The Cove: About the Book

Available in: Paperback | Kindle | Apple Books

The blurb

From the author of Mother Fear comes The Cove: part ghost story, part murder mystery…

Podcaster Sam Spectre agrees to stay the night at The Seacove Inn to investigate claims it’s the most haunted pub in England. But what starts as a ghost-hunt soon becomes a murder mystery when someone’s found dead in the cellar. With the inn sandbagged and cut off by a storm, no one can get in or out… which means the murderer is still there.

Two hundred years earlier, newly orphaned Beth Brodie arrives at the Inn to stay with her Uncle Bert, a shadowy figure who controls the local smuggling trade. Corrupted by contraband, he’ll stop at nothing to protect himself.

With chapters alternating between 1825 and 2025, the events of the past send ripples across time, forming a tidal wave that turns into a tempest as we pivot from an MR James ghost story to an Agatha Christie locked-room mystery in this edge-of-your-seat thriller from the bestselling author of Mother Fear.

Read a free sample

What readers say about The Cove

Alternating between 1825 and 2025, this ghost story meets locked-room thriller is not just clever plotting, [it shows] mastery at blending history, suspense, and the supernatural. Sam Spectre exploring haunted pubs, Beth Brodie navigating shadowy smugglers, and the storm trapping everyone inside is genius. [The Cove has] got the perfect mix of tension, historical depth, and that edge-of-your-seat “I need to know what happens next” energy.

Brilliant book. The two timelines really complement each other – they’re written in different styles so it’s like reading two books at first, a modern murder mystery and an historical gothic thriller, albeit both connected by place – but then they cleverly come together at the end. The characters are all well-drawn and believable, you find yourself rooting for them all in different ways. The setting is the real star of the show, though – so atmospheric and tangible, you really feel like you’re there, trapped in that haunted pub by the sea as a storm lashes the cliffs. Highly recommended.

What a brilliant read this book is… atmospheric and gripping, you can visualise in your mind the setting. Haunting and unputdownable! Thoroughly enjoyable, I look forward to [the author’s] next book.

Great book. Knits together different genres and styles – the 1825 chapters reminded me of Bronte or du Maurier. I liked the knowing nods to genre fiction, too – references to Christie etc. Gripped me from the start and never stopped… each chapter ending with a cliffhanger that made it hard to put down. Kept me guessing till the end – although I now see the clues were there – among a few red herrings! Would recommend for readers of supernatural stories, historical fiction, and crime.

I can quite easily say that this is one of the best books I’ve read! Two brilliant timelines, I was hooked from the start and simply could not put it down! Great plot, brilliantly written, would definitely recommend!