Laura Purcell

'Impressive' The Times 'Shivers aplenty... brilliant' Daily Mail 'A chilling atmospheric read' Woman's Own Not every house is a home... Belinda Bainbridge has spent her life in the shadow of her anxious mother, so when her father-in-law dies at The Bridge, his remote ancestral seat, she is secretly thrilled. His death means she, her husband Wilfred and their children can relocate and finally begin to create their new happy home together: born a merchant's daughter, she will now be lady of the manor. But their new home quickly proves far from ideal. The garden is a wilderness, the estate is struggling financially, and there are whispers about the mysterious death of a servant many years before while their young son, Freddy, seems unusually fixated on the strange wooden figures – so-called silent companions – that were once owned by his ancestors. When Wilfred's charismatic brother, Nathan, arrives unexpectedly from abroad, bringing a very different account of the family's past, Belinda begins to question what her husband has told her. What really lies behind the sad history of the house? And are Belinda's children truly safe here? The outstanding new haunted house story from Sunday Times bestseller and multi-award winner, Laura Purcell, author of The Silent Companions. 'Laura Purcell really is a master of the unsettling ghost story' Jen Williams

LAURA PURCELL'S SPINE-TINGLING HOUSE OF SPLINTERS IS OUT NOW As featured on the Radio 2 Book Club Some doors are locked for a reason... Newly married, newly widowed Elsie is sent to see out her pregnancy at her late husband’s crumbling country estate, The Bridge. With her new servants resentful and the local villagers actively hostile, Elsie only has her husband’s awkward cousin for company. Or so she thinks. For inside her new home lies a locked room, and beyond that door lies a two-hundred-year-old diary and a deeply unsettling painted wooden figure – a Silent Companion – that bears a striking resemblance to Elsie herself... ‘[An] extraordinary, memorable and truly haunting book’ Jojo Moyes ‘[It] shone, for originality for the sheer quality of the writing, the characters and some masterly chills’ Peter James READERS LOVE THE SILENT COMPANIONS: 'Phenomenal' 'Will stay with you long after you have finished reading' 'Spooky, imaginative, original' 'Couldn't put it down' 'Truly creepy' 'Deserves a place on every bookshelf'

'Laura Purcell really is a master of the unsettling ghost story' Jen WilliamsNot every house is a home...Belinda Bainbridge has spent her life in the shadow of her controlling mother, so when her father-in-law dies at The Bridge, his remote ancestral seat, she is secretly thrilled. His death means she, her husband Wilfred and their children can relocate and finally begin to create their own happy home together. Their new residence is not without challenges: the garden is a wilderness, the estate is struggling financially, there are whispers about the mysterious death of a servant many years before... When Wilfred's charismatic brother, Nathan, arrives from abroad, he brings much needed excitement and energy. But he also brings rumours of a curse on the house. Belinda has questions. What happened to Nathan and Wilfred's sister in childhood? What led to the sudden death of her father in law? Are her children safe?And what part do the strange wooden figures around the household have to play in the events?The outstanding new haunted house story from Sunday Times bestseller and multi award winner, Laura Purcell. Adored by readers, The Silent Companions was picked for both the Radio 2 Book Club and the Zoe Ball ITV Book Clubs, and reignited readers' passion for classic gothic tales for a new audience. House of Splinters revisits her iconic setting of The Bridge for a fresh new tale to chill and thrill new readers and existing fans to their very depths.

'Laura Purcell really is a master of the unsettling ghost story' Jen WilliamsNot every house is a home...Belinda Bainbridge has spent her life in the shadow of her anxious mother, so when her father-in-law dies at The Bridge, his remote ancestral seat, she is secretly thrilled. His death means she, her husband Wilfred and their children can relocate and finally begin to create their own happy home together: born a merchant’s daughter, she will now be lady of the manor.But their new home quickly proves far from ideal. The garden is a wilderness, the estate is struggling financially, there are whispers about the mysterious death of a servant many years before while their young son, Freddie, seems unusually fixated on the strange wooden figures – so-called 'silent companions' – that were once owned by his ancestors.When Wilfred's charismatic brother, Nathan, arrives unexpectedly from abroad, bringing a very different account of the family’s past, Belinda begins to question what her husband has told her. What really lies behind the sad history of the house? And are Belinda’s children truly safe here?The outstanding new haunted house story from Sunday Times bestseller and multi award winner, Laura Purcell, who is credited for reigniting readers' passion for classic gothic tales for a new audience.

Viktorianskij London. Posle ukhoda ottsa, smerti materi i predatelskogo begstva starshego brata Grega vsja zabota o mladshej sestre i bratjakh lozhitsja na khrupkie plechi junoj Dzhenni Uilkoks. K schastju, ej vnezapno ulybaetsja udacha - Silvija, khozjajka teatra "Merkurij", beret ee na rabotu kostjumershej. Dzhenni ne boitsja ni tjazheloj raboty, ni durnykh predznamenovanij, no v teatre ona popadaet v klubok intrig, izmen i mrachnykh tajn. Ona ne verit v potustoronnij mir, no razvorachivajuschiesja odna za drugoj tragedii zastavljajut zadumatsja - ne tjagoteet li nad teatrom zloveschee prokljatie?

From award-winning bestseller Laura Purcell comes her YA debut, MOONSTONE. 'Brilliant and beautiful, Moonstone is the gothic werewolf love story we've all been waiting for. Easily one of my favourite books of the year!' JJA Harwood, author of The Thorns Remain Don’t misbehave. Beware the moon. And never go out after dark … Following a scandal at the Vauxhall pleasure gardens, Camille is sent to the woods to live with her reclusive godmother and her strange daughter, Lucy. Cast out from polite society, she must learn to live by her godmother’s strict rules. Camille has never met anyone quite like Lucy before, and as they grow closer and cross forbidden boundaries, strange things begin to happen. Mysterious deaths, claw marks raking the doors, and the nights are pierced by the howls of a creature that sounds almost … otherworldly. Should Camille be more afraid of what’s hiding in the woods – or her own heart? From the award-winning, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Silent Companions, Moonstone is a haunting gothic romance with real bite.

Stilnyj, zakhvatyvajuschij i mestami shokirujuschij viktorianskij goticheskij roman ot voskhodjaschej zvezdy zhanra Lory Persell zatjagivaet s pervykh stranits i ne otpuskaet do samoj razvjazki.Doroteja Trulav moloda, bogata i sobiraetsja zamuzh za ljubimogo cheloveka. Rut Batterkhem moloda, bedna i zhdet suda za ubijstvo. Dobrodetelnaja Doroteja poseschaet zakljuchennykh v tjurme, uteshaja ikh dushespasitelnymi besedami. Ona uvlechena frenologiej i pytaetsja podtverdit na uznitsakh svoju gipotezu o tom, chto po forme golovy mozhno raspoznat prestupnye naklonnosti i popytatsja ikh ispravit. Shestnadtsatiletnjaja Rut kazhetsja ej idealnym predmetom dlja izuchenija, ved ee cherep esche ne sformirovalsja okonchatelno. Odnako Rut stavit Doroteju v tupik rasskazami o sverkhestestvennoj sile, prisuschej ee shitju - ona uverena, chto sposobna ubit s pomoschju igolki i nitki. Doroteja ne khochet verit ej, no istorija Rut ne daet ej pokoja, i v ee dushu zakradyvajutsja somnenija.Eta kniga ponravitsja ljubiteljam zagadochnykh misticheskikh istorij i uzhasov, istoricheskogo detektiva, i vsem, komu khochetsja okunutsja v atmosferu viktorianskogo Londona, gde v sumrachnom smoge tajatsja personazhi Dikkensa i Konan Dojla.

THE DAZZLING SECOND GHOST STORY COLLECTION FROM THE CREATORS OF THE HAUNTING SEASON, NOW AVAILABLE IN PAPERBACK.'Terrific - every bit as good as an MR James collection' ROSIE ANDREWS, author of THE LEVIATHANFeaturing new and original stories from:Bridget Collins Imogen Hermes Gowar Kiran Millwood Hargrave Andrew Michael Hurley Jess Kidd Natasha PulleyElizabeth Macneal Laura Purcell Susan Stokes-Chapman Laura Shepherd-Robinson Stuart Turton Catriona Ward The tradition of a haunted tale at Christmas has flourished across the centuries. These twelve stories - authored by some of today's most loved and lauded writers of historical and gothic fiction - are all centred around Christmas or Advent, boldly and playfully re-imagining a beloved tradition for a modern audience. Taking you from a haunted Tuscan villa to a remote Scottish island with a dark secret,, these vibrant haunted stories are your ultimate companion for frosty nights.So curl up, light a candle, and fall under the spell of winters past . . .

A sparkling gothic romance from award-winning bestseller Laura Purcell 'Brilliant and beautiful, Moonstone is the gothic werewolf love story we've all been waiting for. Easily one of my favourite books of the year!' JJA Harwood, author of The Thorns Remain Don’t misbehave. Beware the moon. And never go out after dark … Following a scandal at the Vauxhall pleasure gardens, Camille is sent to the woods to live with her reclusive godmother and her strange daughter, Lucy. Cast out from polite society, she must learn to live by her godmother’s strict rules. Camille has never met anyone quite like Lucy before, and as they grow closer and cross forbidden boundaries, strange things begin to happen. Mysterious deaths, claw marks raking the doors, and the nights are pierced by the howls of a creature that sounds almost … otherworldly. Should Camille be more afraid of what’s hiding in the woods – or her own heart? From the award-winning, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Silent Companions, Moonstone is a haunting gothic romance with real bite.

LAURA PURCELL'S HOUSE OF SPLINTERS IS AVAILABLE TO PREORDER NOW----------------------------------------'Spooky, atmospheric, brilliant' Bridget Collins'Glitteringly dark and mesmerising' Jennifer SaintBe careful what you wish for... it may just come true.At The Mercury Theatre in London's West End, rumours are circulating of a curse. It is said that the lead actress Lilith has made a pact with Melpomene, the tragic muse of Greek mythology, to become the greatest actress to ever grace the stage. Suspicious of Lilith, the jealous wife of the theatre owner sends dresser Jenny to spy on her, and desperate for the money to help her family, Jenny agrees. What Jenny finds is a woman as astonishing in her performance as she is provocative in nature. On stage, it's as though Lilith is possessed by the characters she plays, yet off stage she is as tragic as the Muse who inspires her, and Jenny, sorry for her, befriends the troubled actress. But when strange events begin to take place around the theatre, Jenny wonders if the rumours are true, and fears that when the Muse comes calling for payment, the cost will be too high.'Gloriously gothic' Erin Kelly'Immersive' Beth Underdown 'Fantastic' Rebecca Netley 'Darkly seductive and artfully realised' Susan Stokes-Chapman

FROM THE CREATORS OF THE HAUNTING SEASON COMES A DAZZLING COLLECTION OF NEVER-BEFORE-SEEN GHOSTLY TALES. 'Terrific - every bit as good as an MR James collection' ROSIE ANDREWS, author of THE LEVIATHANFeaturing new and original stories from:Bridget Collins, author of The BindingImogen Hermes Gowar, author of The Mermaid and Mrs HancockKiran Millwood Hargrave, author of The MerciesAndrew Michael Hurley, author of The LoneyJess Kidd, author of Things in JarsNatasha Pulley, author of The Watchmaker of Filigree StreetElizabeth Macneal, author of The Doll FactoryLaura Purcell, author of The Silent CompanionsSusan Stokes-Chapman, author of PandoraLaura Shepherd-Robinson, author of The Square of SevensStuart Turton, author of The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle Catriona Ward, author of The Last House on Needless StreetThe tradition of a haunted tale at Christmas has flourished across the centuries. These twelve stories - authored by some of today's most loved and lauded writers of historical and gothic fiction - are all centred around Christmas or Advent, boldly and playfully re-imagining a beloved tradition for a modern audience. Taking you from a haunted Tuscan villa to a remote Scottish island with a dark secret,, these vibrant haunted stories are your ultimate companion for frosty nights. So curl up, light a candle, and fall under the spell of winters past . . . 'I absolutely devoured The Winter Spirits. Every story is a gem' LAURA SHEPPERSON'Another dazzling collection. Chilling, moving and incredibly satisfying' AMANDA MASON'Eerily macabre, hauntingly propulsive' JOANNE BURN