To orphan Sylvie Bardo, the human brain is logical, easy to map and mend. The human heart, not so much. The youngest neurosurgeon at prestigious St Gertrude’s, becoming undead turns this single-minded control freak into an agent of chaos. She must cure herself, (or sate her hunger), before she kills indiscriminately.

She’s dedicated to preserving life. To keep doing that, she needs brains. Which happen to be inside the skulls of VERY BAD PEOPLE. Her moral code dictates she only targets powerful, recidivist criminals. And the justice system’s failures deliver these ready meals. But as she races to cure herself, Scotland Yard closes in on her.

London is a key character. Its murky, gothic past lurks beneath the shiny modern surface, populated by a motley assortment of geezers, gangsters and grimoire purveyors. Grey Areas immerses its audience in misty Victorian cemeteries, ancient plague pits, Bazalgette’s sewers and the infamous Hellfire Club.