The author’s most famous and well-loved work, the Starbridge series, six self-contained yet interconnected novels that explore the history of the Church of England through the 20th century.Jon Darrow, a man with psychic powers, is a man who has played many parts: a shady faith-healer; a naval chaplain, a passionate husband, an awkward father, an Anglo-Catholic monk.In 1940 Darrow returns to the world he once renounced, but faced with many unforeseen temptations he fails to control his psychic, most glamorous powers. Corruption lies in wait for him, and threatens not only his future as a priest but his happiness with Anne, the young woman he has come to love.From Publishers WeeklyJon Darrow, an Anglican priest and abbot with psychic abilities, has a vision that he interprets as God's instruction to leave his religious order. "In this witty, wise novel, the question 'Does God exist?' is always understood and, true to life, ambiguously answered," wrote PW. Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. Review'Glamorous Powers is a brave and welcome new direction for Susan Howatch to take' Observer 'An intriguing and wholly involving story' New York Times Book Review 'This novel marks a remarkable departure for Susan Howatch' Today 'Howatch writes thrillers of the heart and mind ... everything in a Howatch novel cuts close to the bone and is of vital concern' New Woman 'A mesmerising storyteller' Daily Telegraph 'One of the most original novelists writing today' Cosmopolitan 'She is a deft storyteller, and her writing has depth, grace and pace' Sunday Times

A young man's future as a priest depends on facing his past in this novel about the Church of England from the New York Times–bestselling author.1968. Proud of his psychic powers, Nicholas Darrow wants to follow in his father's footsteps by becoming an Anglican priest in the Starbridge diocese, famed for its magnificent cathedral. But pride goes before a fall, and when he attempts to use his powers to heal a young woman devasted by the loss of her husband, the result is disastrous. Driven on by guilt, Darrow tries to discover exactly how her husband died and soon he's obsessed by a dangerous mystery which his gifts are powerless to solve.Will Darrow survive this crisis? Can he conquer his arrogance and abandon his promiscuity? This would-be healer urgently needs to be healed . . . and the answers to his questions may lie in events from his childhood—and in his relationship with his father."Taking on the style of a psychological thriller . . . Mystical Paths covers in a profound...

This historical novel about the Church of England from the New York Times–bestselling author follows a religious leader's doubt and possible fall from grace.1965. Charles Ashworth is Bishop of Starbridge in the decade known as the Swinging Sixties, famed for its sexual excesses, and he considers it his duty to preach regularly on the evils of fornication and adultery. Backed up by his efficient subordinates and his loyal and attractive wife, he is confident, competent, and formidable.But suddenly, a catastrophe tears his life apart. Mentally and spiritually shattered, Ashworth must deal not only with his old enemy Dean Aysgarth, but with a series of devastating and shocking challenges. Worse still, Ashworth now finds himself tempted by the kind of sin he has always preached against so fervently . . .Is his old friend Jon Darrow able to save him or is Ashworth now quite beyond salvation?"A skillful blend of character, philosophy and narrative. . . . Formidable personalities...

In this historical novel from the New York Times–bestselling author, a young woman earns the attention—and obsession—of a Church of England clergyman.1963. Seeking meaning and purpose in her life in an era when traditional values are under attack, Venetia Flaxton arrives in Starbridge to stay with her best friend, whose father, Neville Aysgarth, is the renowned dean of the cathedral. For years, Venetia has seen Aysgarth only as a family friend, but now she realizes he is the only person who understands her—and in a single electrifying second, she falls in love. But Aysgarth, a senior cleric with a very possessive wife, is clearly not available for marriage, even as Venetia learns her love is reciprocated. A white-hot but baffling relationship, still far from what she wants, then explodes into being.For Aysgarth proves to be a convoluted mystery which Venetia has no idea how to unravel, and soon she sees that he is taking scandalous risks with his distinguished ecclesiastical...

The author’s most famous and well-loved work, the Starbridge series, six self-contained yet interconnected novels that explore the history of the Church of England through the 20th century. Beneath the smooth surface of an Episcopal palace lurks the salacious breath of scandal. Charles Ashworth is sent to untangle the web of self-delusion and corruption only to become embroiled in a strange ménage à trois that threatens to expose the secrets of his own past… In Glittering Images tension and drama combine in a compelling novel of people in high places, of desperate longings and the failure to resist them, of lies and evasions, of tarnished realities behind brilliant glittering images.

Young, lonely, and insecure, Alice Fletcher is on the verge of emotional collapse when she stumbles into St. Benet's Church to dodge the London drizzle. There, she witnesses a group of gifted healers led by the charismatic Nicholas Darrow. Gaining refuge at last, Alice is drawn--inexorably, seductively--into the complex network of relationships at St. Benet's healing center--as she falls immediately, dangerously, in love with Darrow himself. Yet Darrow and his cutting-edge clergy are not all what they seem. And while Nicholas's dazzling powers now threaten to ruin all he attempts to save--including his own disturbed marriage--Alice's devotion to him deepens. Then a devastating tragedy transports her to the shocking center of truth. Yet fueled by her love for Nicholas and a boldly emerging intuition, she will hold together the lives spinning wildly out of control--as she herself is transformed forever.From the Trade Paperback edition.

The third in Susan Howatch's Church of England novels, ULTIMATE PRIZES begins in 1942 with the world at war, as narrator and archdeacon Nevill Aysgarth finds himself falling into a hopeless obsession over Dido Tallent, beautiful celebrity, and finds himself pursuing her through a swamp of guilt and the destruction of his valued moral compass....From the Paperback edition.