A local author stopped by at Ely Library to sign copies of her latest novel.

Former Soham Village College student Natasha Pulley signed copies of ‘The Bedlam Stacks’; a historical tale set in the forests of Peru, which she visited for her research.

Set in 1859, the book follows ex-East India Company smuggler Merrick Tremayne, who is sent to South America on an expedition to fetch quinine – an essential medicine used to treat malaria.

The Bloomsbury-published book follows her best-selling ‘The Watchmaker of Filigree Street,’ which won a 2016 Betty Trask award.

Councillor Mike Rouse, who used to teach Natasha, was at the library on Wednesday to pick up a copy.

“He said: “It was fascinating to hear how Natasha blended historical research with her much-praised debut novel ‘The Watchmaker of Filigree Street’ and intrigued by the real events and Victorian expedition to Peru that inspired her new novel.”

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