House of Splinters

By: Laura Purcell

Narrated by: Juanita McMahon

Named a Best Historical Fiction Book of the Year by The Sunday Times (UK)

House of Splinters is the long-awaited prequel to bestselling and multi-award-winning author Laura Purcell’s gothic horror classic, The Silent Companions.

Not every house is a home …

Belinda Bainbridge has spent her life in the shadow of her anxious mother, so when her father-in-law dies at The Bridge, his remote ancestral seat, she is secretly thrilled. His death means she, her husband, Wilfred, and their children can relocate and finally begin to create their own happy home together: born a merchant’s daughter, she will now be lady of the manor.

But their new home quickly proves far from ideal. The garden is a wilderness, the estate is struggling financially, there are whispers about the mysterious death of a servant many years before, while their young son, Freddy, seems unusually fixated on the strange wooden figures—so-called “silent companions”—that were once owned by his ancestors.

When Wilfred’s charismatic brother, Nathan, arrives unexpectedly from abroad, bringing a very different account of the family’s past, Belinda begins to question what her husband has told her. What really lies behind the sad history of the house?

And are Belinda’s children truly safe here?

London Sunday Times Pick, 2025

Book Riot Pick, 2026

©2026 Laura Purcell (P)2025 Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

Great sequel

Even better than Silent Companions was. Really loved it. I love the narrator Juanita McMahon too. Listened to many books with her narration.

Creepy!

House of Splinters was just as good as The Silent Companions! So creepy and suspenseful! I love the twist at the end.

Atmospheric

Its good. The narrator is good, the story is good and how it made me feel, was good--good that I found it and gave it a try. A blend of well written horror while tugging at your heartstrings....ugh, its a good book.