A powerful story of revolution, love and intense rivalry set in 1870 during the four-month siege of Paris. 1870. All over Paris the lights are going out. The Prussians are encircling the city and Europe's capital of decadent pleasure and luxury is becoming a prison, its citizens caught between defiance and despair. Desperate times lie ahead as the worst winter for decades sets in and starvation looms. One man seems to shine like a beacon in the shadows. Jean-Jacques Allix promises to be the leader the people need, to save the city itself. Painter Hannah Pardy, his young English lover, believes in him utterly; taking up arms for his cause, she is drawn into the heart of the battle for Paris. But as the darkness and panic spreads it is harder and harder to see things as they really are, and Hannah struggles to separate love from self-interest and revolutionaries from traitors. Faced with impossible decisions, Hannah must confront the devastating reality of her beloved Paris to establish what truly matters to her - and what she will do to protect it.

Praise for ILLUMINATION: 'A fascinating novel that brings to life an extraordinary historical episode ... I can't wait to see where Matthew Plampin goes next' Andrew Taylor, author of THE AMERICAN BOY 'Fascinating ... Matthew Plampin lights up a murky episode of French history' Liza Picard, author of VICTORIAN LONDON Praise for Matthew Plampin's novels: 'A galloping good story' THE TIMES 'Lust, avarice, envy, revenge all play their part in this brilliantly told, well-paced story' DAILY MAIL 'Plampin's historical research is impressive, as is his command of detail ... his true gift of descriptive power' INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY

Matthew Plampin was born in 1975 and lives in London. He completed a PhD at the Courtauld Institute of Art and now lectures on nineteenth-century art and architecture. He is the author of two previous novels, The Street Philosopher and The Devil's Acre.