C.J. Cooke writes fabulously creepy gothic thrillers which usually have a legend or some kind of folklore at their heart. This is her third book and my favourite so far!
In the middle of the woods stands a house named Lichen Hall, where unmarried young women go to have their babies before handing them over for adoption. Pearl Gorham arrives in 1965 and soon realises things are not quite as they seem. Who is the mysterious little boy who roams the house, who everyone denies exists? What's with all the toadstools and the fires in the forest? And is there really something evil lurking in the woods?
First of all, there are no ghosts in this story but there is a definite evil 'something' that gives this superbly written gothic historical that extra chill factor. Clever and very original, I loved the growing relationships between the women and how they learnt to stop being so suspicious of each other and work together to solve the mystery of what was really happening at Lichen Hall. There are lots of surprising twists and the background information about toadstools was fascinating!
One of my favourite books this year. Would suit any reader looking for an original twist on the gothic historical genre and fans of authors such as Silvia Moreno-Garcia (Mexican Gothic).
Thank you to C.J. Cooke and HarperCollins for my copy of this book, which I requested via NetGalley and reviewed voluntarily.
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