There’s something wrong with Haddon Hall…
In 1876, Eleanor Teague lives in a lonely house far from the glamorous London Society she once knew. Confined to Haddon Hall by agoraphobia, bedevilled by nightmares of the death of her daughter, and haunted by the guilt of a terrible crime she committed, Eleanor depends on the household servants and on her husband Ezra, who is kind, patient… and controlling.
But when an apparition appears at her bedside, and mysterious voices urge her to find the ‘Shadow House’,she’s convincedan uncanny presence dwells within the walls of Haddon Hall, and that the staffare lying to her – they, in turn, fear she’s descending into madness.
As Eleanor’s world starts to fracture, the very foundations of Haddon Hall seem to shake. Why is the attic room locked? What is the Shadow House? Who is the strange woman in the woods? The shocking truth will shatter everything Eleanor thought she knew about her life.
A haunting, high-concept thriller with a jaw-dropping twist,The Strange Lives of Eleanor Teaguewill enthral readers of John Marrs, Gillian McAllister and Stuart Turton
M.K. Hill was a journalist and an award-winning music radio producer before becoming a full-time writer. He’s written the Sasha Dawson series – The Bad Place, The Woman In The Wood – and the Ray Drake series – The Two O’ClockBoy and It Was Her – as well as acclaimed psychological thriller One Bad Thing, and the espionage thriller Zero Kill. He lives in London.
My thoughts: This was very clever and without giving anything away, the concept is really well done and sinister, especially given the rapid growth of technology in our century.
Eleanor (who shares a name with my sister) is riddled with guilt about the death of her daughter and the crime she committed. She’s completely dependent on her husband and their tiny household staff for everything, and feels trapped. But something isn’t right.
Her memories are confusing and muddled, things are strange in the house and when her sister and brother-in-law visit, they seem very worried about her.
She is the only person who can find a way through all the mysteries and confusion, her husband becomes increasingly controlling and distant. The staff don’t seem able to help her, referring to Ezra whenever she asks for anything. But she must leave the house, somehow.
Tense, claustrophobic and creepy, Eleanor’s life spirals out of her control and she needs to regain it if she hopes to survive with her mind intact.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
ramblingmads 