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The Secrets of Hartwood Hall

The gripping gothic historical mystery perfect for spooky season

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The Secrets of Hartwood Hall

By: Katie Lumsden
Narrated by: Olivia Vinall
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Summary

Brought to you by Penguin.

It's 1852 and Margaret Lennox, a young widow, is offered a position as governess at Hartwood Hall. She quickly accepts, hoping this isolated country house will allow her to leave her past behind.

Cut off from the village, Margaret soon starts to feel there's something odd about her new home, despite her growing fondness for her bright, affectionate pupil, Louis. There are strange figures in the dark, tensions between servants and an abandoned east wing. Even stranger is the local gossip surrounding Mrs Eversham, Louis's widowed mother, who is deeply distrusted in the village.

Margaret finds distraction in a forbidden relationship with the gardener, Paul. But despite his efforts to reassure her, Margaret is certain that everyone here has something hide. And as Margaret's own past threatens to catch up with her, she must learn to trust her instincts before it's too late...

The Secrets of Hartwood Hall is a chilling gothic mystery, and an authentic and atmospheric love letter to Victorian fiction.

'I loved this fresh take on the gothic genre. Vivid, haunting, surprising' STACEY HALLS, author of Sunday Times bestsellers The Familiars, The Foundling and Mrs England

'A full-blooded gothic mystery with bite, great characterisation and heaps of atmosphere' EMMA STONEX, author of Sunday Times bestseller The Lamplighters

©2023 Katie Lumsden (P)2023 Penguin Audio

 Genre Fiction Historical Literary Fiction Mystery Romance Victorian Women's Fiction Fiction Exciting Suspense
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Critic reviews

I loved this fresh take on the gothic genre. Vivid, haunting, surprising (Stacey Halls, author of Sunday Times bestsellers The Familiars, The Foundling and Mrs England)
A full-blooded gothic mystery with bite, great characterisation and heaps of atmosphere (Emma Stonex)
A delicious Gothic mystery with an unexpected final twist
A brilliantly creepy and utterly compelling read, which put me in mind of Laura Purcell, Stacey Halls and Michelle Paver: it's up there with the most wonderfully engrossing and twisty gothic historical fiction (Caroline Lea)
A creepy, captivating gothic mystery
Smart, atmospheric, gripping and full of surprises, this is a Gothic spine-chiller by an absolutely modern writer (Maggie Gee)
This book delivers HUGE Jane Eyre vibes, gothic and mysterious Victoriana. I LOVED it (Sophie Irwin, author of Sunday Times bestseller A Lady’s Guide to Fortune Hunting)
An immersive, atmospheric novel and a true love letter to Gothic fiction
With echoes of Jane Eyre but with a heart of its own . . . a suspenseful and beautifully crafted novel filled with atmosphere, rich characters and plenty of layers to keep a reader hooked right to the end (Susan Stokes-Chapman, the SUNDAY TIMES bestselling author of PANDORA)
In her atmospheric debut, The Secrets of Hartwood Hall, Katie Lumsden enthralls us with a quintessential manor-home mystery. Fans of gothic literature will savor the peculiar characters, the abandoned corridors, the deceptions and twists behind every door... Ultimately a story about women and the haunting secrets they keep, Lumsden's debut reminds us never to trust first appearances. A mesmerizing debut! (Sarah Penner)
All stars
Most relevant
After reading the reviews, I was excited to read this book, it had promise. Such a thin storyline, with continued scene & dialogue repetition throughout. If it wasn’t for the excellent narration, I wouldn’t have finished this book.

Disappointing

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I had this book on at night before sleep and honestly if i fell asleep before the timer, I felt like I didn't miss much. This book was far too long for the content it presented leaving many pages just to turn without saying much at all. Was it good? Kind of. It is not memorable or something I want more of in the future but I did finish it.

Too long for so little development

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EXCELLENT NOVEL. LOTS OF TWISTS AND TURNS AS WELL WELL WRITTEN. DEFINITELY WORTH A READ.

GRIPPING

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Margaret: She’s been through so much yet acts like a silly mouse. I only wish she’d had even a slither of gumption! Narration is beautiful, house and landscape descriptions are beautifully atmospheric.

Mrs Lennox is INFURIATING

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I loved curling up with the pages of this book. Set in a crumbling mansion in victorian England. It tells us something of the strict codes, both social and moral of the time, and the way these manifested in people's daily lives by slowly learning the secrets of Hartwood Hall. We do this alongside the newly appointed governess our narrator Margaret.
This is a fearlessly feminist novel that puts women's stories at the centre.

There is many an Easter Egg to keep those who are into Victorian literature happy for hours and to leave those who haven’t read desperate to read more.

A final word of warning. Once you start, you won't want to stop reading.

This Has More Twists and Turns than a Waltza

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