Liverpool 1940. Alice King stands on the deck of SS Carlisle, waiting to escort a group of children to Canada as overseas evacuees. She is finally doing her bit for the war.

In London, as the Blitz bombs rain down and the threat of German invasion looms, Lily Nicholls anxiously counts the days for news of her son and daughter’s safe arrival.

But when disaster strikes in the Atlantic, Alice and Lily – one at sea, the other on land – will quickly become one another’s very best hope. The events of one night, and the eight unimaginable days that follow, will bind the two women together in unforgettable ways.

Inspired by a remarkable true story, is a gripping and triumphant tale of love, courage and hope against the odds.The Last Lifeboat

GILL PAUL‘A journey into the worst hardships of war for two women … and yet throughout it is bathed in the warmth of love’

TRACY REES‘I loved this absorbing, heart-rending story and cared so much about the vivid, courageous characters. Superb storytelling’

JENNY ASHCROFT‘Gripping, devastating, tremendously moving … a tale of bravery and remarkable endurance, the kindness of strangers, and the power of hope’

LIZ TRENOW‘I was utterly engaged … the characters brim with life, the plot is elegantly handled and the writing is terrific’

CELIA REES‘Totally absorbing, heartbreaking and heart-stopping’

PATRICIA SCANLAN‘Endearing characters, terrific plot, and a superb sense of time and place made this riveting book unputdownable. I it’loved

CARMEL HARRINGTON‘Historical fiction at it’s best, The Last Lifeboat completely swept me away, leaving me breathless with emotion. A must-read’

AMANDA GEARD‘A devastatingly beautiful tale of survival and courage’

KATE THOMPSON‘Broke my heart and then mended it again’

MY WEEKLY‘A story of courage and triumph against the odds, this is historical fiction at its best’

ANTONIA SENIOR,THE TIMES‘A heart-wrenching read’

Woman’s Own‘This earth-shattering novel is both harrowing and hopeful’

Winner of the Best Fiction Narrator in the 2024 Audie Awards Praise forThe Last Lifeboat