Sonic Seducer 05-2018 mit 7"-Vinylsingle von Dimmu Borgir in transparent-blau (199 Exemplare) + Titelstory Dimmu Borgir + weitere CD-Beilage Metallischer Glanz in ewiger Finsternis. Die Titelstory der Mai-Ausgabe ist Dimmu Borgir gewidmet, die pünktlich zu ihrem 25. Bandjubiläum ihr neues Album "Eonian" veröffentlichen. Amorphis sind ebenfalls mit einem neuen Werk zurück. Außerdem gibt es magische Momente in Bild und Ton, denn Blutengel veröffentlichen ein neues Livedokument. Außerdem: Loreena McKennitt bricht nach zwölf Jahren ihr Schweigen, Sharon den Adel befindet sich mit My Indigo auf ungewöhnlichen Pfaden. Fundstücke des Monats: DAFs Robert Görl packt altes Material in neue Formate. Darüber hinaus lest Ihr Interviews und Stories rund um die neuen Veröffentlichungen von unter anderem Die Kammer, Drangsal, Die Robo Sapiens, De/Vision, AD:keY, Whispers In The Shadow, Schwarzblut und vieles mehr! Die 7"-Vinylsingle kommt in Deluxe-Ausstattung im Kastensleeve + Booklet mit exkl. handschriftlichen Lyrics und schwarzer Vinyl-Innenhülle. Must-Have für Fans! Tracklist: A: Council Of Wolves And Snakes B: Chess With The Abyss (Live) Artists: AD:keY, Alight, Amorphis, Ivar Bjørnson & Einar Selvik, Blutengel, Burden Of Grey, Chvrches, The Crimson Ghosts, The Damned, The Dark Red Seed, Jonathan Davis, Dimmu Borgir, Drangsal, Evanescence, The Exploding Boy, Follow The Cipher, Fotocrime,, Godsmack, Görl, Robert, Grey, Florian, Hand In Waves, Hekate, Hellwerk, Ihsahn, Die Kammer, Bruce Lamont, Lebanon Hanover, Lederman - De Meyer, Loreena McKennitt, Metalwings, Midas Fall, Monstergod, My Indigo, Necrotekk, Nox Interna, Paddy And The Rats, A Perfect Circle, A Place To Bury Strangers, Rabia Sorda, Die Robo Sapiens, Sangre de Muerdago, Schwarzblut, Seadrake, Selofan, St. Micheal Font, Taina, TesseracT, Unity One, Whispers In The Shadow, Wisborg, X-O Planet 5 Records: Bannkreis, Hatebox: Auger, Couch: OUL, Stage: Evanescence, Stage: IAMX, Stage: E-tropolis, Stage: Megaherz Basics: 5 Records: Bannkreis, Couch: OUL, Abo, Editorial, Hatebox: Auger, News Media: Album des Monats: Minas Fall, Tipp des Monats: Simian Mobile Disco, CD-Reviews, DVD Movie, Now Playing, Soundcheck, Tooltime Visit: Events, stage: Evanescence, stage: IAMX, stage: Megaherz, Tourdaten, Tourpräsentationen Cold Hands Seduction Vol. 199 - CD Beilage 01 Dimmu Borgir - Council Of Wolves And Snakes 02 Omnia - Niiv's Cauldron 03 Wisborg - Becoming Caligari 04 Selofan - Give Me A Reason 05 Metalwings - For All Beyond 06 Midas Fall - Evaporate 07 Florian Grey feat. Matt?o VDiva Fabbiani - Relief 08 X-O-Planet - Voyagers 09 Unity One - Leave Me Confined 10 Monstergod - The Living Torch 11 Necrotekk - Dog With Two Bones 12 Aiboforcen - Life In The Valley Of Death 13 The Crimson Ghosts - Don¿t Follow 14 Taina - Schrei nicht 15 Hellwerk - WTF 16 Hand In Waves - Echoes From Another Tract 17 Bruce Lamont - Goodbye Electric Sunday

From international bestselling author Kat Blackthorne comes a haunted and spooky twist on Medusa and Beauty and the Beast. For everyone who needs a sapphic story where the women are lethal and insatiable. To be bid on was to be bought as a wife. To the winning bidder his prize, a maid, a servant, a child-bearer. That would be Poesy Laroche's life, she realized, as she walked down the aisle to her future husband. He'd promised to break her into submission, and she knew his words were true. In an act of desperation, she takes the reins of her fate and dives into the woods rife with terrors. The screams that come at night become only whispers of stories about the mysterious Lady Venom. Her manor is filled with snakes and horrors. And when Poesy gets lost within her maze, Lady Venom claims her as her own mistress, with no hope to escape. Poesy is locked into a haunted estate where the flowers watch, the ghosts whisper while the snakes slither, and everyone knows the deadliest of them all is their Lady that rules them. But there are secrets to uncover both within the eerie walls and in the riddles atop Lady's Venom's forked tongue as she incites more danger and pleasure than Poesy ever thought possible. But will it be enough to keep Poesy from her fate? Or will the hidden truths prove more fateful than a serpent's bite? Lady Venom is a haunted, spooky, lesbian romance with lethal women and gothic magic. It's a twist on both Medusa and Beauty and the Beast and features femme dom and captive tropes with off the charts spice. This story is set in The Halloween Boys universe with crossover of lore, but you do not need to read The Halloween Boys before enjoying Lady Venom Takes a Mistress. Please see authors site for content information.

A SPELLBINDING MYSTERY. A FORBIDDEN ROMANCE. A SCHOOL WITH BLOOD ON ITS WALLS. A dark academia fantasy set in a haunted school for witches, where ghosts whisper secrets and enemies become lovers. Perfect for fans of Ninth House and sapphic slow-burn romance. 'I had to keep myself from devouring whole in one sitting ' 5 ⭐ Reader Review ' This is one of the best books I've read this year ' 5 ⭐ Reader Review ' The Worst Witch meets Fourth Wing and Ninth House. Absolutely loved it! ' 5 ⭐ Reader Review - Enter the dark halls of Dunhollow Academy of Witchcraft . . . Where Rose Thenlif is the only student unable to cast a spell. Much to her classmates' sneering delight.And her headmistress mother's disgust. But when those classmates begin to go missing, Rose is alone in seeing their ghostly apparitions . . . Her latest vision is just-vanished, top-of-the-class Sylvie. Yet insufferable Sylvie is as horrified as Rose to find that only together might they uncover the deadly secret at Dunhollow's heart. It will take them to the edge of life and death. And somewhere more frightening - a place neither can hide their true feelings . . .

From international bestselling author Kat Blackthorne comes a haunted and spooky twist on Medusa and Beauty and the Beast. For everyone who needs a sapphic story where the women are lethal and insatiable. To be bid on was to be bought as a wife. To the winning bidder his prize, a maid, a servant, a child-bearer. That would be Poesy Laroche's life, she realized, as she walked down the aisle to her future husband. He'd promised to break her into submission, and she knew his words were true. In an act of desperation, she takes the reins of her fate and dives into the woods rife with terrors. The screams that come at night become only whispers of stories about the mysterious Lady Venom. Her manor is filled with snakes and horrors. And when Poesy gets lost within her maze, Lady Venom claims her as her own mistress, with no hope to escape. Poesy is locked into a haunted estate where the flowers watch, the ghosts whisper while the snakes slither, and everyone knows the deadliest of them all is their Lady that rules them. But there are secrets to uncover both within the eerie walls and in the riddles atop Lady's Venom's forked tongue as she incites more danger and pleasure than Poesy ever thought possible. But will it be enough to keep Poesy from her fate? Or will the hidden truths prove more fateful than a serpent's bite? Lady Venom is a haunted, spooky, lesbian romance with lethal women and gothic magic. It's a twist on both Medusa and Beauty and the Beast and features femme dom and captive tropes with off the charts spice. This story is set in The Halloween Boys universe with crossover of lore, but you do not need to read The Halloween Boys before enjoying Lady Venom Takes a Mistress. Please see authors site for content information.

From USA Today bestseller and rising queen of atmospheric horror Darcy Coates comes a haunting story of intrigue, misery, and fear. There's something wrong with Ashburn House... Everyone knows about Ashburn House. They whisper its old owner went mad, and restless ghosts still walk the halls. They say it's the dwelling place of something cruel and sinister. But when Adrienne¿desperate and in need of a place to stay¿inherits the crumbling old mansion, she only sees it as a lifeline... until darkness falls. Strange messages are etched into the walls. Furniture moves when she leaves the room. There's something here¿something powerful, angry, and hell-bent on shaking things up. Worse, a grave hidden in the depths of the forest hints at a terrible, unforgivable secret. Eventually Adrienne can't ignore that a twisted thing lives in the house, its hungry eyes ever-watchful. Chasing the threads of a decades-old mystery, it isn't long before she realizes she's become prey to something deeply unnatural and intensely resentful. She has no idea how to escape. She has no idea how to survive. Only one thing is certain: Ashburn's dead are not at rest. Horror novels also by Darcy Coates: The Haunting of Ashburn House The Haunting of Blackwood House Craven Manor The House Next Door Voices in the Snow

Bloomsbury presents The Haunting of Fortune Farm by Sophie Kirtley, read by Amy McAllister Sometimes, secrets don't stay buried forever. Sometimes, they need to be set free… Twelve-year-old Edie and her younger brother Pip are spending half term at Fortune Farm, high in the Irish mountains, with their grandmother Lolly. They haven't visited Fortune Farm for YEARS and Edie has been dreading it for MONTHS. They spent all their holidays there when Dad was alive. And Edie doesn't like thinking about Dad – even the happy memories haunt her too much. When Edie uncovers a clue that could lead her to long-lost Viking treasure, it's just the adventure she needs to take her mind off Dad. But the adventure soon takes an unnerving and dangerous turn, and Edie discovers that Fortune Farm has more secrets, mysteries and ghosts than she had ever dared to dream. A spine-tingling adventure about the power of memories and the restless spirits that whisper on the wind… An emotional and spine-tingling adventure perfect for fans of The House with Chicken Legs, A Girl Called Owl and A Pocketful of Stars. ***' Ghostly and atmospheric and would have you glued to the pages until its satisfying end,' Nizrana Farook, author of The Girl Who Stole an Elephant

"I am not afraid of ghosts. I am afraid of what they remember." When Imara Thornwood inherits Ashwood Estate, she expects dust, silence, and old books. What she finds instead is a house alive with memory-and women who were erased for loving other women, for knowing too much, for refusing to be small. As a Black lesbian scholar in Victorian England, Imara has spent her life documenting other women's courage while hiding her own. At Ashwood, the past refuses to stay buried. Spirits whisper from mirrors and corridors. Forbidden research reveals a centuries-old curse. And at the center of it all is Seraphine Ashwood-a woman neither living nor dead, bound to the house by betrayal, blood magic, and unfinished longing. Drawn together by shared rage, desire, and recognition, Imara and Seraphine form a dangerous bond that blurs the line between scholarship and intimacy, rescue and obsession. To break the curse imprisoning Ashwood's women, Imara must challenge the very foundations of patriarchal control-and decide how much of herself she's willing to risk for love, truth, and freedom. Because some houses don't just haunt you. They choose you. - Sapphic Gothic Romance - Haunted House - Queer Historical Fiction - Ghostly Women - Forbidden Love - Dark Academia - Slow-Burn Attraction - Feminist Gothic Horror

In October Shadows, artist John A. Rice brings to life classic ghost stories, using autumn leaves as his canvas. Each of the thirteen tales--by authors including Washington Irving, Edgar Allan Poe, and Edith Nesbit--explores the unexplained and the macabre, tapping into our worst fears and the darker side of human nature while exploring the supernatural mysteries that connect all our lives. This is the perfect book for curling up in front of a fire on a chilly night, when the moon is high, the wind whispers in the trees, and ominous shadows lurk around every corner. Every story in October Shadows is illustrated with an original artwork executed on an autumn leaf. Each artwork is shown twice: once at the beginning of the story, and once at the end, transformed--like the face of a jack-o'-lantern--by backlighting, the light bleeding through the leaf and transforming the colors to an eerie and haunting effect. Like a relic from another era, October Shadows features a deluxe binding in real cloth, with foil stamping and a tip-on. By breathing new life into timeless stories and reimagining them with Rice's unique approach, this anthology is poised to become an essential autumn classic--a book for Halloween and for cozy, spooky reading all year round.

* A TIMES 'Book of 2023' * 'Addictive' STYLIST Books to Look Out For 2023 * 'Destined to be the status read of 2023' HARPER'S BAZAAR BEST NEW FICTION * 'The perfect summer read' CULTURE WHISPER * An EVENING STANDARD 'Best New Books for Spring' * A Financial Times Best Summer Read 2023 * Summer is coming to a close on Long Island, and Alex is no longer welcome... One misstep at a dinner party and the older man she's been staying with dismisses her with a ride to the train station and a ticket back to the city. With few resources, but a gift for navigating the desires of others, Alex stays on the island. She drifts like a ghost through the gated driveways and sun-blasted dunes of a rarefied world, trailing destruction in her wake. Taut, sensual and impossible to look away from, The Guest captures the latent heat and potential danger of a summer that could go either way for a young woman teetering on the edge. PRAISE FOR EMMA CLINE 'Taut, beautiful and savage' GUARDIAN 'Stunning . . . thrilling . . . a spectacular achievement' THE TIMES 'Something about Cline's intimate tone, her talent for conjuring the feeling of being alive, is entirely and uniquely her own' RACHEL KUSHNER 'An astonishingly gifted stylist' BRANDON TAYLOR

In this thrilling sapphic love story, the epic sequel to Ally North's viral BookTok sensation, a sheltered preacher's daughter is no longer the one who needs saving-and it's up to her to free the woman she loves. Summer, 1852. Abby Proctor has made her choice-she's racing back to Wry to save Joey "JT London," the outlaw she's fallen in love with. But time is running out-the ghosts of Abby's past are giving chase, they're not going to let her go without a fight, and Joey is a wanted woman with a target on her back. Then, in the wake of a devastating incident, Joey disappears, leaving Abby in the desert alone. But Abby is no longer the same scared woman who was kidnapped from a train. She's determined to pick up all the broken pieces Joey left behind-determined to find Lewis and the children, and to build a new life for them in Gauntlet's Landing with her own two hands. While gallows are being built in the town center, and whispers of the fate that awaits her notorious outlaw drift across the dessert, Abby realizes the only way to keep Joey safe is to find her before anyone else can. Before the past separates them forever.

In October Shadows, artist John A. Rice brings to life classic ghost stories, using autumn leaves as his canvas. Each of the thirteen tales--by authors including Washington Irving, Edgar Allan Poe, and Edith Nesbit--explores the unexplained and the macabre, tapping into our worst fears and the darker side of human nature while exploring the supernatural mysteries that connect all our lives. This is the perfect book for curling up in front of a fire on a chilly night, when the moon is high, the wind whispers in the trees, and ominous shadows lurk around every corner. Every story in October Shadows is illustrated with an original artwork executed on an autumn leaf. Each artwork is shown twice: once at the beginning of the story, and once at the end, transformed--like the face of a jack-o'-lantern--by backlighting, the light bleeding through the leaf and transforming the colors to an eerie and haunting effect. Like a relic from another era, October Shadows features a deluxe binding in real cloth, with foil stamping and a tip-on. By breathing new life into timeless stories and reimagining them with Rice's unique approach, this anthology is poised to become an essential autumn classic--a book for Halloween and for cozy, spooky reading all year round.

From USA Today bestseller and rising queen of atmospheric horror Darcy Coates comes a haunting story of intrigue, misery, and fear. There's something wrong with Ashburn House... Everyone knows about Ashburn House. They whisper its old owner went mad, and restless ghosts still walk the halls. They say it's the dwelling place of something cruel and sinister. But when Adrienne¿desperate and in need of a place to stay¿inherits the crumbling old mansion, she only sees it as a lifeline... until darkness falls. Strange messages are etched into the walls. Furniture moves when she leaves the room. There's something here¿something powerful, angry, and hell-bent on shaking things up. Worse, a grave hidden in the depths of the forest hints at a terrible, unforgivable secret. Eventually Adrienne can't ignore that a twisted thing lives in the house, its hungry eyes ever-watchful. Chasing the threads of a decades-old mystery, it isn't long before she realizes she's become prey to something deeply unnatural and intensely resentful. She has no idea how to escape. She has no idea how to survive. Only one thing is certain: Ashburn's dead are not at rest. Horror novels also by Darcy Coates: The Haunting of Ashburn House The Haunting of Blackwood House Craven Manor The House Next Door Voices in the Snow

Nothing is as it seems in this chilling, twisting tale by bestselling author Andrea Portes, perfect for fans of Madeleine Roux and Danielle Vega. Rife with dark humor and chilling twists, This Is Not a Ghost Story is American Horror Story meets There’s Someone Inside Your House. It will have readers flipping back to the very first page after the shocking finale. I am not welcome. Somehow I know that. Something doesn’t want me here. Daffodil Franklin has plans for a quiet summer before her freshman year at college, and luckily, she’s found the job that can give her just that: housesitting a mansion for a wealthy couple. But as the summer progresses and shadows lengthen, Daffodil comes to realize the house is more than it appears. The spacious home seems to close in on her, and as she takes the long road into town, she feels eyes on her the entire way, and something tugging her back. What Daffodil doesn’t yet realize is that her job comes with a steep price. The house has a long-ago grudge it needs to settle . . . and Daffodil is the key to settling it. Haunted House Story: The sprawling mansion was supposed to be a quiet summer job. But Daffodil soon realizes she’s not just a housesitter—she’s a pawn in a grudge older than she is. Unreliable Narrator: Daffodil thinks she knows what’s real, but the house plays tricks with her mind. As shadows lengthen and whispers echo in empty halls, she starts to question everything, including her own sanity. Gothic Horror Atmosphere: With a creeping sense of dread and an oppressive setting that feels alive, this chilling tale is perfect for readers who love atmospheric horror that gets under their skin. Snarky Dark Humor: Daffodil faces the creeping terror with a sharp, sarcastic wit that cuts through the dread. This isn’t just a ghost story; it’s a darkly funny descent into madness.

Rivals clash, friendships are tested, and sinister secrets are unsealed as Lockwood & Co. investigate a Victorian occultist in this second spine-chilling, ghost-filled adventure by internationally bestselling author Jonathan Stroud. In the six months since Anthony, Lucy, and George survived a night in the most haunted house in England, Lockwood & Co. hasn't made much progress. Quill Kipps and his team of Fittes agents keep swooping in on Lockwood's investigations. Finally, in a fit of anger, Anthony challenges his rival to a contest: the next time the two agencies compete on a job, the losing side will have to admit defeat in the Times newspaper. Things look up when a new client, Mr. Saunders, hires Lockwood & Co. to be present at the excavation of Edmund Bickerstaff, a Victorian doctor who reportedly tried to communicate with the dead. Saunders needs the coffin sealed with silver to prevent any supernatural trouble. All goes well-until George's curiosity attracts a horrible phantom. Back home at Portland Row, Lockwood accuses George of making too many careless mistakes. Lucy is distracted by urgent whispers coming from the skull in the ghost jar. Then the team is summoned to DEPRAC headquarters. Kipps is there too, much to Lockwood's annoyance. Bickerstaff's coffin was raided and a strange glass object buried with the corpse has vanished. Inspector Barnes believes the relic to be highly dangerous, and he wants it found. The author of the blockbuster Bartimaeus series delivers another amusing, chilling, and ingeniously plotted entry in the critically acclaimed Lockwood & Co. series. Praise for The Screaming Staircase: "This story will keep you reading late into the night, but you'll want to leave the lights on. Stroud is a genius at inventing an utterly believable world which is very much like ours, but so creepily different. Put The Screaming Staircase on your 'need to read' list!" —Rick Riordan "A pleasure from tip to tail, this is the book you hand the advanced readers that claim they'd rather read Paradise Lost than Harry Potter. Smart as a whip, funny, witty, and honestly frightening at times, Stroud lets loose and gives readers exactly what they want. Ghosts, kids on their own without adult supervision, and loads of delicious cookies." —Elizabeth Bird, School Library Journal "Stroud shows his customary flair for blending deadpan humor with thrilling action, and the fiery interplay among the three agents of Lockwood & Co. invigorates the story (along with no shortage of creepy moments)." —Publishers Weekly "A heartily satisfying string of entertaining near-catastrophes, replete with narrow squeaks and spectral howls." —Kirkus Reviews

'An entertaining read that vividly brings to life its motley cast of rogues, frauds and unfortunates' The Times 'Scintillating ... a thrill ride through the filthy streets and dank rooms of Georgian England where the lies and deceptions that fooled a nation were born' Hallie Rubenhold, author of The Five Here lies Fanny Lynes , whose whispers from beyond the grave set London alight with scandal. Here swings Mary Bateman , who lived a life of lies - and died a prophetess and murderer. Here stands Mary Willcocks . Or is it Anne Burgess? Or Princess Caraboo, from the distant island of Javasu? A ghost. A witch. A princess. This is a story of those who lie. And of those who choose to believe them. The discoveries of the Enlightenment unsettled as much as they excited. New truths challenged longstanding beliefs. Rationalism jarred with superstition. Which voices would be heard in this ferocious battle for certainty? From the chaos, three women and their hoaxes rose as symbols of terror and fascination. But were the lies surrounding Fanny Lynes, Mary Bateman and Mary Willcocks entirely of their own making? Why were the public transfixed? Questioning culpability and complicity, Pelling's engrossing history of this great age of the hoax reveals a veiled world of moral panic, tall tales and true crime, and holds a mirror to our own turbulent relationship with truth.

' An unflinching Appalachian horror and a book filled with bite, brutality, tenderness and evil. I loved it .' Lucy Rose, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Lamb ' A ll the makings of a classic... Beware, this book is pretty but it has sharp teeth .' Rachel Harrison , New York Times bestselling author of Play Nice ' C.N. Vair has cast such a spell over me with her bewitching debut , I doubt any other book will ever break it... Do whatever you have to do to get your hands on this book .' Clay McLeod Chapman, author of Ghost Eaters 'People did not expect such a thing, from a woman or a fawn; we were both meant to be prey.' In the Appalachian hills, Tess Wynne lives in precious quiet. She tends her wildlife sanctuary, honours old rituals and survives what comes for her each year. Then she finds a doe split open. And the fawn who survived. Red-mouthed. Full set of teeth. Hungry. Nature knows what must be done. The town watches to see if Tess will do it. She does not. Whispers spread. Old bargains strain. Something feral stirs within Tess-anger, appetite, the slow understanding that prey is only prey for so long. A dark folktale of teeth and inheritance, Fawn asks what a woman must become to keep what is hers-and what the land demands in return.

Rivals clash, friendships are tested, and sinister secrets are unsealed as Lockwood & Co. investigate a Victorian occultist in this second spine-chilling, ghost-filled adventure by internationally bestselling author Jonathan Stroud. In the six months since Anthony, Lucy, and George survived a night in the most haunted house in England, Lockwood & Co. hasn't made much progress. Quill Kipps and his team of Fittes agents keep swooping in on Lockwood's investigations. Finally, in a fit of anger, Anthony challenges his rival to a contest: the next time the two agencies compete on a job, the losing side will have to admit defeat in the Times newspaper. Things look up when a new client, Mr. Saunders, hires Lockwood & Co. to be present at the excavation of Edmund Bickerstaff, a Victorian doctor who reportedly tried to communicate with the dead. Saunders needs the coffin sealed with silver to prevent any supernatural trouble. All goes well-until George's curiosity attracts a horrible phantom. Back home at Portland Row, Lockwood accuses George of making too many careless mistakes. Lucy is distracted by urgent whispers coming from the skull in the ghost jar. Then the team is summoned to DEPRAC headquarters. Kipps is there too, much to Lockwood's annoyance. Bickerstaff's coffin was raided and a strange glass object buried with the corpse has vanished. Inspector Barnes believes the relic to be highly dangerous, and he wants it found. The author of the blockbuster Bartimaeus series delivers another amusing, chilling, and ingeniously plotted entry in the critically acclaimed Lockwood & Co. series. Praise for The Screaming Staircase: "This story will keep you reading late into the night, but you'll want to leave the lights on. Stroud is a genius at inventing an utterly believable world which is very much like ours, but so creepily different. Put The Screaming Staircase on your 'need to read' list!" —Rick Riordan "A pleasure from tip to tail, this is the book you hand the advanced readers that claim they'd rather read Paradise Lost than Harry Potter. Smart as a whip, funny, witty, and honestly frightening at times, Stroud lets loose and gives readers exactly what they want. Ghosts, kids on their own without adult supervision, and loads of delicious cookies." —Elizabeth Bird, School Library Journal "Stroud shows his customary flair for blending deadpan humor with thrilling action, and the fiery interplay among the three agents of Lockwood & Co. invigorates the story (along with no shortage of creepy moments)." —Publishers Weekly "A heartily satisfying string of entertaining near-catastrophes, replete with narrow squeaks and spectral howls." —Kirkus Reviews

'An entertaining read that vividly brings to life its motley cast of rogues, frauds and unfortunates' The Times 'Scintillating ... a thrill ride through the filthy streets and dank rooms of Georgian England where the lies and deceptions that fooled a nation were born' Hallie Rubenhold, author of The Five Here lies Fanny Lynes , whose whispers from beyond the grave set London alight with scandal. Here swings Mary Bateman , who lived a life of lies - and died a prophetess and murderer. Here stands Mary Willcocks . Or is it Anne Burgess? Or Princess Caraboo, from the distant island of Javasu? A ghost. A witch. A princess. This is a story of those who lie. And of those who choose to believe them. The discoveries of the Enlightenment unsettled as much as they excited. New truths challenged longstanding beliefs. Rationalism jarred with superstition. Which voices would be heard in this ferocious battle for certainty? From the chaos, three women and their hoaxes rose as symbols of terror and fascination. But were the lies surrounding Fanny Lynes, Mary Bateman and Mary Willcocks entirely of their own making? Why were the public transfixed? Questioning culpability and complicity, Pelling's engrossing history of this great age of the hoax reveals a veiled world of moral panic, tall tales and true crime, and holds a mirror to our own turbulent relationship with truth.

Eight years ago, HMS Melpomene met disaster on her search for the missing Franklin polar expedition. A tiny handful of survivors returned home against all odds; now, one of them is to be hanged for the murder of his wife and brother, a crime he claims no memory of committing. Among the spectators is ambitious London newsman, Harry Lambert, obsessed by the Melpomene story and the question of what could drive a hero of the Arctic to such an end. His search for answers takes him to the door of Sidney Blakely, the survivors' charismatic leader turned celebrated Spiritualist medium – a power granted to him, he says, in the thin-veiled North. Living with him is Lieutenant Taylor who claims a darker 'gift': to be a vessel for possession by spirits of the dead. Harry doesn't believe a word of it. But as the true, bloody story behind Melpomene's end unfolds, he begins to wonder. Blakely's revelations of desperate mutiny and a hierarchy out of its depth are shocking enough. But between these lines are whispers of unquiet ghosts, and more than ordinarily savage beasts. In the gaps between what is said and unsaid, what can be believed is as shifting and unstable as the ice itself. Harry knows what Melpomene's crew left in the Arctic. But what did they bring back?

'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