Book Info

Children's Author 'Like-for-Like' recommendations

Synopsis

The Passionflower Massacre by Nicola Morgan
A chilling novel of faith, forgiveness and retribution, from the author of Fleshmarket. Eighteen-year-old Matilda is looking forward to the freedom her summer away from home this year will offer. Freedom from her oppressive parents, freedom from the guilt and anger she feels over her brother's death some years ago. When she arrives at the fruit farm deep in the idyllic Devon countryside, the super-nice people, and Matt, the gorgeous guy she's already bonded with, make it all seem too good to be true. And soon the people who run the farm, the 'lilies' as Matt calls them, are pulling the vulnerable Matilda closer into their group, singling her out for special attention, feeding her delicious cake and tea, seducing her with their loving concern. These people seem to understand her, she can tell them anything and she feels part of something at last. So when they want her to join them in the big house they all live in on the hill, and meet their leader, Peter, she is ready and willing. She doesn't realise that she is dangerously involved in a religious cult, and that she is being brainwashed and drugged in preparation for a mass suicide, planned by the pathologically driven Peter. He's going to burn all of them alive, because he believes it will save their souls for God. Will Matilda escape? What has happened to Matt? Twenty-five years later, Peter is about to be released from prison. Has he been punished enough? Has he been forgiven? An old woman has been visiting him in prison. She has her own ideas of God's will, faith and justice. Who is stronger? Who is right? Who will win?

---

Reviews

'... confirms Nicola Morgan as a dramatic, thought-provoking, powerful writer for young people. This book more than lives up to the promise of her earlier publications.'
Carousel ABOUT FLESHMARKET This is a tough thriller, a delicate love story and a powerfully evocative historical novel. At its heart is a young man
's obsession with the mother he lost under horrendous, bizarre circumstances. Set in Edinburgh at a time in which the city was at the vanguard of medical advance, Morgan reveals the deep moral dilemmas that accompanied meaningful research at the time. Her descriptions of Edinburgh's Old Town, decaying, corrupt and dangerous, are extraordinarily vivid. Lives were cheap, both within and out of the medical faculty. Morgan is a confident, courageous and honest writer. Fleshmarket is a tour de force, from its attention-grabbing prologue onwards. Outstanding ... a book that deserves attention -- BOOKSELLER 'A dramatic and thought-provoking book. Nicola Morgan is a fine writer.'
DAVID ALMOND Her readers are gripped from the opening pages
... Gripping and well-written, her latest book consolidates Morgan's reputation as an exciting new talent. 4 stars (out of 5). -- Books for Keeps A compelling and scary read. -- The Independent 20061208

---

About The Author

Nicola lives near Edinburgh with her husband, two daughters, and a dog. After obtaining a degree in Classics and Philosophy, her various past jobs have included, cooking business lunches and plucking turkeys. She worked as an English teacher for 16 years and has promoted child literacy for many years. She has written over 65 non-fiction titles, including some for Hodder Wayland, but achieved a 21 year old ambition when her first and critically acclaimed novel, Mondays Are Red, was published as a Signature title by Hodder in 2001. Nicola's favourite pastimes are reading, glass-painting, creating mosaics and cooking. She hates gardening, but likes nothing better than to sit in a beautifully tended one..
More books by this author

Share this book

---

Share this book with other net users and your friends