Beth Underdown

'A gifted storyteller' Sarah Perry, author of The Essex Serpent THE PAGE-TURNING NEW NOVEL FROM THE AUTHOR OF THE RICHARD AND JUDY BOOKCLUB BESTSELLING THE WITCHFINDER'S SISTER _________________________ I still dream, every night, of Polneath on fire. Smoke unfurling out of an upper window and a hectic orange light cascading across the lawn. By day, Ivy Boscawen mourns the death of her son Tim in the Great War. But by night she mourns another boy - one whose murder decades ago haunts her still. For Ivy is sure that there is more to what happened all those years ago: the fire at the Great House, and the terrible events that came after. A truth she must uncover, if she is ever to be free. Brimming with secrets, this lyrical yet haunting historical thriller is perfect for fans of Sarah Waters' Fingersmith, Diane Setterfield's Once Upon A River and Stacey Halls' The Familiars. _________________________ PRAISE FOR BETH UNDERDOWN 'A clever, pacey read' The Times 'Vivid and terrifying' Paula Hawkins, author of The Girl on the Train 'A clever novel' Guardian 'Beth Underdown grips us from the outset and won't let go' Patrick Gale, author of Notes From An Exhibition 'A richly told and utterly compelling tale, with shades of Hilary Mantel' Kate Hamer, author of The Girl in the Red Coat 'Thumpingly good' Lucy Mangan, author of Bookworm 'Beth Underdown cleverly creates a compelling atmosphere of dread and claustrophobia' Kate Riordan, author of The Girl in the Photograph 'A tense, surprising and elegantly-crafted novel' Ian McGuire, author of The North Water

The Key in the Lock

'The number of women my brother Matthew killed, so far as I can reckon it, is one hundred and six...' THE PAGE-TURNING RICHARD AND JUDY BOOK CLUB BESTSELLER 'A compelling debut from a gifted storyteller' Sarah Perry, author of The Essex Serpent When Alice Hopkins' husband dies in a tragic accident, she returns to the small Essex town of Manningtree, where her brother Matthew still lives. But home is no longer a place of safety. Matthew has changed, and there are rumours spreading through the town: whispers of witchcraft, and of a great book, in which he is gathering women's names. To what lengths will Matthew's obsession drive him? And what choice will Alice make, when she finds herself at the very heart of his plan? Winner of the HWA Debut Crown Award 2017, and a Spring 2018 Richard and Judy Book Club pick, this beautiful and haunting historical thriller is perfect for fans of Sarah Waters, The Miniaturist and Burial Rites. 'Vivid and terrifying' Paula Hawkins, author of The Girl on the Train 'Thumpingly good' Lucy Mangan 'A clever, pacey read that blends truth and fiction...what elevates this book above other historical thrillers are the questions that Underdown asks about the nature of power, fear and how easy it is to become complicit in terrible acts' The Times 'A chilling, creeping novel with very obvious parallels to more modern forms of witch-hints and misogyny, but is still firmly rooted in an England torn apart by civil war and gripped by religious fervour' Red 'A haunting, brooding debut' Psychologies 'At once a feminist parable and an old-fashioned, check-twice-under-the-bed thriller' Patrick Gale 'A richly told and utterly compelling tale, with shades of Hilary Mantel' Kate Hamer, author of The Girl in the Red Coat 'Anyone who liked Cecilia Ekback's Wolf Winter is going to love this' Natasha Pulley, author of The Watchmaker of Filigree Street 'Beth Underdown grips us from the outset and won't let go...at once a feminist parable and an old-fashioned, check-twice-under-the-bed thriller' Patrick Gale, author of Notes from an Exhibition 'A tense, surprising and elegantly-crafted novel' Ian McGuire, author of The North Water 'Beth Underdown cleverly creates a compelling atmosphere of dread and claustrophobia... Even from the distance of nearly four hundred years, her Matthew Hopkins is a genuinely frightening monster' Kate Riordan 'Superb: dark, terrifying and utterly compelling' Tracy Borman 'A novel for our times. Beth Underdown's The Witchfinder's Sister explores another time and another place to lay bare the visceral horror of what a witch hunt truly is' New York Times Book Review 'Entertaining and thought-provoking, with a valuable message for our own times' Washington Post

The captivating Richard & Judy Book Club historical thriller 2018

The Witchfinder's Sister

A Haunting Historical Mystery Steeped in Explosive Secrets and Lost Love

Key in the Lock

Witchfinder's Sister

I still dream, every night, of Polneath on fire. Smoke unfurling out of an upper window and a hectic orange light cascading across the terrace. By day, Ivy Boscawen mourns the loss of her son Tim in the Great War. But by night she mourns another boy - one whose death decades ago haunts her still. For Ivy is sure that there is more to what happened all those years ago- the fire at the Great House, and the terrible events that came after. A truth she must uncover, if she is ever to be free.

Beth Underdown

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