Such Pretty Things

A terrifying story of ghosts and grief, perfect for fans of Shirley Jackon's The Haunting of Hill House and Henry James The Turn of the Screw, in award-winning author Lisa Heathfield s first adult novel.

Following their mother's accident, Clara and Stephen are sent to stay with their aunt and uncle in a remote house in the hills. At first, they see it as a summer to explore. There's the train set in the basement, the walled garden and the woods. Beyond it all the loch sits, silent and waiting.

Auntie has wanted children for so long, with hair to brush and arms to slip into clothes made just for them. All those hours washing, polishing, preparing beds and preserving fruit and now Clara and Stephen are here, like a miracle, on her doorstep.

But as they explore their new home, the children uncover ghosts Auntie buried long ago. As their worlds collide, Clara and Auntie struggle for control. And every day they spend there, Clara can feel unknown forces changing her brother. Haunted and bewildered, this hastily formed family finds itself falling apart, with terrifying consequences for them all.

Such Pretty Things is a deeply chilling and haunting story about the slow shattering nature of grief, displacement, jealousy and an overwhelming desire to love and be loved.

“Wonderfully creepy and unsettling.” A. J. ELWOOD, author of The Cottingley Cuckoo

“A masterful slow burn... elegantly crafted and horribly powerful.” ALLY WILKES, author of All the White Spaces

“Unnerving and melancholy, this book will hold your heart spellbound.” MARIE O'REGAN, author of The Last Ghost and Other Stories, editor of Wonderland and Cursed

“Treads the fine line between nostalgic creepiness harking back to the classics and modern pacing. Not to be missed!” PAUL KANE, author of Sherlock Homes and the Servants of Hell, Before and Arcana

“A masterful modern day gothic.” PAUL TREMBLAY, author of Cain at the End of the World