The Dress Lodger

The "Dress Lodger" is a gripping tale of Gustine, a young prostitute who rents a stunning blue dress from her landlord to attract high-paying clients.

But when her pimp sets a malevolent old woman, known only as "the Eye", to follow her through the dangerous back alleys of Sunderland, Gustine must fight for her life and that of her fragile child born with an extraordinary anatomical defect.

Meanwhile, Doctor Henry Chiver, a man haunted by his past involvement in the Burke and Hare killings, seeks to secure bodies for his medical school while struggling with his growing obsession with Gustine's child.

As cholera threatens the city, Gustine must turn to her sworn enemy, the Eye, for help in a desperate bid to save her child's life and afterlife.

This captivating novel explores themes of survival, loyalty, and redemption amidst the squalor and disease of 19th-century Sunderland.