Synopsis

‘Haunting’ Sara Sheridan‘Intriguing, atmospheric, thought-provoking’ Alexandra Bell‘Beautifully crafted, thrilling and atmospheric’ Rebecca NetleyIn the midst of the woods stands a house called Lichen Hall.This place is shrouded in folklore – old stories of ghosts, of witches, of a child who is not quite a child.Now the woods are creeping closer, and something has been unleashed.Pearl Gorham arrives in 1965, one of a string of young women sent to Lichen Hall to give birth. And she soon suspects the proprietors are hiding something.Then she meets the mysterious mother and young boy who live in the grounds – and together they begin to unpick the secrets of this place.As the truth comes to the surface and the darkness moves in, Pearl must rethink everything she knew – and risk what she holds most dear.

Praise for The Ghost Woods

‘Cooke has mixed the darkness of reality with a magical realism that will have you gripped’ Woman & Home

‘This chilling gothic tale is the perfect choice for a book club . . . atmospheric’ Prima

‘Original and compelling, The Ghost Woods is a beautifully written, chilling tale that will stay with the reader long after the book is finished’ Elizabeth Lee

‘[C.J. Cooke is] a master of the feminist gothic!’ Katherine May

’The Ghost Woods rattles along, with a twisty plot that defies expectations right from the start . . . highly enjoyable’ Sally Hinchcliffe

‘An eerie gothic thriller’ Samantha Downing

‘Deliciously unsettling, strangely believable’ Carly Reagon

‘With a great plot, this suspenseful and compelling story touches on the difficult history of women in mid-20th-century Scotland’ Candis