Pandora

Stokes-Chapman’s debut transports readers to late-18th-century England for a story laced with Greek mythology and superstition. Pandora “Dora” Blake should have inherited her parents’ Emporium for Exotic Antiquities when they died, but because she was only a child, her uncle took over instead. He destroys the good name of the Blake shop along with any hope that Dora will follow in her parents’ highly educated and accomplished footsteps. As a young woman, Dora dreams of becoming a jewelry designer, and the designs within a suspicious shipment of Greek antiquities for her uncle provide her with just the inspiration she needs. Her quest to know more about the objects puts her in the path of Edward Lawrence, a young antiquarian artist from a difficult background with equally ambitious desires. For a time, they help each other, but as Dora learns that her uncle may be selling antiquities on the black market, she also begins to doubt that Edward has her best interests as heart as he battles demons of his own. Immersive period details and a steadily simmering mystery combine with just a hint of myth and magic to keep the pages flying. Fans of Madeleine Miller’s Circe and Natasha Pulley’s The Watchmaker of Filigree Street will find plenty to enjoy here. Agent: Jenny Bent, Bent Literary. (Jan.)