Thornby Manor

Penniless and newly orphaned Briar Monroe finds shelter at Thornby Manor, a brooding estate above a mist-shrouded lake. But whispers of a dead wife, an estranged son and locked-away secrets haunt its corridors … Atmospheric, intoxicating and laced with peril – a spellbinding historical mystery of love, betrayal, obsession and a house that will not forget…
With echoes of many gothic romances, Thornby Manor nonetheless has its own take on the genre … a compelling tale Sunday Times
Gloriously and traditionally gothic, rich in mist, rattling windowpanes, hidden missives and feverish dreams … an addictive Victorian mystery Joanna Miller
A gripping gothic tale, simmering with menace A.J. West
Oozing with menace, this intoxicating mystery reveals just how dangerous it was to be a woman in a time when her every move could be turned against her Heat magazine Book of the Week
Fuses the brooding sense of menace of a Brontë novel with the twisty notes of a suspense thriller. A deliciously absorbing gothic mystery Vaseem Khan
Atmospheric and accomplished … steeped in the gothic tradition of mystery and grief Essie Fox
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There – suddenly – was Thornby Manor.
I would never forget the first time I saw it…
A talisman of darkness, an emblem of death
Warwickshire, 1891. Recently orphaned and left destitute, Briar Monroe accepts the protection of Lord Danville and the shadowed sanctuary of Thornby Manor. The great house looms above a mist-shrouded lake, its corridors heavy with secrets – not least the mysterious death of Lady Elizabeth Danville, and the unspoken tensions between her formidable widower and his magnetic son, Gabriel.
As Briar navigates the undercurrents of a household ruled by watchful servants and locked doors, she is drawn ever deeper into a web of suspicion, desire and fear. Whispers in the night, figures at windows, and a constant sense of being watched leave her questioning not only the truth about Thornby, but her own safety within its walls.
Atmospheric, intoxicating and laced with peril, Thornby Manor is a gothic tale of betrayal, obsession and a house that never forgets.
A simmering, haunting debut for readers who loved Jane Eyre, Rebecca, The Woman in White and The Silent Companions
–––––––––––––[An] enthralling gothic debut … beautifully written, brimming with tension and full or intriguing, morally grey characters. A wonderfully dark historical mystery that kept me reading until 1am! Caroline Lea
Gothic fiction has a new star Annie Garthwaite
Dark, deliciously unsettling … A spellbinding, emotionally intense, intelligent tale dripping with betrayal and obsession Barbara Havelocke
Darkly dramatic, delicious fun. If you love a gothic novel full of secrets to be unpacked this is one for you … Liz Hyder
Full of darkness and twisted secrets… Kate Griffin
This tale of mystery and madness, of deception and defiance, of scandal and suspicion, will have readers compulsively turning pages deep into the night Naomi Kelsey
A chilling gothic mystery … as unsettling as the mist that swirls around the manor. The final twist took my breath away Emma Cowing
Immersive and chilling gothic novel with a mystery that keeps you guessing until the final chapter Rachel Louise Driscoll
A tense, atmospheric and masterful work of gothic fiction … as chilling as it is intoxicating Cathryn Kemp
Floorboards creak in the night, shadows flit along corridors, and everywhere there is a sense of being watched … a gripping gothic masterpiece Gill Paul