Thorns in the Hollow

By: Laura Purcell

Narrated by: to be announced

A twisty Gothic historical fantasy by the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Silent Companions

Tabitha would do anything to remain at her ancestral home of Reynard’s Hollow. So, while marrying her cousin Vincent isn’t an inspiring proposition, things could be worse. He doesn’t hold a candle to Kit, the gamekeeper’s son and her childhood friend, but nothing would ever come of that anyway; she’s the lady of the manor, after all, and he’s a servant. ​

Tabitha’s world is thrown upside down when her cousin dies in a hunting accident. He was her best – and only – chance to remain at the Hollow… so what will happen to her now? Why do his injuries look like the result of a brutal attack, rather than a bad fall? Is there something out there – some sort of monster, still lurking in the woods? ​

Meanwhile, Kit is wrestling with demons of his own. His mother is acting strangely, and the other servants’ mutterings about his true parentage are growing louder. The household, already under strain, reaches a breaking point as loyalties are put to the test and long-buried secrets are unearthed. And then Kit makes a discovery: there is something in the woods, although he doesn’t think it’s a monster. ​But at Reynard’s Hollow, things are not always as they appear. Sometimes it pays to look a gift horse in the mouth…

Critic reviews

Praise for Laura Purcell:

'Ghost stories are for Christmas. Some recent ones haven’t quite got it right but this is terrific. Perfect setting, great build-up, chilling. What more could you want?' ―Susan Hill, author of The Woman in Black

'Layering on the dark and creepy, this intriguingly plotted novel is the full-blown Gothic, maintaining throughout an unsettling claustrophobic atmosphere mixed with some unusual historical detail’ ―Daily Mail

'A deliciously creepy ghost story’ ―Sunday Express

'A perfect read … Intriguing, nuanced and genuinely eerie’ ―Guardian

'A creepy, unsettling tale that I had to finish reading in broad daylight’ ―Stylist, ‘Must-Read Books’

'A sinister slice of Victorian gothic… creepy and page-turning’ ―The Times

'Really tense and unnerving, it still won’t let me go’ ―Woman & Home

'A true page-turner … neatly crafted and compelling … with a spine-tingling revelation every few pages’ ―Times Literary Supplement

‘Irresistibly creepy, this romps along, Purcell turning her screws with skill. It’s what crumpets and dismal afternoons were made for’ ―Glamour

'A superbly atmospheric, tense novel full of creeping dread. I could only read it during daylight hours!’ ―Red