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‘Cooke is known for her ability to craft spellbinding tales filled with dread and terror, but also beauty’ Scots Magazine

Three women. Seven centuries. One unbreakable blood curse…

It began in fire…

Paris, 1307. When eleven-year-old Princess Isabella of France watches four men burn at the stake, a dying knight curses her bloodline: love will destroy everything she holds dear.

It was forged in madness…

Bedlam, 1865. Lois wakes in Bedlam Asylum with no memory of who she is – only a precious red stone and the growing certainty that something ancient is hunting her.

Can it end before blood is spilled?

Present day. Artist Emma Harris arrives at a crumbling French chateau for her wedding and the exhibition of her life. But the walls remember everything, and something has followed her here.

Seven centuries of destruction. One woman left to fight.

Publisher Review

‘Evil echoes down the centuries in a darkly compelling story that draws you in and keeps you totally transfixed. In three impeccably researched settings, C.J. Cooke creates strong female characters who are utterly relatable, even if they lived hundreds of years ago’ Frances Quinn, That Bonesetter Woman ‘I adored this unusual book – a cocktail of feminist historical novel, mother-daughter relationship drama, mixed with a dash of horror. I loved C.J. Cooke’s depiction of Isabelle of France, a mother and queen, unbowed and ferocious in her love for her children. C.J. seamlessly blends the various women’s narratives across centuries, creating an atmospheric and compulsive read’ Natasha Solomons, Cleopatra Praise for C.J. Cooke: ‘Pure spooky pleasure’ Stephen King, The Shining ‘A taut psychological thriller, an eerie Nordic fable, and a thoughtful meditation on stewardship … This is my favourite kind of book’ Christopher Buehlman, Between Two Fires ‘A chilling, atmospheric novel’ Sunday Times ‘A vivid and haunting portrait of a real-life heroine, told in beautifully immersive prose’ Emilia Hart, The Sirens ‘A powerful, rage-filled novel of courage, sisterhood and female power inspired by a real witchcraft trial … Blisteringly brilliant’ Anna Mazzola, The Book of Secrets ‘C.J. Cooke expertly weaves the terrifying and real experience of witch persecution with dark magic and the power of sisterhood … An unforgettable read’ Anya Bergman, The Witches of Vardo ‘Cooke is known for her ability to craft spellbinding tales filled with dread and terror, but also beauty – and she shows off these skills once again’ Scots Magazine ‘Chilling and beautifully written, this gripped me from the very first sentence: I read it in one sitting. A haunting recreation of a real Scottish witch trial, this is CJ Cooke’s finest novel yet’ Emilia Hart, Weyward ‘A fantastic blend of folklore and feminism, Cooke delicately balances terror and tenderness in a gothic, gripping tale’ Daily Mail