Description

From bestselling crime novelist and renowned Irish TV journalist Sinead Crowley, gripping dual timelines entwine in this heart-stopping story of old secrets and forbidden passion.

An old house can hold many secrets. Hollowpark in the west of Ireland certainly does. At the heart of the gardens is an intricate maze, named after a deadly poison, Belladonna. If you know the way through, it’s magical, a hiding place and playground like no other. If you don’t, it’s a place of fear and sinister riddles, where a young girl once went missing and was never seen again.

Grace comes to Hollowpark as a nanny for young Skye FitzMahon. Soon the mysterious past of Hollowpark has seduced her. Who is the woman she sometimes glimpses in an upstairs window? Or the apparition who keeps showing up unexpectedly, pleading, ‘Find me’. And how can she fight her growing attraction to Skye’s father?

Praise for Sinead Crowley:

‘Everything you’d want from a suspenseful mystery: vivid characters, a sumptuous setting and an expertly crafted thread of malevolence.’ Irish Times

‘Beautifully written, and deftly plotted… So compelling that the pages almost turned themselves. A terrific novel.’ Liz Nugent

‘Compelling, clever and deeply romantic, the plot has more twists and turns than the maze itself… A welcome return to fiction by one of Ireland’s most accomplished crime writers… A joy to read.’ Jane Casey

‘Atmospheric, creepy, utterly engrossing and as twisty-turny as the maze itself.’ Tammy Cohen

Publisher Review

Spine-tinglingly magnificent! Hugely atmospheric and completely engrossing, it pulls you in and holds you captive until the very last word. Utterly unputdownable! -- Steph Broadribb Beautifully written, and deftly plotted... So compelling that the pages almost turned themselves. A terrific novel -- Liz Nugent Compelling, clever and deeply romantic, the plot has more twists and turns than the maze itself... A welcome return to fiction by one of Ireland's most accomplished crime writers... A joy to read -- Jane Casey Prepare to lose yourself in The Belladonna Maze, a sweeping saga that embraces mystery, history and romance. If you're still missing Maeve Binchy, this one's for you -- Erin Kelly Atmospheric, creepy, utterly engrossing and as twisty-turny as the maze itself -- Tammy Cohen Very engaging... The writing is fluent and accessible, the authorial voice perceptive and intuitive * Irish Examiner * Told across dual timelines, the tale of dark passions is hauntingly atmospheric * Woman's Own * It's evocative, tightly wrought, historically precise and persistently bone-chilling * Sunday Independent * The story is clever and involving, the characters are plausible and empathetic, the pacing is just-so and the prose is crisp and unfussy - everything you'd want, really, in a thriller * Irish Independent * Sinead Crowley is back with another gripping page turner * Daily Mail * Vibrant and lyrical, The Belladonna Maze is a great piece of escapist fiction for those who enjoy a haunted house, some romance and a story that keeps you guessing until the end * Sunday Business Post * Spine-tingling... An atmospheric blend of history, mystery and ghostly chills - perfect if you love gothic family sagas * CultureFly * With just the right balance between realism and romantic, The Belladonna Maze is an atmospheric book full of all you'd want from a suspenseful mystery: vivid characters, a sumptuous setting and an expertly crafted thread of malevolence * Irish Times * With a narrative that moves smoothly between 2007 and the middle of the 19th century, The Belladonna Maze is both a delicious ghost story and a gripping whodunnit * Irish Times * Gothic horror meets modern romance * Historical Novels Review *