The Jam Maker

In the heat of the jam factory, secrets and lies create a dangerous recipe, in a breathtaking novel from the bestselling author of The Chocolate Factory and The Hobart Hotel.

Tasmania, 1874. Growing up in the impoverished tenements along the Hobart Rivulet, Harriet Brown is used to doing whatever it takes to survive. Including, at just twelve years old, shearing off her hair and pretending to be a boy to secure a job as label-paster at the George Peacock and Sons jam factory.

Four years later, the deceit becomes too much to bear and Harriet risks everything on the chance at a future with her ambitious friend and workmate Henry Jones. But this decision forces her into a new deception: play the role of expert jam maker, or else be cast out onto the streets.

As the secrets and lies grow, Harriet is driven to more and more desperate choices. Choices that will end with a dangerous secret which, if discovered, could destroy not only her life but the lives of those she loves and protects.

Intertwined with the fascinating history of the Tasmanian jam industry and the striking historical figure Henry Jones, The Jam Maker is a tale of danger, deceit and the desperate measures one woman will take to succeed in love and life.

PRAISE FOR The Jam Maker:

'Brought to vivid life with richness, colour, and incredible warmth, the prose sings in this bitter-sweet Tasmanian tale of triumph over adversity, love, loyalty and the ties that bind and divide. The Jam Maker is another irresistible story from Mary-Lou Stephens, one that will sweep you into its heart and linger in yours. Simply delicious.' — Karen Brooks, bestselling Australian author

'A fascinating story that is propelled by richly developed characters, and filled with interesting, and now forgotten, details about the growth of Tasmania's fledgling jam industry. Recommended.' — Canberra Weekly

'Bringing to life the charming history of the Tasmanian jam industry, this is a novel about hope, love and desperation.' — Weekend Australian

'As well as the human dramas in this novel about 19th-century Hobart, the plot is mouth-watering.' — Good Reading