The Conviction Of Cora Burns

With the power and intrigue of Jessie Burton's The Miniaturist and Sarah Schmidt's See What I Have Done, Carolyn Kirby's stunning debut takes the reader on a heart-breaking journey through Victorian Birmingham and questions where we first learn violence: from our scars or from our hearts.


Birmingham 1885


Born in a gaol and raised in a workhouse, Cora Burns has always struggled to control the violence inside her.


Haunted by memories of a terrible crime, she seeks a new life working as a servant in the house of scientist Thomas Jerwood. Here, Cora befriends a young girl, Violet, who seems to be the subject of a living experiment. But is Jerwood also secretly studying Cora...?


'The Conviction of Cora Burns is tense and pacey with the rare combination of driving plot as well as deep emotion. The twists and reveals are deftly handled and at one point Carolyn damn near broke my heart. The theme of nature versus nurture is oft explored but is done so here with fresh energy and zeal' - Darcy Nicholson, Daniel Goldsmith First Novel Prize judge