The Book Nook bookshop in Ware is delighted to welcome back one of our favourite authors, Louisa Treger to Ware Library on the evening of Thursday the 17th of September. Louisa will be talking about her latest book, A Fatal Love: a fictional retelling of the story of Ruth Ellis, the last woman to be executed in Britain.
She will be in conversation with The Book Nook's volunteer Sara about the book, her writing which is inspired by the untold stories of remarkable women: pioneers, rebels, artists and survivors, who dared to live on their own terms.
As well as a Q&A session with the audience, Louisa will be signing copies of A Fatal Love (published 27/8/2026) which is available to pre-order with 10% off from the The Book Nook or will be on sale on the evening.
Tickets are £8 and include refreshments, or £23 when you pre-order the book (save £4)
About the book: A Fatal Love
It is 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?
About The Author: Louisa Treger
Louisa is the author of five novels – The Lodger (2014), The Dragon Lady (2019), Madwoman (2022), The Paris Muse (2024) and Fatal Love (2026) – translated into several languages. Her work has twice been selected as The Times Historical Book of the Month, most recently for Madwoman, which was also a Book of the Month in the Independent. She has written for numerous publications, including Financial Times, The Times, the Telegraph, Tatler, BBC History Magazine, and English Heritage. Radio appearances include BBC Radio 3’s Free Thinking programme and BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour. She appears regularly at literary festivals and cultural institutions, and is deputy chair of the board of the Oxford Literary Festival.
Book Reviews: A Fatal Love
Louisa Treger is for me a must-read author, and I believe A Fatal Love is her best novel to date. Set in the murky, pseudo-glamour of post war drinking clubs in London, this beguiling account of the betrayal of a woman cursed by her beauty and her class held me rapt from the start. Both thrilling and seductive, and yet so sensitively written … it will break many hearts. Brava! What an achievement. - Essie Fox
A Fatal Love is a mesmerising and simply unforgettable read. Days on, I can’t stop thinking about it and telling other people they simply must read it. I genuinely can’t remember the last time I found a book so compulsive. I took it as a beach read on holiday and towards the end, I was still sitting on my sun lounger as darkness fell, simultaneously turning the pages, yet dreading the end. This is a book that had to be written by Treger, for it is only an author of her calibre, capacity for empathy and forensic eye for detail, who could bring Ruth Ellis to life so skilfully and humanely. Seventy years ago, a judgemental society robbed Ruth Ellis of her dignity and her voice. Louisa Treger has restored it, in this masterful, powerful and heart wrenching novel. This is hands down my book of the year. - Kate Thompson
A powerful and compassionate novel that gives voice to one of the century's most misunderstood women and examines the abusive relationship that led her, ultimately, to kill. - Anna Mazzola