Description

‘A dark gothic delight’ JANICE HALLETT, author of THE TWYFORD CODE

‘Inventive, lavish, twisty… will keep you guessing until the very end’ ALISON LITTLEWOOD, author of MISTLETOE

Winter 1954, and in a dilapidated apartment in Brooklyn, Sam Cooper realises that she has nothing left. Her mother is dead, she has no prospects, and she cannot afford the rent. But as she goes through her mother’s things, Sam finds a stack of hidden letters that reveal a family and an inheritance that she never knew she had, three thousand miles away in Yorkshire.

Begars Abbey is a crumbling pile, inhabited only by Lady Cooper, Sam’s ailing grandmother, and a handful of servants. Sam cannot understand why her mother kept its very existence a secret, but her newly discovered diaries offer a glimpse of a young girl growing increasingly terrified. As is Sam herself.

Built on the foundations of an old convent, Begars moves and sings with the biting wind. Her grandmother cannot speak, and a shadowy woman moves along the corridors at night. There are dark places in the hidden tunnels beneath Begars. And they will not give up their secrets easily…

A chilling read that will keep you turning the pages late into the night, Begars Abbey is a must-read for fans of Laura Purcell, C.J. Tudor and W.C. Ryan.

Publisher Review

Takes its reader to a sinister place and locks them in, all alone. A dark, gothic delight best enjoyed by the light of a single, flickering candle -- Janice Hallett, author of The Twyford Code Atmospheric and fast-moving, it's a page-turner that keeps you guessing * Choice * Wonderful... High gothic with a captivating protagonist. Loved it -- Rhiannon Ward, author of The Quickening Fans of the gothic thriller are in for a treat * Crime Fiction Lover * An inventive, lavish, twisty ghost story that will keep you guessing and turning the pages until the very end. Atmospheric and hugely enjoyable -- Alison Littlewood, author of Mistletoe An atmospheric, spine-tingling page-turner packed with curious characters and sinister twists -- Jennifer Ryan, author of The Chilbury Ladies' Choir A shiver-down-the-spine jaunt into the gruesome past, with a deliciously creepy finale -- C.E. Rose, author of The House of Hidden Secrets As a gothic novel Begars Abbey has it all: remote and storm-bound Yorkshire, ruined abbey buildings, hidden diaries and keys, locked doors and long corridors, even a wicked old woman in a wheelchair... But Vikki Valentine provides the reader with something more, through her appealing, nail-biting heroine, Sam -- Alix Nathan, author of The Warlow Experiment Pure enjoyment! Searching for her Yorkshire roots, spirited New Yorker Sam Cooper is pulled into a Gothic mystery rooted in medieval horrors. Witty, fast-moving and spine-chillingly dark, this is a gripping and rewarding read -- Rose Black, author of The Unforgetting The 1950s setting of Begars Abbey by VL Valentine cleverly evokes the black and white movies of the period, building to a gripping Gothic climax -- Leonora Nattrass, author of Black Drop No-one does the creeps like V.L. Valentine... Darkly, fiendishly, irresistibly good -- Kate Simants, author of A Ruined Girl A knowing spin on the English country house ghost story, it's a romp told with sly affection for the genre & great gothic gusto -- Kate Griffin, author of Kitty Peck and the Music Hall Murders