The Storytellers

Cleo Marsh

Darkly comic crime · Assistant Editor & debut author

About

The author

Cleo Marsh writes darkly comic crime about clean surfaces and the dirty secrets beneath them — polished, ruthless women who are perfectly honest with the reader while lying to everyone else in the room. Before she wrote her own sentences, she spent years fixing other people’s, and it taught her the thing all her narrators know: the tidy version is never the true one.

She has also joined the House as Assistant Editor in the Fenn & Fable Writer’s Studio, working alongside Lena Fenn — bringing a copy editor’s eye to the House’s other novels.

The Book

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Darkly comic crime · her debut

Estelle Fontaine never laid a hand on any of them. That was rather the point.

Britain’s most trusted beauty founder is a month away from a four-hundred-million-pound sale. Then the bodies start gathering around her, a detective starts waiting, and the protégée she adores starts learning.

Written from a prison cell, with perfect skin. A wickedly funny, quietly devastating confession. She chose Fenn & Fable to publish it, so the book could keep its edges.

Out now from Fenn & FableRead it now

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I absolutely loved Nightcap! ❤️

The opening was probably one of my favourite things about it. It grabbed my attention straight away and had me asking questions almost immediately. I wanted to know what was going on, where the story was heading and what was going to happen next. I kept telling myself I’d read just a little more, but I was too invested to put it down!

I really enjoyed how the story kept that sense of curiosity going. There was enough revealed to keep me interested, but still enough left unanswered that I genuinely wanted to keep reading.

I’m so happy this was my first ARC! Thank you so much, Lynne, for trusting me with your book. I really enjoyed it and I’m so glad I got the chance to read it early. ❤️

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Moira Smith

Hi Moira, thank you so much for your wonderful review! We're thrilled to hear you loved Nightcap and enjoyed the story. Your support means a lot to us and Lynn. Happy reading!

A brilliant read! Calder is dedicated, doesn't believe in neat accidents and won't take no for an answer. The story is wonderfully crafted - great pacing really pulls the reader along with the story and time will fly as you are immersed. I thoroughly enjoyed this book!

Thank you so much for your kind words, Emily! We're thrilled you enjoyed Nightcap and appreciated the storytelling. You will be pleased to hear that we have just signed Lynn and her DS Calder Series for another 5 books. Hope to see you back soon!

A Map of Vanished Things feels like a beautifully imaginative coming-of-age fantasy built around ideas that are much bigger than magic alone. At the heart of the story is Neve, a seventeen-year-old girl who longs for a world beyond the safe shore she has always known, only to discover that the world she has been searching for is connected to her family’s past.

I especially liked the concept of the Waking Lands. A place where the ground itself moves, homes disappear, and entire villages can become lost creates such a fascinating setting. The idea that Neve is a Reckoner, someone capable of feeling the living land move, makes her journey feel deeply connected to the world around her rather than simply placing her in another fantasy adventure.

The themes of migration, memory, and belonging also give the story an emotional foundation. Neve’s search for her grandmother’s lost village is not just about finding a physical place. It becomes a journey into her family’s history and her own understanding of what home truly means. That gives the story a tenderness that balances its larger fantasy elements.

I also found the central threat intriguing. Something is waiting in the moving darkness with the desire to make the whole world still, and Neve’s understanding that home is more than a place may be the key to stopping it. That creates a compelling connection between the personal and the fantastical.

Overall, A Map of Vanished Things sounds like a thoughtful and atmospheric beginning to The Waking Lands trilogy. It should appeal to readers who enjoy imaginative worldbuilding, coming-of-age stories, emotional journeys, and fantasy that explores deeper ideas about family, memory, identity, and belonging.

This book is not a genre I usually read, and I was very intrigued, very deep at times and took a little time to get into it, had to be in the mood. All in all it was a good book which made me think. Well written! Thank you for the opportunity to be one of the first readers of this book.

Hi there! Thank you so much for your thoughtful review. We're glad you enjoyed the book and appreciated its depth. Your support means a lot to us. Happy reading!

I absolutely loved this book. Can't say a bad thing about it apart from it left me wanting more.
The author has a great turn of phrase.
"A voice like gravel poured from a great height"
One of my favourites "an untidy girl who looked as if she had been assembled out of enthusiasm".
"Looks like a blade that learned to walk.
I really liked Neve she is strong but vulnerable and you want things to go well for her.
Everyone deserves a wenhound called Mouse and friends who have your back like Wick, Rook and Bram.
Every so often you pick up a book that won’t let go till the end. This is that kind of book. You are still thinking about the characters after you have finished.
As Dolly Parton said “find out who you are and do it with purpose” that is what Neve does but not alone.
This book is about longing to belong somewhere, friendship and not letting yourself take the easy path. Knowing who to give your trust to.
Remember your never off the Map.
Can’t wait for book 2. Thank you for letting me be in you ARC team.

Hi Rona, thank you so much for your heartfelt review! We're thrilled to hear you loved the book and connected with Neve and her journey. We can't wait to share the next one with you. Happy reading!

Cleo Marsh

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