Effortlessly weaving together the past and the present, Kate Mosse has written an engrossing 'big read' in the bestselling tradition of Barbara Erskine. LABYRINTH combines brilliant storytelling, strong characters with a puzzle that has obsessed men for centuries: the secret of the Grail. With a gorgeous setting in southern France, this novel will appeal to thousands of readers who visit the region and are fascinated by its history. Kate Mosse is an extremely accomplished, promotable author. Kate's website, orangelabyrinth.co.uk, has had over 3 million hits.
Kate Mosse presents BBC 4's Readers and Writers Roadshow and is a regular guest and presenter on BBC Radio 4's Saturday Review, Open Book and Front Row. She is the co-founder and Honoury Director of the Orange Prize for Fiction, and was named European Woman of Achievement for her contribution to the arts. She lives with her husband and children in West Sussex and Carcassonne.
"The thinking woman's summer reading, chick lit with A levels... saturated with a passionate understanding of the region's past in a way that puts more conventional historical accounts to shame. Mosse wears her learning so lightly, knitting her historical research so neatly into her narrative, that we never get the slightest sense of being preached or lectured to... reminiscent of Jean Plaidy and Mary Renault [in conveying] the texture of various patches of the past with such rich complexity." -- Kathryn Hughes THE GUARDIAN, 13 August "This is a novel clearly fuelled by an authorial obsession with a history, region and concept. The settings are evocative and... there are also some powerful dramatic scenes: the climatic moments where the good and evil women meet and battle it out are particularly compelling... [An] intriguing...passionate book." -- Lucy Atkins THE SUNDAY TIMES, 31 July "Kate Mosse's Labyrinth provides this year's gripping romp... Labyrinth is very much a Girl's Own story: a grail quest in which women aren't helpless creatures to be rescued, or decorative bystanders, but central to the action, with the capacity to change history." -- Geraldine Bedell THE OBSERVER, 31 July "A spellbinding adventure story" REAL, 5-19 August "An action packed adventure of modern conspiracy and medieval passion ... a Grail gripper [and] elegantly written timeslip novel set in France." THE INDEPENDENT, 15 July "An old-fashioned romance cum spiffing adventure story. Mosse has done her homework. she puts in lots of colourful, sensual detail. Enjoyable." -- Michele Roberts THE TIMES, 16 July "'A good book .. and a very interesting adventure" BBC RADIO 4's FRONT ROW "Magnificent... such a pleasurable read. Mosse infuses each scene with such depth of atmospheric detail that full immersion is inevitable. the author's vision is epic in scope. Mosse wields admirable control over the vast body of her material and manoeuvres through it with subtlety and grace. [There is a] joyous, whooping pleasure evident in the work of Mosse... [whose] skills are generous and irresistible. MSLEXIA, Jul-Sept 05 "[A] riproaring Grail-quest-for-girls." THE INDEPENDENT chart listings, 12 August "Labyrinth brings the world of 13th century Languedoc beautifully to life. Fascinating and gripping... and the characters beautifully drawn. Enjoy this absorbing tale." IRISH EXAMINER, 30 July "Prepare to be chilled by Kate Mosse's archaeological thriller." RED, August issue "LABYRINTH is a reader's Holy Grail, mixing legend, religion, history, past and present in a heart-wrenching, thrilling tale. Eat your heart out, Dan Brown, this is the real thing." Val McDermid "A lovely, intelligent novel of discovery and loss, generous in its historical scope and intimate in its tender details." Nicci Gerrard "A thumping read: Mosse creates a world so complete I began to miss it before the last page. More intriguing than Dan Brown, a conundrum with lasting depth and vigour, Labyrinth captivates from t he first page until the final twist." Denise Mina "Combines a compelling storyline with a genuinely evocative sense of place." Professor Jonathon Phillips "Labyrinth, a thrilling quest novel and rattling good read, is destined for the bestseller list!" South Coast Magazine "Wonderful! Page turning medieval history and adventure - sure to give Dan Brown a run for his money." Chichester Observer "A spellbinding novel. Mosse mixes a Grail adventure with passion and great writing in a book that for once features two feisty lead women." -- Danuta Kean NEW BOOKS MAGAZINE, Summer Reading, Jul/Aug 05 "Compelling reading... a time-slip adventure story which skilfully blends the lives of two women living 800 years apart." LEICESTER MERCURY, 12 July (& other UK regionals) "A colourful blend of historical fiction, romance, intrigue, betrayal and passion in a rich setting with interesting characters. Labyrinth contains everything you need for that perfect summer read." SUFFOLK FREE PRESS, 30 June "Brings the world of 13th century Languedoc beautifully to life... [An] absorbing tale." BIRMINGHAM POST, 30 July
"The thinking woman's summer reading, chick lit with A levels... saturated with a passionate understanding of the region's past in a way that puts more conventional historical accounts to shame. Mosse wears her learning so lightly, knitting her historical research so neatly into her narrative, that we never get the slightest sense of being preached or lectured to... reminiscent of Jean Plaidy and Mary Renault [in conveying] the texture of various patches of the past with such rich complexity." -- Kathryn Hughes THE GUARDIAN, 13 August "This is a novel clearly fuelled by an authorial obsession with a history, region and concept. The settings are evocative and... there are also some powerful dramatic scenes: the climatic moments where the good and evil women meet and battle it out are particularly compelling... [An] intriguing...passionate book." -- Lucy Atkins THE SUNDAY TIMES, 31 July "Kate Mosse's Labyrinth provides this year's gripping romp... Labyrinth is very much a Girl's Own story: a grail quest in which women aren't helpless creatures to be rescued, or decorative bystanders, but central to the action, with the capacity to change history." -- Geraldine Bedell THE OBSERVER, 31 July "A spellbinding adventure story" REAL, 5-19 August "An action packed adventure of modern conspiracy and medieval passion ... a Grail gripper [and] elegantly written timeslip novel set in France." THE INDEPENDENT, 15 July "An old-fashioned romance cum spiffing adventure story. Mosse has done her homework. she puts in lots of colourful, sensual detail. Enjoyable." -- Michele Roberts THE TIMES, 16 July "'A good book .. and a very interesting adventure" BBC RADIO 4's FRONT ROW "Magnificent... such a pleasurable read. Mosse infuses each scene with such depth of atmospheric detail that full immersion is inevitable. the author's vision is epic in scope. Mosse wields admirable control over the vast body of her material and manoeuvres through it with subtlety and grace. [There is a] joyous, whooping pleasure evident in the work of Mosse... [whose] skills are generous and irresistible. MSLEXIA, Jul-Sept 05 "[A] riproaring Grail-quest-for-girls." THE INDEPENDENT chart listings, 12 August "Labyrinth brings the world of 13th century Languedoc beautifully to life. Fascinating and gripping... and the characters beautifully drawn. Enjoy this absorbing tale." IRISH EXAMINER, 30 July "Prepare to be chilled by Kate Mosse's archaeological thriller." RED, August issue "LABYRINTH is a reader's Holy Grail, mixing legend, religion, history, past and present in a heart-wrenching, thrilling tale. Eat your heart out, Dan Brown, this is the real thing." Val McDermid "A lovely, intelligent novel of discovery and loss, generous in its historical scope and intimate in its tender details." Nicci Gerrard "A thumping read: Mosse creates a world so complete I began to miss it before the last page. More intriguing than Dan Brown, a conundrum with lasting depth and vigour, Labyrinth captivates from t he first page until the final twist." Denise Mina "Combines a compelling storyline with a genuinely evocative sense of place." Professor Jonathon Phillips "Labyrinth, a thrilling quest novel and rattling good read, is destined for the bestseller list!" South Coast Magazine "Wonderful! Page turning medieval history and adventure - sure to give Dan Brown a run for his money." Chichester Observer "A spellbinding novel. Mosse mixes a Grail adventure with passion and great writing in a book that for once features two feisty lead women." -- Danuta Kean NEW BOOKS MAGAZINE, Summer Reading, Jul/Aug 05 "Compelling reading... a time-slip adventure story which skilfully blends the lives of two women living 800 years apart." LEICESTER MERCURY, 12 July (& other UK regionals) "A colourful blend of historical fiction, romance, intrigue, betrayal and passion in a rich setting with interesting characters. Labyrinth contains everything you need for that perfect summer read." SUFFOLK FREE PRESS, 30 June "Brings the world of 13th century Languedoc beautifully to life... [An] absorbing tale." BIRMINGHAM POST, 30 July
Mosse's page-turner takes readers on another quest for the Holy Grail, this time with two closely linked female protagonists born 800 years apart. In 2005, Alice Tanner stumbles into a hidden cave while on an archeological dig in southwest France. Her discovery-two skeletons and a labyrinth pattern engraved on the wall and on a ring-triggers visions of the past and propels her into a dangerous race against those who want the mystery of the cave for themselves. Alais, in the year 1209, is a plucky 17-year-old living in the French city of Carcassone, an outpost of the tolerant Cathar Christian sect that has been declared heretical by the Catholic Church. As Carcassonne comes under siege by the Crusaders, Alais's father, Bertrand Pelletier, entrusts her with a book that is part of a sacred trilogy connected to the Holy Grail. Guardians of the trilogy are operating against evil forces-including Alais's sister, Oriane, a traitorous, sexed-up villainess who wants the books for her own purposes. Sitting securely in the historical religious quest genre, Mosse's fluently written third novel (after Crucifix Lane) may tantalize (if not satisfy) the legions of Da Vinci Code devotees with its promise of revelation about Christianity's truths. 8-city author tour. (Mar.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
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