Secrets of Malta

Malta, 1943. The war in the air above Malta is over, but the battle for Europe is about to begin.

Margarita, a young singer in a Valletta nightclub, has seen her former lover Henry Dunn only once since breaking off their affair. His wife Vera, an enigmatic archaeologist, arrives at the club to tell her that Henry has disappeared, presumed dead. While investigating, Margarita stumbles upon the hunt for a notorious and dangerous spy: Nero.

As an unlikely bond develops between the two women, and strange secrets emerge, an urgent quest to unmask Nero starts - before he can enact a deadly plan that may threaten the course of the war.

Cecily Blench grew up in Herefordshire and studied at the University of York. She worked for an independent publisher before her debut novel The Long Journey Home was published in 2021. She now lives in Bristol and is a freelance writer and editor.