Sealed for one hundred and twenty-five years, Wilkie Collins's scribbled words launch a feverish descent into the underbelly of Victorian London as he is dragged into Charles Dickens's pursuit of a spectral figure known only as Drood. Their investigation will lead them through slums, opium dens, catacombs and sewers. What they discover will destroy their friendship, driving each writer to the very brink of insanity. And murder ...

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'I am in awe of Dan Simmons' Stephen KingIn 1865 Charles Dickens, the world's most famous writer, narrowly escapes death in the Staplehurst Rail Disaster. He will never be the same again. A public hero for rescuing survivors, he slowly descends into madness as he hunts the individual he believes to be responsible for the carnage: a spectral figure known only as Drood.His best friend, Wilkie Collins, is enlisted for the pursuit. Together they venture into Undertown, the shadowy, lawless web of crypts and catacombs beneath London. Here Drood is rumoured to hold sway over a legion of brainwashed followers. But as Wilkie spirals ever further into opium addiction and jealousy of the more successful novelist, he must face a terrifying possibility: is Charles Dickens really capable of murder?Readers are loving Drood'Beautifully written, fiction heaven!' *****'One of my favourite reads ever' *****'A masterpiece' *****'Epic adventure' *****'Surprising - I enjoyed every page' *****