The Wolf Den

First novel in a new historical trilogy set in Ancient Pompeii. Amara is a slave at the Wolf Den – the city's infamous brothel. But just because she's a slave now, doesn't mean she inends to remain a slave forever...

Hope and humour runs through this powerful, moving story – I loved it! Elodie portrays the brutal indignities and tragedy of these women's lives with so much warmth, sensitivity and respect. I was captivated by Amara – her strength, compassion and her determination to thrive in a cruel, unequal world. I can't wait to follow the rest of her story

An utterly gripping story. It humanises the men and women who had their humanity taken away from them, and helps to remind us that the brothels of Pompeii were far more than seedy tourist attractions

Harper's style is exhilaratingly direct, with images lingering long in the mind's eye. You smell the oil lamps and temple incense, taste sticky figs, feel physical blows, and the dialogue packs powerful punch too. It's a vivacious piece of work, and all underpinned by a woman's longing for freedom

A riveting tale of power, love, hate, privilege, female empowerment and female friendships found in the most unlikely situations, The Wolf Den truly delivers and you will laugh and be heartbroken alongside the women nicknamed she-wolves, whose lives were deemed disposable, and their determination to find ways to escape the brothel both in body and mind. Set in a rich and prosperous Pompeii, Amara's story takes off at a brisk pace and ultimately delivers a stunning ending that left me both satisfied and very eager for the next book in the next book in this series

What a book! Utterly compelling, unflinching in describing Amara's life as a slave-prostitute in Pompeii and so incredibly transporting. Best book I read in ages

A gripping tale, which celebrates female solidarity and empowerment in the face of oppression and adversity. Rich in historical detail, beauty and brutality, The Wolf Den brings to vivid life the doomed city of Pompeii and the powerlessness of its women. I loved it

The best historical fiction holds a mirror up to the present and The Wolf Den is a triumph. Elodie Harper transports us thousands of years and thousands of miles and yet we see ourselves reflected there

Captivating and compelling, at times heartbreaking... Reading this, it was hard to believe that this is a debut. It is well-written and deeply researched... Full of historical detail about the city so famous for its destruction... Sprinkled with just enough detail to make the setting come to life, without overpowering the story and characters at the heart of The Wolf Den ... This will appeal to readers of books like Circe or Sistersong , straddling that fine line between genre fiction and broader literature... A truly modern book telling an ancient story'

A compelling story of survival, friendship and courage. Amara and her fellow she-wolves are vividly drawn in a fascinating depiction of women at the time. Utterly spellbinding

An entertaining firecracker blazing with wolfish verve and a woman's desire to escape the Pompeii brothel she's enslaved to

A gripping historical story about a slave in Pompeii's infamous brothel

A one-of-a-kind historical novel... This is a mesmerising, richly detailed tale of sisterhood and courage that fans of Circe will love'

A story of survival, friendship and courage, Amara and her fellow 'she-wolves' are vividly drawn in a fascinating depiction of women at the time. Spellbinding

Vivid, wise and unflinching, this is a triumph

A tale of female solidarity and sisterhood, of women having each other's backs and caring for one another when nobody else will... If you enjoyed Jennifer Saint's Ariadne then you'll be unable to put The Wolf Den down... Elodie Harper's next book will be one to look out for'

Elodie Harper's vibrant and thrilling story is steeped in historical detail while remaining contemporary in its concerns... Harper tells her gripping tale with conviction and wit'

Well-researched, this first book of the trilogy follows Amara's growth in character and self-determination, revealing how even the lowest of slaves can strive for a reverse in fortune

Lifts the curtain on a world full of deceit, lies, abuse, lust, and above all, hope

Colourful, compelling... Harper's narrative never romanticises the exploitation Amara suffers, but it leads eventually to a kind of painful redemption'

Utterly spellbinding

A wonderfully clear-sighted tale seen from the viewpoint of its main protagonist, Amara, a doctor's daughter, who was sold as a slave into prostitution when she and her mother became destitute after his death. You really live and feel Pompeii in this book. An amazing achievement

Fab cover; fab, compelling story – this deserves to do really well, and I can't wait to read the next one

The first in a trilogy of novels centring on women in Pompeii, gift this Saturday Times bestseller to the friend who fell in love with Madeline Miller's Circe and Song of Achilles

Amara's world is vividly realised

A compelling story of survival, friendship and courage ... Utterly immersive

A perfectly imagined world of characters in Pompeii

Elodie Harper is a journalist and prize-winning writer. Her story 'Wild Swimming' won the 2016 Bazaar of Bad Dreams short story competition, which was judged by Stephen King. She is currently a reporter and presenter at ITV News, and before that worked as a producer for Channel 4 News. Her job as a journalist has seen her join one of the most secretive wings of the Church of Scientology and cover the far right hip hop scene in Berlin, as well as crime reporting in Norfolk where her first two novels were set – The Binding Song and The Death Knock . Elodie studied Latin poetry both in the original and in translation as part of her English Literature degree at Oxford, instilling a lifelong interest in the ancient world. The Wolf Den is the first in a trilogy of novels about the lives of women in ancient Pompeii. Elodie can be found online at elodieharper.com