It’s Easter Sunday in 1955 and a young man lies face-down on the ground covered in blood. A woman, blonde and petite, stands over him with a gun in her hand.
This is the story of Ruth Ellis as never told before…
As Ruth awaits her trial in Holloway Prison, she recollects growing up in England during the Second World War and the events that led to the death of her lover, David Blakely.
Meanwhile, Kitty Carrington — the assistant to Ruth’s trial lawyer — tries to forge her own path through the male-dominated legal world of the 1950s and ensure that Ruth receives a fair trial.
Navigating secrets, betrayal and a broken justice system, Ruth and Kitty try to take control of their own lives and narratives.
But do we ever really know the full story?
A Fatal Love by Louisa Treger is published on 27 August, 2026.
To discover more new historical fiction, look at Historia’s list of over 180 books coming out in 2026.
