Moonlight and the Pearler's Daughter

An exquisite historical novel set in a mesmerising yet unforgiving land, where both profit and peril lie deep beneath the ocean's surface... Named one of the best historical fiction books of the year in The Times (UK).

'An extraordinarily vivid tale ... Readers will fall in love with the characters in this book, especially the courageous, stubborn Eliza, and will find themselves transported to Bannin Bay in the late 1800s. I could not put this book down.' KELLY RIMMER

SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2022 WILBUR SMITH ADVENTURE WRITING PRIZE

Western Australia, 1886

As the pearling ships return to Bannin Bay after a long diving season, twenty-year-old Eliza Brightwell nervously awaits the arrival of her father's boat.

But when his lugger finally limps in, it brings with it a tale of tragedy- Charles Brightwell, master pearler, has gone missing at sea.

Immediately, whispers from the townsfolk point to mutiny or murder, but headstrong Eliza knows her father; she is sure he is still alive. As the Bay swelters under the heat of the approaching wet season, it falls to Eliza to seek out the truth behind her eccentric father's disappearance.

But as she delves beneath the glamorous veneer of south sea pearling, she discovers that the sun-baked streets she thought she knew so well are teeming with corruption, prejudice and blackmail.

How far is she willing to go to solve the mystery and save the ones she loves? And what family secrets will come to haunt her along the way? Because the truth may cost more than pearls - and she must decide if she's willing to pay the price . . .

A gloriously rich and wonderfully assured debut, Lizzie Pook's Moonlight and the Pearler's Daughter tells the story of a daughter, a family, a place and a hidden history; rendered with astonishing clarity, it is a novel that marks Lizzie Pook as a name to watch.

About the Author

Lizzie Pook is an award-winning journalist and travel writer. Her assignments have taken her to some of the most remote parts of the planet, from the uninhabited east coast of Greenland in search of roaming polar bears, to the foothills of the Himalayas to track endangered snow leopards. She was inspired to write Moonlight and the Pearler’s Daughter, her debut novel, after spending time in north-western Australia researching the dangerous and fascinating pearl-diving industry. She lives in London.