 2019
• ISBN: 9780857302953

Carolyn Kirby

Carolyn Kirby is the author of two novels. The Conviction of Cora Burns was longlisted for the Historical Writers' Association Debut Crown Award and shortlisted for the Specsavers Debut Crime Fiction Award. When We Fall, published in May 2020, was chosen by The Times as one of the best novels of 2020 and described by the Daily Mail as 'a terrific World War II novel'. Carolyn studied history at St Hilda's College, Oxford. Before becoming a full-time writer, she worked in social housing and as a teacher. She has two grown-up daughters and lives with her husband in rural Oxfordshire.

Reviews for The Conviction of Cora Burns

[huberk-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

5 stars, Are you a convict simply because you are born from a convict?THE CONVICTION OF CORA BURNSby Carolyn KirbyCora Burns is a product of institutionalization. Born in a workhouse in Birmingham, England, in the 1880s, she is used to being held back, punished for no reason. She worries that she may have violence inside of her, caused by her unfortunate mother who was a convict in the Birmingham gaol.She is given a new chance when she is noticed by a local scientist who is running unethical social experiments on various citizens. She will be a servant in his house. The mysteries surrounding the household occupants disturb Cora, she is quite determined to discover what is going on.Highly recommend a gothic, suspense, thriller.Many thanks to #edelweissplus #noexitpress @noexitpress for the complimentary copy of #TheConvictionOfCoraBurns I was under no obligation to post a review.

[nicx27 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Oh, Cora. Your story is simply wonderful. I enjoyed every single second I spent reading it.Cora got off to a bad start in life. She was born in gaol and then ended up in a workhouse, but she never knew any different. Is it any wonder though that she has an anger inside of her that she can hardly control? After committing a terrible crime and returning to gaol, she is eventually released and finds herself working as a 'tweeny' at the house of Thomas Jerwood, a scientist conducting experiments into likenesses and considering the effects of nature/nurture. But his motives are dubious and the young girl, in Jerwood's care, Violet, further raises Cora's suspicions.There is so much more to this book that at first meets the eye. The story is as multi-layered as an onion and I thought the author did an amazing job at plotting Cora's journey through life. Most of the story is set in 1885 when Cora is released at the age of 20, and by then she has experienced unimaginable things, even by the standards of the harsh Victorian times. We are also sent back into Cora's childhood in the workhouse, to 1874 and we see what has shaped her into the young woman she has become.Make no bones about it, Cora is not always an easy person to like. As mentioned before, she has an anger that tends towards violence and life has made her hard around the edges. Yet despite this, her character is written in a sympathetic way and I felt so incredibly sorry for the life that she had endured. And so we follow Cora through a year or so of her life. Will she come out the other end triumphant or back where she started? All I can say is: 1. the ending is absolutely perfect and 2. go and read it for yourself!The Conviction of Cora Burns is a fantastic read, absolutely dripping with atmosphere. I could almost imagine myself in Victorian Birmingham, with the smells and sights of the time being quite vivid in my mind. This book is a triumph and makes me want to read more Victorian fiction, particularly the kind set in asylums and prisons - not sure what that says about me! Thank you, Carolyn Kirby, for allowing me to step into Cora's world, however briefly. I wouldn't have missed it for anything.