Laura Purcell

Consumption has ravaged Louise Pinecroft's family, leaving her and her father alone and heartbroken. But Dr Pinecroft has plans for a revolutionary experiment: convinced that sea air will prove to be the cure his wife and children needed, he arranges to house a group of prisoners suffering from the same disease in the cliffs beneath his new Cornish home. While he devotes himself to his controversial medical trials, Louise finds herself increasingly discomfited by the strange tales her new maid tells of the fairies that hunt the land, searching for those they can steal away to their realm. Forty years later, Hester Why arrives at Morvoren House to take up a position as nurse to the now partially paralysed and almost entirely mute Miss Pinecroft. Hester has fled to Cornwall to try and escape her past, but surrounded by superstitious staff enacting bizarre rituals, she soon discovers that her new home may be just as dangerous as her last.

ISBN 9789876097147 moved to this edition. Apenas con unos meses de casada, Elsie ha enviudado y es enviada a vivir su embarazo a la deteriorada casa de campo de su difunto esposo, The Bridge. Rodeada de resentidos sirvientes por extrañas muertes ocurridas en la casa, Elsie solo cuenta con la incómoda prima de su marido. Pero su nuevo hogar no es menos hostil, habitaciones cerradas repentinamente abiertas, un diario de doscientos años, con la terrible historia de un antepasado de la familia, y unas figuras de madera profundamente inquietantes, llevarán a Elsie a situaciones extremas.

Einige Türen sind aus einem bestimmten Grund verschlossen ... England, 1866: Als Elsie den reichen Erben Rupert Bainbridge heiratet, glaubt sie, nun ein Leben im Luxus vor sich zu haben. Doch nur wenige Wochen nach ihrer Hochzeit ist sie bereits verwitwet. Und dazu schwanger. Elsie bezieht das alte Landgut ihres verstorbenen Mannes. Da ihre neuen Diener ihr gegenüber äußert reserviert sind, hat Elsie nur die ungeschickte Cousine ihres Mannes zur Gesellschaft. Zumindest glaubt sie das. Doch in ihrem neuen Zuhause existiert ein verschlossener Raum. Als sich dessen Tür für sie öffnet, findet sie ein 200 Jahre altes Tagebuch und eine beunruhigende, lebensgroße Holzfigur – eine stille Gefährtin ... Die Hälfte der ersten Auflage erschien mit einem Buchschnitt aus Goldfolie.

Ogni casa ha i suoi segreti. Ogni cuore le sue ombre.Inghilterra, 1865. Rimasta vedova e incinta del primo figlio, la giovane e inquieta Elsie parte alla volta della tenuta del marito insieme alla zitellissima cugina di lui, Sarah. Ma in quell’angolo di campagna inglese remoto e inospitale, l’opportunità di trascorrere in pace il periodo del lutto diventa qualcosa di molto più simile a una prigionia: un esilio opprimente in attesa che l’amato fratello Jolyon giunga da Londra a salvare Elsie dall’isolamento e dalla noia. A distrarre lei e Sarah dalla cupa atmosfera in cui sono sprofondate, solo l’intrigante diario di un’antenata dei Bainbridge, Anna, vissuta e tragicamente morta più di duecento anni prima; e la stanza in cui giacciono ammassate decine di figure di legno dalle sembianze realistiche e straordinariamente inquietanti. Quegli “amici silenziosi” che Anna si procurò allo scopo di deliziare ospiti illustri, presto costretti a ripartire in circostanze mai del tutto chiarite. A lungo in testa alle classifiche inglesi, acclamato tanto dai lettori quanto dai critici, Gli amici silenziosi è un piccolo gioiello nel solco di intramontabili classici quali Giro di vite e Rebecca la prima moglie. Un noir dalle sfumature gotiche modernissimo e sapiente nell’evocare psicologie e atmosfere.«La lettura perfetta per una notte d’inverno.» - The Guardian«Conturbante e irresistibile.» - The Times

'Laura Purcell really is a master of the unsettling ghost story' Jen WilliamsNot every house is a home...Belinda Bainbridge has spent her life in the shadow of her controlling mother, so when her father-in-law dies at The Bridge, his remote ancestral seat, she is secretly thrilled. His death means she, her husband Wilfred and their children can relocate and finally begin to create their own happy home together. Their new residence is not without the garden is a wilderness, the estate is struggling financially, there are whispers about the mysterious death of a servant many years before... When Wilfred's charismatic brother, Nathan, arrives from abroad, he brings much needed excitement and energy. But he also brings rumours of a curse on the house. Belinda has questions. What happened to Nathan and Wilfred's sister in childhood? What led to the sudden death of her father in law? Are her children safe?And what part do the strange wooden figures around the household have to play in the events?The outstanding new haunted house story from Sunday Times bestseller and multi award winner, Laura Purcell. Adored by readers, The Silent Companions was picked for both the Radio 2 Book Club and the Zoe Ball ITV Book Clubs, and reignited readers' passion for classic gothic tales for a new audience. House of Splinters revisits her iconic setting of The Bridge for a fresh new tale to chill and thrill new readers and existing fans to their very depths.

Ten cuidado con lo que deseas... Podría convertirse en realidad En el teatro Mercury de Londres circulan rumores sobre una maldición. Se dice que Lilith, la actriz principal, ha hecho un pacto con Melpómene, la trágica musa de la mitología griega, para convertirse en la actriz más importante que haya pisado un escenario. Albergando sospechas sobre Lilith, la esposa del propietario del teatro envía a Jenny, la encargada del vestuario, a espiarla; ella, desesperada por conseguir más dinero para ayudar a su familia, acepta el encargo. Lo que Jenny descubre es que Lilith es una mujer tan asombrosa en sus actuaciones como provocativa en la vida real. Sobre el escenario, parece que esté poseída por los personajes a los que interpreta, pero fuera de él, es tan trágica como la Musa que la inspira. Sintiendo lástima por ella, Jenny se hace amiga de la atormentada actriz. Pero cuando empiezan a tener lugar extraños sucesos alrededor del teatro, empieza a preguntarse si los rumores son ciertos, y a temer que cuando la Musa llegue reclamando su pago, el coste sea demasiado alto.

Orphaned and trapped in an abusive marriage, Henrietta Howard has little left to lose. She stakes everything on a new life in Hanover with its royal family, the heirs to the British throne. Henrietta’s beauty and intelligence soon win her the friendship of clever Princess Caroline and her mercurial husband, Prince George. But, as time passes, it becomes clear that friendship is the last thing on the hot-blooded young prince’s mind. Dare Henrietta give into his advances and anger her violent husband? Dare she refuse? Whatever George’s shortcomings, Princess Caroline is determined to make the family a success. Yet the feud between her husband and his obstinate father threatens all she has worked for. As England erupts in Jacobite riots, her family falls apart. She vows to save the country for her children to inherit – even if it costs her pride and her marriage. Set in the turbulent years of the Hanoverian accession, Mistress of the Court tells the story of two remarkable women at the center of George II’s reign.

From award-winning bestseller Laura Purcell comes her YA debut, MOONSTONE, a sparkling, chilling gothic romance with real bite… Following a scandal at Vauxhall pleasure gardens, Camille is sent away to her reclusive godmother, who keeps a strict watch over her and her own sickly daughter, Lucy. Camille must stay away from everything she has known until the scandal is forgotten, keeping strictly to the small farmhouse in the woods. Away from the corsetry and curtsies of polite society, Camille finds herself surprisingly…free. She is also strangely drawn to Lucy, a pale, fragile girl who dreams of stars, but has never left the farm. Yet as Camille and Lucy grow close and cross forbidden boundaries, the fine balance of their woodland home begins to death stalks between the trees, claw-marks rake the doors and the moon rises to the song of a creature Camille has never heard before. Camille begins to realise her godmother was holding more than unladylike behaviour at bay… Perfect for fans of Kiran Millwood Hargrave and Silvia Moreno Garcia, MOONSTONE is the spooky and seductive new YA from the award-winning, SUNDAY TIMES bestselling author of THE SILENT COMPANIONS, Laura Purcell.

Quando Elsie perdeu o marido apenas algumas semanas após o casamento, achou que já tinha sofrido o suficiente para uma vida inteira. Praticamente sozinha em uma casa enorme e isolada, ela jamais imaginou que os companheiros silencio¬sos — painéis de madeira que imitavam pessoas em atividades cotidianas —, um dia, seguiriam seus movimentos com os olhinhos pintados. Muito menos que eles apareceriam por conta própria em cômodos aleatórios… Acenda uma vela e nos acompanhe na escuridão. A DarkSide® Books pavorosamente apresenta O Silêncio da Casa Fria, o novo lançamento da linha DarkLove: uma história sombria, sinistra e gelada — um verdadeiro tributo aos romances góticos clássicos que tanto amamos. Para escrever este livro, a autora Laura Purcell se inspirou em um costume euro¬peu popular nos séculos XVIII e XIX, especialmente entre os ingleses e holandeses. Nele, famílias aristocráticas pregavam peças com tábuas de madeira ricamente pintadas e esculpidas. Criados, soldados, plantas, animais… e, aqui, uma criança estranhamente familiar, com um sorriso travesso e uma rosa branca na mão. Com uma habilidade narrativa que transporta o leitor para a época vitoriana — e suas densas neblinas, costumes peculiares, a tão presente discussão entre a ciência e o sobrenatural —, Laura Purcell desenrola uma trama cheia de nuances enquanto Elsie vai abrindo as portas da casa para tentar desvendar o mistério dos companheiros — e também do seu passado. O tempo, às vezes, demora a passar no silêncio da casa fria. Com a atmosfera lúgubre típica das histórias de fantasma vitorianas, O Silêncio da Casa Fria honra os melhores contos góticos. A história de uma mulher con¬frontada com um medo irracional, que coloca em xeque sua própria sanidade. Estaria Elsie vendo coisas como forma de dar sentido ao luto? Ou realmente havia algo sobrenatural morando sob o mesmo teto que ela? Algumas portas devem permanecer trancadas.

London 1788. The calm order of Queen Charlotte’s court is shattered by screams. The King of England is going mad. Left alone with thirteen children and with the country at war, Charlotte has to fight to hold her husband’s throne. It is a time of unrest and revolutions but most of all Charlotte fears the King himself, someone she can no longer love or trust. She has lost her marriage to madness and there is nothing she can do except continue to do her royal duty. Her six daughters are desperate to escape their palace asylum. Their only chance lies in a good marriage, but no prince wants the daughter of a madman. They are forced to take love wherever they can find it, with devastating consequences. The moving true story of George III’s madness and the women whose lives it destroyed.

The new Victorian chiller from the author of Radio 2 and Zoe Ball ITV Book Club pick, The Silent Companions. Is prisoner Ruth Butterham mad or a murderer? Victim or villain? Dorothea and Ruth. Prison visitor and prisoner. Powerful and powerless. Dorothea Truelove is young, wealthy and beautiful. Ruth Butterham is young, poor and awaiting trial for murder. When Dorothea's charitable work leads her to Oakgate Prison, she is delighted with the chance to explore her fascination with phrenology and test her hypothesis that the shape of a person's skull can cast a light on their darkest crimes. But when she meets teenage seamstress Ruth, she is faced with another theory: that it is possible to kill with a needle and thread. For Ruth attributes her crimes to a supernatural power inherent in her stitches. The story Ruth has to tell of her deadly creations - of bitterness and betrayal, of death and dresses - will shake Dorothea's belief in rationality, and the power of redemption. Can Ruth be trusted? Is she mad, or a murderer?

A gothic tale set in a rambling house by the sea in which a maid cares for a mute old woman with a mysterious past, alongside her superstitious staff--from the author of The Silent Companions. A perfect spooky read! Consumption has ravaged Louise Pinecroft's family, leaving her and her father alone and heartbroken. But Dr. Pinecroft has plans for a revolutionary experiment: convinced that sea air will prove to be the cure his wife and children needed, he arranges to house a group of prisoners suffering from the disease in the caves beneath his new Cornish home. While he devotes himself to his controversial medical trials, Louise finds herself increasingly discomfited by the strange tales her new maid tells of the fairies that hunt the land, searching for those they can steal away to their realm. Forty years later, Hester arrives at Morvoren House to take up a position as nurse to the now partially paralyzed and mute Miss Pinecroft. Hester has fled to Cornwall to try to escape her past, but surrounded by superstitious staff enacting bizarre rituals, she soon discovers her new home may be just as dangerous as her last.

A collection of three deliciously dark, atmospheric read with the lights on. The Silent winner of the WHS Thumping Good Read award '[An] extraordinary, memorable and truly haunting book' Jojo Moyes Some doors are locked for a reason... Newly widowed Elsie is sent to see out her pregnancy at her late husband's remote country estate only to discover a mysterious locked door. The Corset 'The Corset is a contender for my Book of the Year. Beautifully written, intricately plotted, a masterpiece' Sarah Hilary Is prisoner Ruth Butterham mad or a murderer? Victim or villain? Bone China 'Deliciously sinister' Heat A scientist attempts a revolutionary experiment in the caves under a Cornish manor house. Forty years later, the young daughter of the house is now an almost mute invalid, haunted by what she saw.

A thrilling Victorian gothic horror tale about a young seamstress who claims her needle and thread have the power to kill Dorothea Truelove is young, wealthy, and beautiful. Ruth Butterham is young, poor, and awaiting trial for murder. When Dorothea's charitable work brings her to Oakgate Prison, she is delighted by the chance to explore her fascination with phrenology and test her hypothesis that the shape of a person's skull can cast a light on their darkest crimes. But when she meets one of the prisoners, the teenaged seamstress Ruth, she is faced with another strange idea: that it is possible to kill with a needle and thread--because Ruth attributes her crimes to a supernatural power inherent in her stitches. The story Ruth has to tell of her deadly creations--of bitterness and betrayal, of death and dresses--will shake Dorothea's belief in rationality, and the power of redemption. Can Ruth be trusted? Is she mad, or a murderer? The Poison Thread is a spine-tingling, sinister read about the evil that lurks behind the facade of innocence.

"As the age of the photograph dawns in Victorian Bath, silhouette artist Agnes is struggling to keep her business afloat. Still recovering from a serious illness herself, making enough money to support her elderly mother and her orphaned nephew Cedric has never been easy, but then one of her clients is murdered shortly after sitting for Agnes, and then another, and another... Why is the killer seemingly targeting her business? Desperately seeking an answer, Agnes approaches Pearl, a child spirit medium lodging in Bath with her older half-sister and her ailing father, hoping that if Pearl can make contact with those who died, they might reveal who killed them. But Agnes and Pearl quickly discover that instead they may have opened the door to something that they can never put back"--

When newly widowed Elsie is sent to see out her pregnancy at her late husband's crumbling country estate, The Bridge, what greets her is far from the life of wealth and privilege she was expecting . . . When Elsie married handsome young heir Rupert Bainbridge, she believed she was destined for a life of luxury. But with her husband dead just weeks after their marriage, her new servants resentful, and the local villagers actively hostile, Elsie has only her husband's awkward cousin for company. Or so she thinks. Inside her new home lies a locked door, beyond which is a painted wooden figure —a silent companion —-that bears a striking resemblance to Elsie herself. The residents of The Bridge are terrified of the figure, but Elsie tries to shrug this off as simple superstition--that is, until she notices the figure's eyes following her. A Victorian ghost story that evokes a most unsettling kind of fear, this is a tale that creeps its way through the consciousness in ways you least expect--much like the silent companions themselves.

From the Sunday Times bestselling author comes a gripping tale of obsession, superstition and ambition, set against the atmospheric backdrop of Victorian London. Be careful what you wish for it may just come true. At The Mercury Theatre in London's West End, rumours are circulating of a curse. It is said that the lead actress Lilith has made a pact with Melpomene, the tragic muse of Greek mythology, to become the greatest actress to ever grace the stage. Suspicious of Lilith, the jealous wife of the theatre owner sends dresser Jenny to spy on her, and, desperate for the money to help her family, Jenny agrees. What Jenny finds is a woman as astonishing in her performance as she is provocative in her nature. On stage, it's as though Lilith is possessed by the characters she plays, yet off stage she is as tragic as the muse who inspires her, and Jenny, sorry for her, befriends the troubled actress. But when strange events begin to take place around the theatre, Jenny wonders whether the rumours are true and fears that when the muse comes calling for payment, the cost will be too high.

二十五歲的朵蘿西亞是名門閨秀，在他人眼裡，她的命運清晰可見：找個門當戶對的好人家嫁了，在家相夫教子，享受榮華富貴。但，這種人生並非她想要的版本，真正佔據她心思的，是犯罪顱相學。她深信：一個人的頭顱，能夠揭示他的天性、人格以及命運。若是能證明殺人犯的慾望與某部分的頭骨有關，就能及早介入輔導，拯救無辜性命，也讓人免於誤入歧途。 為了收集實際案例，朵蘿西亞時常以慈善之名造訪監獄，明面上陪女囚禱告，實則進行第一手觀察，細細量測並紀錄她們的頭顱形狀。這些年，她曾與無數殺人犯共處一室，瘋的、懊悔的、衝動的、變態的，但沒有一位像此刻眼前的這位十六歲少女──露絲──如此冷靜自持，卻又幾近瘋狂地自白，娓娓道出她的身世，以及她是如何用針線讓多人命喪黃泉。 區區一組針線，怎有可能殺人？若真有此事，她又是如何做到的？ 露絲縝密的復仇計畫是哪裡出了亂子，讓她身陷囹圄？這些自白究竟是她的懊悔自白，還是瘋人的囈語？無形的針線將朵蘿西亞和露絲的人生縫合，兩人又會因此迎來何種意想不到的結局？