Friday Freebie: Bristol House by Beverly Swerling

Congratulations to Leah Welch, winner of last week's Friday Freebie: Red Moon by Benjamin Percy.

This week's book giveaway is Bristol House, the new novel by Beverly Swerling (author of the "City" series: City of Promise: A Novel of New York's Gilded Age, City of God: A Novel of Passion and Wonder in Old New York, City of Glory: A Novel of War and Desire in Old Manhattan, and City of Dreams: A Novel of Nieuw Amsterdam and Early Manhattan).  Here's how the publisher describes Bristol House: In the tradition of Kate Mosse, a swiftly-paced mystery that stretches from modern London to Tudor England.  In modern-day London, architectural historian and recovering alcoholic Annie Kendall hopes to turn her life around and restart her career by locating several long-missing pieces of ancient Judaica. Geoff Harris, an investigative reporter, is soon drawn into her quest, both by romantic interest and suspicions about the head of the Shalom Foundation, the organization sponsoring her work. He’s also a dead ringer for the ghost of a monk Annie believes she has seen at the flat she is subletting in Bristol House.  In 1535, Tudor London is a very different city, one in which monks are being executed by Henry VIII and Jews are banished. In this treacherous environment of religious persecution, Dom Justin, a Carthusian monk, and a goldsmith known as the Jew of Holborn must navigate a shadowy world of intrigue involving Thomas Cromwell, Jewish treasure, and sexual secrets. Their struggles shed light on the mysteries Annie and Geoff aim to puzzle out—at their own peril.  This riveting dual-period narrative seamlessly blends a haunting supernatural thriller with vivid historical fiction. Beverly Swerling, widely acclaimed for her City of Dreams series, delivers a bewitching and epic story of a historian and a monk, half a millennium apart, whose destinies are on a collision course.

But wait!  There's more!  The publisher has thrown a couple more goodies into this week's giveaway.  This week's winner will also receive a bar of lavender soap and some candy.  Sweet!

If you'd like a chance at winning a copy of this special Bristol House prize package, all you have to do is email your name and mailing address to thequiveringpen@gmail.com.

Put FRIDAY FREEBIE in the e-mail subject line.  One entry per person, please.  Despite its name, the Friday Freebie runs all week long and remains open to entries until midnight on May 16, at which time I'll draw the winning name.  I'll announce the lucky reader on May 17.  (Please note this is a two-week contest--I'll be on the road promoting Fobbit next Friday and won't have time to post a Friday Freebie.)  If you'd like to join the mailing list for the once-a-week newsletter simply add the words "Sign me up for the newsletter" in the body of your email.  Your email address and other personal information will never be sold or given to a third party (except in those instances where the publisher requires a mailing address for sending Friday Freebie winners copies of the book).

Want to double your odds of winning?  Get an extra entry in the contest by posting a link to this webpage on your blog, your Facebook wall or by tweeting it on Twitter.  Once you've done any of those things, send me an additional e-mail saying "I've shared" and I'll put your name in the hat twice.