Description

Don’t miss this chilling gothic thriller from the bestselling author . . .

‘Cooke has creatively interwoven the darkness of reality with a magical realism that will truly have you gripped’Woman & Home
‘Fascinating and enthralling’ Prima
‘Wonderfully atmospheric and compelling’ Rosamund Lupton
‘A flawless read’ Elizabeth Lee
‘Seething with gothic menace’ Caroline Lea
‘This ghost story is a perfect mix of propulsive plot and shivers-up-the-spine spookiness’ Good Housekeeping

A deserted lighthouse

Upon the cliffs of a remote Scottish island stands a lighthouse. Strange and terrible events have happened here. It started with a witch hunt. Now, centuries later, islanders are vanishing.

A lost family

Liv Stay and her children don’t believe in witches or curses. But within months of arriving on the island, her daughter Luna is the only one of them left.

An impossible child

Twenty years later, Luna’s missing sister turns up out of the blue. She is exactly the girl Luna remembers. Same face. Same smile. Same age.

Faced with the impossible, it’s up to Luna to find out what really happened at the lighthouse all those years ago.

Publisher Review

'Right from the start, I was hooked on this eerie, cryptic novel' Samantha Downing 'This book is SO good! ... Multiple narrators and time frames, family dynamics, siblings, witches; eerie but not scary. I mean, what is there not to love? This is C.J. Cooke's best yet! A fascinating and enthralling read' Nina Pottell, Prima 'A gripping modern gothic thriller that is also a haunting depiction of witch trials, it is a wonderfully atmospheric and compelling novel' Rosamund Lupton 'This ghost story is a perfect mix of propulsive plot and shivers-up-the-spine spookiness' Good Housekeeping 'An intricate story about women and witch trials but with a delightful timeslip element that really works. It's a compelling story and very satisfying how the threads are woven together' Kate Sawyer 'With characters that feel like they live and breathe, an atmospheric setting and a plot that kept me guessing, all delivered in luminous prose, this is a flawless read. Underpinned by a story of the Scottish witch hunts, the themes remain starkly relevant today' Elizabeth Lee 'Seething with gothic menace ... interweaves myth, superstition and history in a way which feels strikingly relevant and gripping' Caroline Lea 'Wonderful writing with a beautifully haunting tone. Gothic at its best' Rhiannon Ward 'Beautifully crafted' Constance Sayers 'Cooke manages to set a compelling timeshift mystery in a very real world, where believable people navigate authentic problems ... surprising and inventive' Sarah Burton 'Like a lighthouse roving atmospheric waters, its secrets are revealed glimpse by tantalising glimpse' Cari Thomas 'A gripping meditation on terror and superstition' Sara Sheridan 'A complex and haunting story, beautifully told ... Tense, unsettling and ultimately incredibly moving' Amanda Mason 'Utterly enthralling, original and atmospheric' N.J. Simmonds 'An atmospheric beauty of a book, with a feminist voice that rang clear from every page' Anna Day