London, 1955. The Leader has been dead for two years. His assassination, on British soil, provoked violent retribution and intensified repression of British citizens, particularly women. Now, more than ever, the Protectorate is a place of surveillance and isolation—a land of spies.
Every evening Rose Ransom looks in the mirror and marvels that she's even alive. A mere woman, her role in the Leader's death has been miraculously overlooked. She still works at the Culture Ministry, where her work now focuses on poetry, which has been banned for its subversive meanings, emotions, and signals that cannot be controlled.
A government propaganda drive to promote positive images of women has just been announced ahead of a visit from Dwight D. Eisenhower, the first American president to set foot on English soil in two decades. Queen Wallis Simpson will be spearheading the campaign, and Rose has been tasked with visiting her to explain the plan. When Rose arrives at the palace, she finds Wallis in a state of paranoia, desperate to return to America and enjoy the liberty of her homeland following her husband's death. Wallis claims she has a secret document so explosive that it will blow the Protectorate apart. But will the last queen of England pull the trigger on the Alliance?
Download and start listening now!
“Carey has a journalistic eye for telling detail and builds an entire world with both remarkable efficiency and to chilling effect. Queen Wallis is a propulsive, terrifying read that gripped me from start to finish.”
— Natalie Jenner, author of Bloomsbury Girls
“A tense, gripping read, sure to enthrall readers everywhere.”
— Kate Quinn, New York Times bestselling authorBe the first to write a review about this audiobook!
C. J. Carey is the pen name of Jane Thynne, author of the Clara Vine series. She was born in Venezuela, went to school in London, and then to Oxford University, where she read English. She later worked as a BBC journalist before moving to Fleet Street and working at the Sunday Times, The Daily Telegraph, and The Independent, as well as numerous magazines. She lives in London with whichever of her three children are around.
Antonia Beamish is a voice-over artist and AudioFile Earphones Award–winning narrator. She is also a professional actress best known for performances in films such as The Last Horror Movie, Dead Creatures, and Chemical Wedding.