Discover the haunting new gothic historical mystery, perfect for fans of Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre, Stacey Halls and Bridget Collins

*SHORTLISTED FOR THE HWA DEBUT CROWN AWARD*

'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’ Emma Stonex, author of The Lamplighters

‘Dark, twisty, gothic and full of surprises ... a deliciously atmospheric page-turner’ Liz Hyder, author of The Gifts


‘Nobody ever goes to Hartwood Hall . . .’

1852. When 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 the past behind.

But she soon feels there's something odd about Hartwood: strange figures in the dark, tensions between servants and a wing of the house no one uses.

Why do the locals eye her employer, widowed Mrs Evesham, with suspicion? What is hidden in the abandoned East Wing? Who are the strangers coming and going under darkness?

Hartwood Hall conceals mysteries, perhaps even danger.

Margaret is certain that everyone here has something to hide, and as her own past threatens to catch up with her, she must learn to trust her instincts before it's too late...

Praise for The Secrets of Hartwood Hall:

‘A delicious Gothic mystery with an unexpected final twist’ Heat

‘With echoes of Jane Eyre but with a heart of its own’ Susan Stokes-Chapman, Sunday Times bestselling author of Pandora

‘A creepy, captivating gothic mystery’ Woman's Weekly

‘An immersive, atmospheric novel and a true love letter to Gothic fiction’ i

‘A brilliantly creepy and utterly compelling read’ Caroline Lea, author of gothic thriller The Glass Woman

‘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

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 * Heat *
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 * Woman's Weekly *
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 * i *
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

Katie Lumsden read Jane Eyre at the age of thirteen and never looked back. She spent her teenage years devouring nineteenth century literature, reading every Dickens, Brontë, Gaskell, Austen and Hardy novel she could find. She has a degree in English literature and history from the University of Durham and an MA in creative writing from Bath Spa University. Her short stories have been shortlisted for the London Short Story Prize and the Bridport Prize, and have been published in various literary magazines.
Katie's YouTube channel, Books and Things, has more than 28,000 subscribers. She lives in London and works as an editor.

Katie's debut novel, The Secrets of Hartwood Hall, was shortlisted for the HWA Debut Crown Award. Her second novel, The Trouble with Mrs Montgomery Hurst, is a love letter to Jane Austen and Elizabeth Gaskell.