Writing as Victoria Hawthorne
The Darkest Night
April 2024 | Quercus
A bewitching and haunting story of family secrets – and the lengths some will go to protect them.
Some secrets last for generations…
A MISSING WOMAN
When Ailsa Reid becomes the subject of a trial by media after an incident at the school where she works, she escapes to the comfort of her grandparents’ house in Fife. But she arrives to find her grandmother, Moira – recently diagnosed with dementia – has gone missing, and her grandfather, Rupert, gravely injured.
AN ABANDONED CHILD
Desperate to ensure Moira’s safe return, Ailsa must rely on the help of her estranged mother, Rowan, who abandoned her at birth. Tensions simmer between the two women as they attempt to piece together the lead-up to Moira’s disappearance.
A TERRIBLE CURSE
But in order to move forward and find Moira, both Ailsa and Rowan must go back to the beginning; to a story about witches burned on the hill above the Reid house centuries ago, and the curse laid upon the women that came after. Can they break the bonds of history in time to save their family? Or will the Reid curse be their undoing?
Perfect for fans of C. J. Cooke and Rebecca Netley.
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The House at Helygen
April 2022 | Quercus
‘A thrilling read, led by dynamic women that call out through the centuries… Inventive, haunting, and skilfully crafted.’
Phoebe Wynne, author of Madam
An atmospheric historical suspense novel rich with familial secrets. The House at Helygen is a twisted tale of dark pasts, murderous presents and uncertain futures.
2019
When Henry Fox is found dead in his ancestral home in Cornwall, the police rule it a suicide, but his pregnant wife, Josie, believes it was murder. Desperate to make sense of Henry’s death she embarks on a quest to learn the truth, all under the watchful eyes of Henry’s overbearing mother. Josie soon finds herself wrestling against the dark history of Helygen House and ghosts from the past that refuse to stay buried.
1881
New bride Eliza arrives at Helygen House with high hopes for her marriage. Yet when she meets her new mother-in-law, an icy and forbidding woman, her dreams of a new life are dashed. And when Eliza starts to hear voices in the walls of the house, she begins to fear for her sanity and her life.
Can Josie piece together the past to make sense of her present, or will the secrets of Helygen House and its inhabitants forever remain a mystery?
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Praise for The House at Helygen
‘The complex twists and turns will make your heart beat faster as the chilling, multi-generational saga’s conclusion reveals sinister skeletons in the cupboard. A captivating split narrative of dark family secrets.’
— Woman magazine, September 2022
iii
‘A compelling read.’
— Choice magazine, August 2022
VIKKI PATIS 