BLOG TOUR: Dangerous - Essie Fox

Fiction can be fatal… 

Living in exile in Venice, the disgraced Lord Byron revels in the freedoms of the city. But when he is associated with the deaths of local women, found with wounds to their throats, and then a novel called The Vampyre is published under his name, rumours begin to spread that Byron may be the murderer… 

As events escalate and tensions rise – and his own life is endangered, as well as those he holds most dear – Byron is forced to play detective, to discover who is really behind these heinous crimes. Meanwhile, the scandals of his own infamous past come back to haunt him… 

Rich in gothic atmosphere and drawing on real events and characters from Byron’s life, Dangerous is a riveting, dazzling historical thriller, as decadent, dark and seductive as the poet himself… 

 

What did I think?

I don't know a lot about Lord Byron, other than his links to County Durham town of Seaham, so I was very eager to read Dangerous by Essie Fox and I was not disappointed.  Based on real events, Essie Fox conjures a realistic and vivid Lord Byron with her mesmerising and evocative words and it was a pleasure to virtually meet him, albeit in Venice not Seaham.

The life of a 19th century poet is never dull and whilst he may spend a lot of his time with his head in the clouds, Byron leaves a trail of destruction, scandal and heartbreak in his wake.  It does seem like Byron doesn't live in the real world but he has to keep his wits about him when he accused of murder.

I really enjoyed all of the strands of the story from seeing Byron as a father with a menagerie of wild animals in his villa to the writer who is incensed when a story he considers mediocre is published under his name.  There are so many real details in the book that it is easy to forget that it is fiction and I found myself drawn to look further into the life of this fascinating and scandalous man.

Authentic, atmospheric and alluring, Dangerous is a deliciously dark reimagining of Lord Byron's life in Venice that led to him being described as 'mad, bad and dangerous to know' by one of his paramours.  It's beautifully written and well worth a read. 

I received a digital ARC to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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About the author:

Essie Fox was born and raised in rural Herefordshire. After studying English Literature at Sheffield University, she moved to London where she worked for the Telegraph Sunday Magazine, and then George Allen & Unwin, before becoming self-employed in the world of art and design. Essie now spends her time writing historical gothic novels. Her debut, The Somnambulist, was shortlisted for the National Book Awards, and featured on Channel 4’s TV Book Club. The Last Days of Leda Grey, was selected as The Times Historical Book of the Month. Essie’s Victorian gothic novel, The Fascination, debuted at No 10 on the Sunday Times bestseller list. Her authorised retelling of Wuthering Heights also became an instant bestseller and sold 4000 copies in hardback in the first two weeks. Essie is also the creator of the popular blog: The Virtual Victorian and a podcast: Talking the Gothic. She has lectured at the V&A, and the National Gallery in London. She lives in Windsor. 

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Lochbound - Rebecca Templeton

There is no happily-ever-after . . .

Kilmara, Scotland. 1725. For fifty years, Iris has accepted the curse that blighted her life. By night, she is a heartbroken woman, destined to walk the misty shores of Kilmara without growing older. By day, she is Moireach, a terrifying monster imprisoned in the murky depths of Loch Moine.

When bodies begin appearing on the shore, the villagers are convinced Moireach is responsible. So a hunter - the rugged, ruthless Henry Carver - is summoned to slay the monster of the loch.

Iris must break her curse before she is killed for crimes she cannot believe she has committed. But as Kilmara's hunt for the monster becomes ever more fevered, she and Henry are drawn together in a dangerous game of impossible attraction.

And when a figure from Iris's past suddenly reappears, she must choose what - or who - she is willing to sacrifice to win her freedom.

. . . when you are the monster.

A glitteringly dark reimagining of The Little Mermaid set in eighteenth-century Scotland, this enchanting and gothic historical fantasy is perfect for fans of Rosie Andrews's The Leviathan, Georgia Leighton's Spellbound and anyone who loved Outlander. 

What did I think?

Oh my goodness, I adored this beautiful book; it is as stunning inside as out.  Lochbound is Rebecca Templeton's debut novel and it is exceptional.  It is a retelling of The Little Mermaid but it also reminded me of Beauty and the Beast.  

Iris has been cursed to spend her days as Moireach the monster in the loch but by night she becomes Iris again.  The curse can only be broken by true love's kiss but the boy Iris loves disappeared when she became a monster and she is still searching for him.  With mutilated bodies turning up by the loch, time is running out for Iris as the laird has tasked a hunter to find the monster before any more villagers are killed.  

The enchanting story is told from various points of view: Iris, her old friend Duncan, Henry the hunter and Moireach.  It is deliciously dark and, with witches, curses and monsters, it is one of the best adult fairy tales I have ever read.  The writing is so beautiful and spellbinding that I had to double check that Lochbound is Rebecca Templeton's debut - it really is!  Put this exciting new author on your watchlist, readers!

Haunting, mesmerising and atmospheric, Lochbound is a breathtaking debut novel that captivated, entertained and delighted me from the first page to the last.  I couldn't put it down and I will definitely be reading it again.  I would give it more than five stars if I could; it's absolutely exquisite and I can't recommend it highly enough.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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BLOG TOUR: Small Fires - Ronnie Turner

Evil runs through this cursed island

And these wicked sisters are about to make it burn...

When sisters Lily and Della Pedley are persecuted for the shocking murder of their parents, they flee from their home in Cornwall to a remote and unnamed island in Scotland – an island known for its strange happenings, but far away from the whispers and prying eyes of strangers.

 

Lily is terrified of what her sister will might do next, and she soon realises that they have arrived at a place where nothing is as it seems. A bitterness runs through the land like poison, and the stories told by the islanders seem to be far more than folklore.

 

Della settles in too easily, the island folk drawn to her strangeness, but Lily is plagued by odd and unsettling dreams, and as an annual festival draws nigh, she discovers that she has far more to fear than she could ever have imagined. Or does she…?

 

Chilling, atmospheric and utterly hypnotic, Small Fires is a contemporary gothic novel that examines possession, generational trauma, female rage, and the perilous bonds of family – an unsettling reminder that the stories we tell can be deadly…

Midsommar meets Midnight Mass in a folk horror, modern gothic masterpiece.

 

What did I think?

Small Fires is the first book by Ronnie Turner that I have read so I didn't know what to expect but this disturbing gothic tale had me enthralled from the start.  It's like a Grimm's fairy tale for adults that is very dark but completely mesmerising.

The Pedley sisters were never proven to have killed their parents but there was something not quite right in that family.  The flashbacks to the girls' past are very unsettling with a definite undertone of evil.  When they move to Scotland, this evil follows them but the Scottish island has its own dark secrets so the girls may have met their match.

Oh my goodness this goosebump-inducing novel chilled me to the bone and it probably wasn't the best idea to read it in bed each night as I had some rather strange dreams after putting the book down.  Ronnie Turner's beautiful and hypnotic writing combines mystery, myth and folklore to give the novel the feel of an adult fairy tale with a hint of a gothic horror.

Clever, creepy and compelling, Small Fires is a haunting and atmospheric novel that sent shivers down my spine.  Highly recommended if you're looking for something unique and unusual to read.

I received a digital ARC to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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BLOG TOUR: The Folly - Gemma Amor

Morgan always knew her father, Owen, never murdered her mother. She has spent the last six years campaigning for his release from prison. Finally, mid-pandemic, Owen is set free, but the debt-riddled pair can no longer afford (or bear) to live in the family home – a house last decorated by a dead woman’s blood. 

Salvation and the chance for a new start in life comes in the form of a tall, dark and notorious decorative granite tower on the Cornish coastline known only as ‘The Folly’. The structure is empty, prone to break-ins, and the owner needs a caretaker – food and bills included. It’s an offer too good to refuse. Morgan and Owen relocate, leaving everything of their former lives behind and hoping that a change of scene and the remote location will be good for them both. 

At first, the Folly is indeed idyllic, but soon enough that peace is shattered when a bald-headed stranger arrives. A stranger who acts like Morgan’s mother, talks like her mother, and wears her dead mother’s clothes. 

What does he want? Why won’t he leave them alone? Why does he keep mentioning the year 1976?

And what secrets does the Folly tower hold?

 

What did I think?

This book totally creeped me out!  The Folly is a short book at 156 pages but it is filled with secrets and creepy events so it can easily be read in one sitting...with the lights on!

Morgan has stood by her father, despite him going to prison for her mother's murder, as she believed he was innocent.  There's just no way he could have done it, is there?  All of this and more will be revealed in this fast-paced mystery.

When Morgan and her dad move into The Folly, their secrets add to the building's secrets and it's only a matter of time before it all comes tumbling out.  Revelations are forced out into the open by a strange man who appears to be possessed by Morgan's mother's spirit...a spirit that won't rest until the truth is revealed.

I get goosebumps just thinking about the story in The Folly and I was really creeped out by the man who is acting like Morgan's mother.  The building itself was also really creepy and I would have been packing my bags after the first night.

Hauntingly atmospheric and incredibly creepy, The Folly is a chilling gothic horror filled with secrets and surprising revelations.  It's a quick read and one I would recommend to both horror and mystery fans.

I received an ARC to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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About the author:

Gemma Amor is a Bram Stoker and British Fantasy Award nominated author, voice actor/podcaster and illustrator based in Bristol, UK. A hugely successful self-published author, Gemma has written the award-nominated Full Immersion with Angry Robot Books and multiple titles with Cemetary Gates Media. The co-creator of horror-comedy podcast Calling Darkness, Gemma’s stories have featured many times on popular horror anthology shows including The NoSleep Podcast, and in a number of print anthologies including Ellen Datlow’s The Best Horror of the Year.

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BLOG TOUR: The Small Museum - Jody Cooksley

A chilling historical mystery set against the gothic backdrop of Victorian London, The Small Museum won the Caledonia Novel Award in 2023 and is inspired by the extraordinary treasure trove of curiosities that is the Hunterian Museum in London.

London, 1873. Madeleine Brewster's marriage to Dr Lucius Everley was meant to be the solution to her family's sullied reputation. After all, Lucius is a well-respected collector of natural curiosities, his 'Small Museum' of bones and things in jars is his pride and joy, although kept under lock and key. His sister Grace's philanthropic work with fallen women is also highly laudable. However, Maddie is confused by and excluded from what happens in what is meant to be her new home.

Maddie's skill at drawing promises a role for her though when Lucius agrees to let her help him in making a breakthrough in evolutionary science, a discovery of the first 'fish with feet'. But the more Maddie learns about both Lucius and Grace, the more she suspects that unimaginable horrors lie behind their polished reputations.

Framed for a crime that would take her to the gallows and leave the Everleys unencumbered, Maddie’s only hope is her friend Caroline Fairly. But will she be able to put the pieces together before the trial reaches its fatal conclusion?

What did I think?

Now that's what I call gothic!  With an array of weird and wonderful curiosities, a dark and brooding doctor and a Victorian murder trial, The Small Museum is a delightfully dark and chilling read.

Maddie's sister brought shame on the Brewster family so when an eminent doctor steps forward to marry her, her parents couldn't be happier.  Marriage to Lucius is not what Maddie expected and she feels like a visitor in her new home, especially when the staff take orders from her sister-in-law, Grace.  Even without the trial chapters, it is clear that something is not right in the Everley household.

I loved the way this book is written with a curiosity from Lucius' collection heading each chapter and it was like hunting Easter eggs seeing where this same item was hidden in the immaculate prose.  The trial chapters add intrigue and suspense as the clock ticks down to the verdict.

Beautifully written and incredibly intriguing, The Small Museum is a chilling, haunting and disturbing gothic novel.  Jody Cooksley's beautiful writing paints such a vivid picture of Victorian London that I felt as if I had stepped back in time.  It's a very unusual book and one I would recommend.

I received an ARC to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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About the author:

JODY COOKSLEY studied literature at Oxford Brookes University and has a Masters in Victorian Poetry. Her debut novel The Glass House was a fictional account of the life of nineteenth-century photographer, Julia Margaret Cameron.

The Small Museum, Jody’s third novel, won the 2023 Caledonia Novel Award.

Jody is originally from Norwich and now lives in Cranleigh,Surrey.

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BLOG TOUR: Crow Moon (A Martha Strangeways Investigation Book 1) - Suzy Aspley

When the crow moon rises, the darkness is unleashed...

Martha Strangeways is struggling to find purpose in her life, after giving up her career as an investigative reporter when her young twins died in a house fire.

Overwhelmed by guilt and grief, her life changes when she stumbles across the body of a missing teenager – a tragedy that turns even more sinister when a poem about crows is discovered inked onto his back...

When another teenager goes missing in the remote landscape, Martha is drawn into the investigation, teaming up with DI Derek Summers, as malevolent rumours begin to spread and paranoia grows.

As darkness descends on the village of Strathbran, it soon becomes clear that no one is safe, including Martha...

 

What did I think?

What a cracking debut!  It's as haunting and creepy inside as it is out.  This is one book where I would say please DO judge this book by its cover: just look at that creepy hourglass of black sand turning into a murder of crows.  This is the first book in a new crime series starring investigative reporter Martha Strangeways and it's an absolute belter.

I loved Martha Strangeways; she has such a tragic backstory and, even though she's not currently working, she's a tenacious reporter.  Martha can't help but be drawn into the investigation after she finds the body of her son's friend and when another one of Dougie's schoolfriends goes missing it becomes very personal as every sign points to Dougie being next.

As well as the gripping present day storyline, the chapters are interspersed with excerpts from a Book of Shadows.  These excerpts are heartbreaking as they are written by a woman trapped in an abusive marriage with her young son.  Both timelines are linked by the 'Feannag Dhubh', a poem written about crows and a woman executed for being a witch.

The writing is sublime as Suzy Aspley's wonderful words paint a dark and dangerous landscape that I could easily visualise in my head.  There's a hint of the supernatural that sent shivers down my spine and I couldn't read fast enough to discover all of the secrets the book had in store for me.

Hauntingly atmospheric, tense and creepy, Crow Moon is an outstanding debut from an exciting new voice in crime fiction.  It's a fantastic start to a new series and I can't wait to read book two.  A very highly recommended read.

I received a digital ARC to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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Amazon

About the author:

Originally from the north-east of England, former journalist Suzy Aspley has lived in Scotland for almost thirty years. She writes crime and short stories, often inspired by the strange things she sees in the landscape around her. She won Bloody Scotland’s Pitch Perfect in 2019 with the original idea for her debut novel and was shortlisted for the Capital Crime New Voices Award. In 2020, she was mentored by Jo Dickinson as part of the Hachette future bookshelf initiative. Crow Moon was also longlisted for the Caledonia Novel Award. She’s currently working on the second book in the series, and when she’s not writing, she’s either got her nose buried in a book, or is outside with her dogs dreaming up more dark stories. She lives in Stirlingshire with her family.

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What Hides in the Cupboards - Cassondra Windwalker

Following a traumatic accident, ceramic artist Hesper Dunn trades life in Chicago for the enchanted deserts of New Mexico. But not all is quaint, and it’s far from what it seems. There’s a mystery buried deep in the heart of her new home.

Love, guilt, and grief demand that Hesper remain within the haunted pueblo. To free herself, she must free the trapped spirits…but the creatures lurking in the shadows are not what they appear. Hesper dares to wade through the murky fog of tragedy to uncover the truth. A truth that will be harder to handle than she ever dared imagine.

 

What did I think?

I've been a fan of Cassondra Windwalker's writing since I read her unforgettable novel, Idle Hands, so I was delighted to get the chance to read an early copy of her latest novel, What Hides in the Cupboards.  

You never know what to expect with a Cassondra Windwalker novel so I am purposefully keeping my review brief to avoid spoilers.  You know from the cover that this is going to be a creepy novel but it's so very clever and also unexpectedly moving.

I loved the main character, Hesper and really felt her pain as she struggles to deal with her own demons as well as the spooky young boy who haunts her new house.  I was completely riveted as I raced through the pages to uncover who or what the boy is and I had an actual gasp out loud and a lump in my throat at the end.

The writing is absolutely exquisite and I often had to stop reading for just a moment to fully appreciate the breathtaking perfection of the words.  It's a book that both creeped me out and broke my heart - I loved it!    

Many thanks to Cassondra Windwalker for sending me a digital ARC to read and review; this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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The Fortunes of Olivia Richmond - Louise Davidson

After a terrible tragedy, governess Julia Pearlie finds herself with no job, home, or references. When she’s offered a position as companion to Miss Olivia Richmond, her luck appears to be turning. But Mistcoate House is full of secrets.

Olivia has a sinister reputation. The locals call her the Mistcoate Witch, thanks to her tarot readings, and her insistence that she can speak to the dead. Her father, Dr Richmond, believes this to be girlish fantasy and is looking to Julia to put a stop to it. 

Determined to prove herself and shake off her own murky history, Julia sets to work trying to help Olivia become a proper young lady. However, as she becomes a fixture at Mistcoate, it is soon clear that there may be more to Olivia’s stories than Dr Richmond would have Julia believe – not least because somehow, Olivia seems to know something of the darkness that Julia desperately hoped she had left behind.

As the danger grows, and the winter chill wraps around the dark woods surrounding Mistcoate, Julia will have to fight to uncover the truth, escape her past – and save herself.

Original and engrossing, this chilling Victorian Gothic ghost story is an outstanding piece of storytelling, perfect for fans of Sarah Perry, Erin Morgenstern and Jessie Burton.

 

What did I think?

The haunting cover of The Fortunes of Olivia Richmond gives the reader some idea as to how dark it is inside and this spinetingling historical gothic novel is a great book to read over the spooky season.

Julia Pearlie comes from a wealthy family but as a woman she is left penniless when her brother inherits the family's wealth.  Forced to take a job as a governess, Julia now works for people who should have been her peers.  Of course the reader can't help but wonder how good Julia is at her job with a transcript from a drowning inquest at the start of the book and this is a sad story that literally haunts her.

Mistcoate House has its very own witch in the form of Olivia Richmond and Julia has been offered the position as Olivia's companion.  I felt so sorry for Olivia, living with a father who cares naught for her, a grandfather with dementia and a housekeeper who seems far too close to her employer for my liking.  It's like a bubbling cauldron of intrigue and it had me completely riveted.

Set in the late 19th century, it explores the Victorian obsession with the occult and how the body works.  Dr Richmond isn't beyond using his own daughter for experimentation to secure funding, after all she's only a girl.  Olivia is a talented tarot card reader and she seems to know more about Julia's past than she ought to, including the identity of the ghostly boy who lingers around Julia.

Spooky, creepy and mesmerising, The Fortunes of Olivia Richmond is a wonderful piece of historical fiction with a dark, gothic edge.  Perfect reading for Halloween.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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BLOG TOUR: The Attic at Wilton Place - CE Rose

The perfect life. The perfect home. But at what price?

Introspective Ruth Parker is desperate for love and attention. Overlooked as a child by her cold and critical mother, her pain manifests in loneliness and a crippling lack of self-esteem. When glamorous actress ‘Aunt’ Vanessa, her mother’s childhood friend, shows an interest in her, Ruth basks in the blinding light of her attention.

Once Ruth escapes to university in London, Aunt Vanessa invites her to Wilton Place, her stunning Belgravia residence. As she blossoms under Vanessa’s guidance, Ruth finds herself torn between student life and the hypnotic, luxurious confines of Wilton Place. Belgravia wins out, but when Ruth explores the gloomy attic of her new home and finds a hidden, locked door, she discovers that Vanessa is hiding the darkest of secrets from her childhood, secrets that threaten everything Ruth knew about her own mother.

How far will Ruth go to find the truth - and how much does she really want to know?

 

What did I think?

CE Rose weaves a dark and deceptive tale in gripping new novel, The Attic at Wilton Place and I really enjoyed it.  With a majestic and slightly creepy house at its core, it is hauntingly gothic and the house is bursting with secrets that will be revealed when the level of suspense reaches maximum.

I have mixed feelings about the main character Ruth.  On the whole, I felt sorry for her as she has been groomed and manipulated by her 'Aunt' Vanessa, something that Vanessa found easy to do as Ruth's mother (Joyless Joy, as I named her) shows her no affection whatsoever.  Ruth makes some questionable decisions but I had to remind myself how young she was and that she was being played like the cello she so loves.

This story has so many layers and CE Rose perfectly balances her build up of suspense with gradual revelations to keep the reader hooked.  I thought I had it all worked out but I was wrong on every single count and I was delighted to be wrong as I love to be shocked and surprised by such talented authors.

Filled with suspense and bursting with secrets, The Attic at Wilton Place is a twisty page-turning gothic thriller that thoroughly entertained me.  It's well worth a read if you like your books deliciously dark and creepy.

I received a digital ARC to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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BLOG TOUR: The Shadows of Rutherford House - CE Rose

Darkness lies at the heart of this family…

In 1959 Milly starts her new life as a housemaid at Rutherford House, working for the aristocratic Rutherford-Percy clan. Entranced by her new mistress, Vivienne, she becomes deeply embroiled in the household and the keeper of dark secrets the family conceals beneath the mansion’s grand exterior.

In the present day, Christie is working as a psychiatric nurse when she meets troubled patient Lillian Percy, Vivienne’s granddaughter and heiress to Rutherford House. They soon bond over the loss of their mothers – Lillian’s died when she was a child; Christie’s mysteriously disappeared over twenty years ago – and Christie finds herself increasingly fascinated by Lillian’s family and their imposing ancestral home.

As Christie learns more about the Rutherford-Percys, she finds a shocking clue that could help her uncover what happened to her own mother. Desperate for answers, Christie puts her job, her family and even her very life on the line. But how much of the truth does she really want to know?

A twisty, chilling and unputdownable page-turner about family secrets, perfect for fans of Kate Morton, Louise Douglas and Harriet Evans.

 

What did I think?

With two intriguing and compelling dual timelines, The Shadows of Rutherford House is a gripping page turner that's impossible to put down.  It's filled with dark family secrets and has an eerie, gothic setting in the grand ancestral home of the Rutherford-Percys.

The present day storyline centres around the friendship between nurse Christie and her patient Lillian.  Christie is haunted by the disappearance of her mother and she is constantly looking for clues as to what happened to her.  Lillian may have lived a life of privilege as a Percy heiress but she also lost her mother at a young age.  Christie and Lillian have a lovely friendship but the dark cloud of Rutherford House is looming over them.

Buried in the past storyline is an absolute bucketload of secrets and tragic events.  The key to unlocking the secrets of the past is in the present and the story flicks seamlessly back and forth between them as I greedily devoured every single word.

How the storylines intermingle is nothing short of genius and just when you think you have uncovered all of the secrets, there's more!  I absolutely loved it and I was shocked and surprised at every twist in the tale.

Dark, twisty and gripping, The Shadows of Rutherford House is an outstanding gothic thriller that is full of secrets and suspense.  Very highly recommended.

I received a digital ARC to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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BLOG TOUR: The Key in the Lock - Beth Underdown

 

'I still dream, every night, of Polneath on fire...'

By day, Ivy Boscawen mourns the loss of her son Tim in the Great War. But by night she mourns another boy - one whose death decades ago haunts her still.

For Ivy is sure that there is more to what happened all those years ago: the fire at the Great House, and the terrible events that came after. A truth she must uncover, if she is ever to be free.

From the award-winning author of The Witchfinder's Sister comes a captivating story of burning secrets and buried shame, and of the loyalty and love that rises from the ashes.

What did I think?

I've had my eyes peeled for her next novel since reading Beth Underdown's stunning debut, The Witchfinder's Sister, so I was delighted to be given an advance copy of The Key in the Lock to read and review for the blog tour.

The very first line ('I still dream, every night, of Polneath on fire...') sets the dark, haunting scene and blows air on the smouldering ember that Ivy has buried for 30 years.  With a dual timeline the tragic events of 1888 are slowly revealed as Ivy grieves for her son in 1918.  Ivy is haunted by the deaths of two boys taken too soon and it reawakens her need to find out what really happened in 1888.

Part gothic mystery and part tragic love story, The Key in the Lock is a beautifully written slow-burner that smoulders with the tension of long buried secrets.  The writing is so evocative that it draws you into the story and I could almost feel curls of smoke gently caressing my skin as I found myself fully immersed in Ivy's story.  It's a book to be savoured rather than devoured and it's the perfect book to read by the fire on a cold winter's night.

My rating:

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The Last House on Needless Street - Catriona Ward

 

This is the story of a murderer. A stolen child. Revenge. This is the story of Ted, who lives with his daughter Lauren and his cat Olivia in an ordinary house at the end of an ordinary street.

All these things are true. And yet some of them are lies.

You think you know what's inside the last house on Needless Street. You think you've read this story before. In the dark forest at the end of Needless Street, something lies buried. But it's not what you think...

What did I think?

When Stephen King started raving about Catriona Ward's new novel, The Last House on Needless Street, Book Twitter went absolutely crazy as everybody wanted to get their hands on a copy.  So I just have to give a huge thank you to Viper Books for approving my NetGalley request so that I could read this amazing book.

This is perhaps the most difficult book to review EVER.  Less really is more when it comes to talking about The Last House on Needless Street so I'm going to completely avoid mentioning the plot other than to say it's mind-blowing.  I can't even talk about the characters for fear of accidentally releasing a spoiler.

Just take my word for it, this book is absolutely brilliant.  I did think it was a little weird at first, but that's not a surprise as Stephen King loved it and he's the King of Weirdness, however, once I got used to the strange characters the story flowed beautifully and I couldn't read it fast enough.  

Beautifully written, quirky and haunting, I can't stop thinking about The Last House on Needless Street and without doubt this book is going to be huge when it's released on 18 March 2021.  I can totally see this being book of the year and we're not even in 2021 yet - it really is THAT good.  An absolute must-read, make sure you buy a copy and prepare to be amazed.

All opinions in this review are my own.

My rating:

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