House of the Lost

A work of fiction reveals a nightmarish truth in this spellbinding new psychological thriller from the acclaimed author of Ghost SongWhen novelist Theo Kendal inherits the remote house in which his cousin Charmery was murdered, he believes it will bring him closer to the truth about her death. It will also be the ideal place to finish his new book. But the bleak Fenn House is a lonely and sometimes uncomfortable place to spend the winter and the strangest thing is that Theo's new novel seems to be writing itself—but heading in an unplanned direction. Theo finds himself describing a young boy called Matthew who lives in constant fear of a visit from the cold-eyed men. Struggling to understand the dangerous secrets that surround him and his family, Matthew inhabits a terrifying world where people die in macabre circumstances, where they can be imprisoned without trial or reason, their identities wiped from the world forever. Then Theo discovers that Matthew and his family really existed, part of a dark and violent segment of recent history that threatens to reach across the years to tear his life apart. And somehow it all connects to the death of his cousin Charmery.

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. What starts out as a typical ghost story becomes something much richer and deeper in a psychological thriller that should win Rayne (Ghost Song) a wider readership in the U.S. Soon after English novelist Theo Kendall moves into the isolated Norfolk cottage that belonged to his late cousin and onetime love interest, Charmery Kendall, he's spooked by noises and shadowy figures that raise the possibility that Charmery, who was murdered by drowning in a nearby river, is haunting the house—or him. At the same time, visions Theo has—of a young boy living with the boy's father near a frightening building known as the Black House—dramatically change the focus of the book he's working on. The boy's story becomes the basis for a new work of fiction, even as Theo wonders how real his images are. As strong on characters as on plot, Rayne manages genuine chills throughout. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

About the Author

Sarah Rayne is the pseudonym of a well-known award-winng British author of several suspense novels, including A Dark Dividing, The Death Chamber, and Spider Light.

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