The Stamp Collector of Paris

Blurb

Paris, 1882. The city is in the grip of philately fever.

Stamp markets fill with fanatics desperate for exotic rarities from around the world.

It is a hobby which has taken artist Henri Guilloche to the brink of ruin, his reputation and finances in tatters. His only saviour: the group of friends he paints with. And now it seems their art might be on the cusp of international renown and value.

But when a mysterious stranger starts to shadow Henri around Paris, his past creeps back with a haunting and deeply unsettling persistence. For Henri’s life has been guided by an unbearable burden of grief and guilt, which in turn led to a relentless quest for the world’s most valuable stamp – the one-cent magenta.

And now, it’s within his grasp.

But just when Henri dares to hope at last for the closure offered by the stamp, a dark new world opens up. And it seems that the one-cent magenta has even more power over Henri, and those he loves, than he could ever have imagined.

What follows is a descent into obsession, darkness and revenge that threatens everything Henri has ever striven for.