From a wartime brothel to the intricate high society of 1870s Brussels, Under the Poppy is a breakout novel of childhood friends, a love triangle, puppetmasters, and reluctant spies. Under the Poppy is a brothel owned by Decca and Rupert. Decca is in love with Rupert, but he in turn is in love with her brother, Istvan. When Istvan comes to town, louche puppet troupe in tow, the lines of their age-old desires intersect against a backdrop of approaching war. Hearts are broken when old betrayals and new alliances - not just their own - take shape, as the townsmen seek refuge from the onslaught of history by watching the girls of the Poppy cavort onstage with Istvan's naughty puppets . . . Under the Poppy is a vivid, sexy, historical novel that zips along like the best guilty pleasure. Nominated for the IMPAC Award. Winner of the Gaylactic Spectrum Award.

"We’re pursued by no one, now." Having fled their comfortably dangerous brothel-and-theater known as the Poppy, Rupert and Istvan have traveled far to land in a city of sepia and silver, where they make new allies and settle old grudges. Ancient families clash with municipal thugs outside and inside the doors of the Mercury Theatre: the home Rupert has always longed for, with a stage created for Istvan’s wildest tales. Kathe Koja’s compelling sequel to Under the Poppy continues the timeless love and passionate play of its heroes, who can never truly escape their past. As their lives intertwine with a young blue-eyed fortuneteller, a foxy street sharpster, and a poet from the provinces come to this city on the brink of combustion, the promise of the Poppy is played out to the tune of The Mercury Waltz.

How many lives they have lived, if only for a night! Puppets and peril, lonely streets and glittering salons—Rupert and Istvan have played through it all, and sought to make the road their lasting home. But that road winds through the past—including the brothel called the Rose and Poppy—while threats and invitations abound: a scheming social climber, a lovesick exile, the Mercury Theatre closed . . . or is it? Old friends from afar join comrades in the here-and-now, as power, love, and fate combine to play out the final chapter of the story of a lifetime. The curtains rose with UNDER THE POPPY, the passionate play continued in THE MERCURY WALTZ. Now Kathe Koja brings the POPPY trilogy to a stunning and masterful conclusion in THE BASTARDS’ PARADISE. “The final act in a grand epic: I loved this book. It broke my heart and made me cry, but it also made me grin, and shake my head, and turn the pages faster . . . Koja is a phenomenal writer.” - Cat Hellisen, author of BEASTKEEPER Kathe Koja’s books include Under the Poppy, The Cipher and Skin; her young adult novels include Buddha Boy, Talk and Kissing the Bee. Her work has been honored by the ALA, the ASPCA and with the Bram Stoker Award. Her books have been published in seven languages and optioned for film. She’s a Detroit native and lives in the area with her husband, artist Rick Lieder. She also runs Loudermilk Productions, creating site-specific immersive events including performances of Faustus and her own adaptation of Under the Poppy.