Description

‘Marlow has a poetic eye . . . But it’s her mix of detective story and Gothic ghosts, ancient folk legends and lingering wartime trauma, that lift the book’ Financial Times, Best new thrillers

Warwickshire, 1934

Deep in a hamlet in the Warwickshire countryside, Red Hollow Hall is a male-only sanatorium run by the charismatic psychiatrist Dr Moon. However, all is not well, and Dr Moon’s patients are leaving Red Hollow in droves.

Recent disturbances, which originally appeared to be pranks, have descended into something more sinister, and now the men believe they have a malevolent visitor – the mermaid of Red Hollow. The ghost of a murdered girl, they are convinced the mermaid wreaks bloody revenge on unsuspecting men each time the hamlet floods.

When private enquiry agent, William Garrett, and freshly minted detective, Phyll Hall, are called in to uncover the identity of the intruder, they become trapped in a world of madness, the occult, and grisly murder. A world where William must use all his strength to differentiate between the real-life monster haunting Red Hollow Hall and the monsters of the mind.

The Red Hollow is the follow-up to Natalie Marlow’s critically acclaimed debut, Needless Alley.

‘As full of atmosphere as the author’s critically acclaimed debut’ Prima

‘Superbly researched, spine-tingling, and magnificently atmospheric’ Abir Mukherjee, author of The Shadows of Men

‘A truly splendid, wicked gem of a book. I loved it’ Tom Mead, author of Death and the Conjuror

Publisher Review

Marlow has a poetic eye . . . But it’s her mix of detective story and Gothic ghosts, ancient folk legends and lingering wartime trauma, that lift the book * Financial Times, Best new thrillers * As full of atmosphere as the author’s critically acclaimed debut, Needless Alley — Nina Pottell * Prima * Marlow is a truly gifted writer who imports the tropes and character types of classic noir to 1930s Birmingham with great success and in Garrett – a shell-shocked Great War veteran given to quoting Shakespeare and Blake – has created a gumshoe fit for many more adventures * New European * Private detective William Garrett and his new lesbian partner Phyll Hall make an engaging double act in Marlow’s second thriller set in the Midlands in the 1930s. Red Hollow is a sanatorium whose patients are fleeing after a series of sinister disturbances. Marlow writes with a poet’s eye for language * Financial Times, Best summer books of 2024: Thrillers * Following reports of ghostly disturbances at a sanatorium, Natalie Marlow’s investigative duo, Garrett and Hall are called in to investigate, soon finding themselves falling into a world of rumour, folklore and death. Superbly researched, spine-tingling, and magnificently atmospheric, The Red Hollow is a masterful follow up to the brilliant Needless Alley and cements Marlow’s reputation as a rising star in the world of historical crime fiction — Abir Mukherjee, author of THE SHADOWS OF MEN The Red Hollow is a spectacular, Grand Guignol triumph. A truly splendid, wicked gem of a book. I loved it — Tom Mead, author of DEATH AND THE CONJUROR and THE MURDER WHEEL Compelling, claustrophobic and beautifully written — Bridget Walsh, author of THE TUMBLING GIRL I raced through The Red Hollow, a blood and rain-soaked fever dream of a novel, grounded in people, place and plot. I’ve missed Billy and Phyll. These characters get right up close and personal and I’ve loved spending time with them again — Emma Styles, author of NO COUNTRY FOR GIRLS William and Phyll are back and this time our heroes have a cursed lake, a dentate mermaid, and the inhabitants of a psychiatric hospital for damaged veterans to deal with. The Red Hollow is a swirling, Gothic fever-dream of a novel that cements Marlow’s place at the very top of the historical crime writing tree — Mark Wightman, author of WAKING THE TIGER A dreamthick, dancing blend of country house mystery and folk horror — Dominic Nolan, author of VINE STREET Brimming with menace and foreboding, The Red Hollow is a louring, towering Gothic nightmare, pulling together the moody brooding of noir and the pervasive terror of folk legend. Atmospheric and spine-tingling, it completely subverts the whole world of the country house mystery – the perfect follow-up to Marlow’s triumphant debut Needless Alley — Chris Lloyd, author of THE UNWANTED DEAD