Description

‘Fans of Sarah Waters and Hilary Mantel will love this’ LAURA SHEPPERSON

‘Unsettling, claustrophobic and compelling’ KATE RIORDAN

‘Gripping frightening and wholly original’ JODIE MATTHEWS

‘A chillingly Gothic tale that is exquisitely written’ TOBI COVENTRY

The thrilling new historical mystery from the acclaimed, bestselling author of The Beholders.

Scotland, 1886. Lil, a keen archaeologist, has arrived at Pitcarden to lead a dig on a Bronze Age burial mound. Having escaped the clutches of her mother, a famous medium, and committed herself to a life of rational enquiry, she is determined to unearth the treasures buried deep, despite growing protests from the nearby villagers.

But Lil is also privately plagued by nightmares which haunt her sleep and by memories of her former life. Caught in a fight between science and superstition, Lil confides in a mysterious doctor who she hopes might cure her night terrors once and for all. But who exactly is this doctor that Lil has trusted with her most intimate fears? And what secrets from her past might she be digging up, along with a long-lost hoard?

From the bestselling author of The Beholders comes this unputdownable historical mystery that will keep you guessing until the very end.

Publisher Review

PRAISE FOR THE BEHOLDERS: 'A page-turning epistolary novel which takes us on a weaving tale of intrigue, full of heart, that held me completely in its thrall until the very last line. Bravo!' Susan Stokes-Chapman, number one bestselling author of Pandora 'A dark slice of the sort of gothic nineteenth-century readers were warned against. Thrumming with tension and posing chewy questions about power and complicity, within two pages it had me in its grip and I couldn't bring myself to look away. Uneasy, unsettling, and unputdownable' Lianne Dillsworth, author of Theatre of Marvels 'A well-researched and thoroughly convincing page-turner' Laura Shepperson, bestselling author of The Heroines 'An atmospheric historical thriller with layer upon layer of secrets and twists that kept me guessing right through to the novel's exquisite ending. Simultaneously enthralling and unsettling, this book examines the darkness beneath the surface of Victorian society with deft and unflinching brushstrokes. I can't wait to read more from Hester Musson' Katie Lumsden, author of The Secrets of Hartwood Hall 'Shines a light on the exploitative, class-based darkness at the heart of late 19th-century society England. I was hooked from the start' The Daily Mail 'Continues to surprise with a series of twists and revelations in its plot' Sunday Times 'A goose-bump-inducing atmosphere... prepared to be consumed!' Debut Digest 'I adored this historical debut and fans of gothic fiction will too. I was absolutely rooting for Harriet the whole way through' Nina Pottell, Prima 'An enjoyable and gripping read'Irish News 'Unputdownable' My Weekly