Caboodle Firsts: Be one of the first 100 to read This Lovely City

We're giving 100 Caboodlers the chance to read Louise Hare's atmospheric This Lovely City, before it's out next year.

The drinks are flowing. The music is playing. But the party can't last.

With the Blitz over and London reeling from war, jazz musician Lawrie Matthews has answered England's call for help. Fresh off the Empire Windrush, he's taken a tiny room in south London lodgings, and has fallen in love with the girl next door.

Touring Soho's music halls by night, pacing the streets as a postman by day, Lawrie has poured his heart into his new home - and it's alive with possibility. Until, one morning, he makes a terrible discovery.

As the local community rallies, fingers of blame are pointed at those who had recently been welcomed with open arms. And, before long, the newest arrivals become the prime suspects in a tragedy which threatens to tear the city apart.

Atmospheric, poignant and compelling, Louise Hare's debut shows that new arrivals have always been the prime suspects. But, also, that there is always hope.

Read the first chapter

Be the first to read This Lovely City

This competition ended on 17/10/2019

Terms and Conditions

100 x winners will receive a copy of Louise Hare's This Lovely City

No purchase necessary.
Closing date: 11:59pm, Thursday 17th October 2019.
Only one entry per person will be accepted. Entrants may not win more than one prize.
The prizes are non-transferable and there are no cash alternatives, and subject to availability. The Promoter reserves the right to amend the specification of the prize or offer an alternative prize. In exceptional circumstances, the Promoter reserves the right to foreclose the competition without notice.
As the prizes are sent to winners prior to publication, the cover may differ from the image shown, and may be uncorrected proof copies.
The competition is open to UK and Republic of Ireland residents except employees of the Booksellers Association and Book Tokens Ltd., their families, employees of participating bookshops, and anyone else connected with this promotion.
Entrants must be aged 16 or over.
Entrants will automatically collect 5 Caboodle Points. Find out more about How Caboodle Works.
Entrants agree to the Promoter using their details in post-competition publicity. Your details will not be used for any other purpose, or passed onto any third parties, unless specified. Winners’ details will be shared securely with a third-party in order to fulfil the dispatch of prizes.
We will contact winners by email. In the event of a winner not responding after 14 days, we reserve the right to allocate the prize to another winner, or foreclose the prize. Unsuccessful entrants will not be contacted.
Winners will receive the prize to the address they provided upon entering.
The Promoter accepts no responsibility for entries that are incomplete, illegible, incorrect, corrupted or fail to reach the Promoter by the closing date for any reason. Automatically generated entries or entries via third parties are invalid and shall not be considered.
The Promoter accepts no responsibility for prizes not being received due to the entrant providing an incomplete, invalid, intelligible, incorrect postal address.
The Promoter’s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
The Promoter will only use your email address and other personal information as outlined in our privacy policy.
Promoter: Book Tokens Ltd, 6 Bell Yard, London, WC2A 2JR.