A Quiet Contagion: A powerfully disquieting mystery for modern times, inspired by the 1957 Coventry polio epidemic

By Jane Jesmond

An unsettling contemporary mystery with a historical twist and fast-paced plot, from the author of the Jen Shaw series.

Six decades. Seven people. One unspeakable secret.

1957. A catastrophe occurs at the pharmaceutical lab in Coventry where sixteen-year-old Wilf is working for the summer. A catastrophe that needs to be covered up at all costs.2017. Phiney is shocked by the death of her grandfather, Wilf, who has jumped from a railway bridge at a Coventry station. Journalist Mat Torrington is the only witness.

Left in utter disbelief, with a swarm of unanswered questions, Phiney, Mat and Wilf's wife, Dora, begin their own enquiries into Wilf's death. It is soon clear that these two events, sixty years apart, are connected - and that Wilf is not the only casualty.

But what is the link? And can they find out before any more lives are lost?

PRAISE FOR A QUIET CONTAGION

'Jesmond's thriller incorporates a very likeable protagonist and a really twisty plot with a thought-provoking moral dilemma' - Mail on Sunday

'A well written story, with excellently created characters. This blend of history and contemporary, fact and fiction is original and engrossing' - Mature Times

'An original and moving mystery, deftly weaving between past and present to examine a profoundly ethical question that is still deeply relevant today' - Philippa East

'Jesmond presents a cracking conundrum then adds a chewy moral dilemma to the mix, dangling a riveting hook before throwing in a ticking time bomb to create a propulsive beating heart... A complex, moving and ultimately satisfying page-turner' - Fiona Erskine

'An original and absorbing thriller that casts light on a little-known part of our history. Authentic characters, great pace, and a captivating storyline that still resonates powerfully today' - Sarah Clarke

'A deeply intelligent novel from a commanding writer... Tragic, terrifying, and all too real, A Quiet Contagion will have your heart pounding even as you weep' - Helen Fields

'This compulsive thriller blends real events with a clever fictional plot. Thoughtful, topical and gripping, A Quiet Contagion is bound to win Jane Jesmond even more acclaim' - Carolyn Kirby

PRAISE FOR JANE JESMOND

'An original voice in crime fiction' - Sunday Times on Cut Adrift (A Best Crime Novel of 2023)

'Jesmond's delineation of her characters as people with plausible flaws and hot tempers adds depth and complexity to a story that might wear its sentiments on its sleeves, yet which is trimly steered and freighted with contemporary resonance' - Times on Cut Adrift (Thriller Book of the Month)

'In an over-saturated market, finding a new voice with something compelling to say in the crime writing field can be difficult. Thankfully there are people out there trying to deliver a twist on the genre, and Jane Jesmond is one of them' - On Yorkshire Magazine on Cut Adrift

'This amazing debut novel from Jane Jesmond will give you all the thrills you've been looking for and keep you gripped from the get-go' - Female First on On The Edge

• Language: English
• Publisher: Verve Books
• Release date: Nov 7, 2023
• ISBN: 9780857308504