The plot of this novel is intricate and beautifully turned, and echoes of Frances Hodgson Burnett and George MacDonald Fraser are entirely intentional ~ Fox’s raids on the story box cleverly enhance the sense of mystery. THE TIMES

Uprooted from her home in India, Alice is raised by her aunt, a spiritualist medium in Windsor. When the mysterious Lucian Tilsbury enters their lives, Alice is drawn into a plot to steal the priceless Koh-i-noor diamond which was claimed by the British Empire at the end of the Anglo Sikh wars. Said to be both blessed and cursed, the sacred Indian stone exerts a power over all who encounter it ~ a deposed young maharajah determined to reclaim his throne ~ a man hell-bent on discovering the secrets of eternity ~ and a widowed Queen who hopes the magic of the diamond can draw her husband’s spirit back. In the midst of all this madness, Alice must find a way to regain control of her own life and fate .

The video below is a version of Brightest and Best composed by Kirsten Morrison, with vocals from Kirsten and Peter Shipman. This is a Christmas carol sung by Alice Willoughby in The Goddess and the Thief.