For my second post of the day I’m pleased to welcome you to my stop on the blog tour for deliciously creepy gothic ghost story The Room in the Attic by Louise Douglas. Thank you to Rachel Gilbey and Boldwood Books for giving me the opportunity to read and review this wonderful book.
About the book:
The Room in the Attic
A child who does not know her name…
In 1903 fishermen find a wrecked boat containing a woman, who has been badly beaten, and a young girl. An ambulance is sent for, and the two survivors are taken to All Hallows, the imposing asylum, hidden deep on Dartmoor. The woman remains in a coma, but the little girl, Harriet, awakens and is taken to an attic room, far away from the noise of the asylum, and is put in the care of Nurse Emma Everdeen.
Two motherless boys banished to boarding school…
In 1993, All Hallows is now a boarding school. Following his mother’s death and his father’s hasty remarriage, Lewis Tyler is banished to Dartmoor, stripped of his fashionable clothes, shorn of his long hair, and left feeling more alone than ever. There he meets Isak, another lost soul, and whilst refurbishment of the dormitories is taking place, the boys are marooned up in the attic, in an old wing of the school.
Cries and calls from the past that can no longer be ignored…
All Hallows is a building full of memories, whispers, cries from the past. As Lewis and Isak learn more about the fate of Harriet, and Nurse Emma’s desperate fight to keep the little girl safe, it soon becomes clear there are ghosts who are still restless.
Are they ghosts the boys hear at night in the room above, are they the unquiet souls from the asylum still caught between the walls? And can Lewis and Isak bring peace to All Hallows before the past breaks them first…
Praise for Louise Douglas
‘A brilliantly written, gripping, clever, compelling story, that I struggled to put down. The vivid descriptions, the evocative plot and the intrigue that Louise created, which had me constantly asking questions, made it a highly enjoyable, absolute treasure of a read.’ Kim Nash on The Scarlet Dress
‘A tender, heart-breaking, page-turning read’ Rachel Hore on The House by the Sea
‘The perfect combination of page-turning thriller and deeply emotional family story. Superb.’ Nicola Cornick on The House by the Sea
‘Kept me guessing until the last few pages and the explosive ending took my breath away.’ C.L. Taylor, author of The Accident on Your Beautiful Lies
‘Beautifully written, chillingly atmospheric and utterly compelling, The Secret by the Lake is Louise Douglas at her brilliant best’ Tammy Cohen, author of The Broken
‘A master of her craft, Louise Douglas ratchets up the tension in this haunting and exquisitely written tale of buried secrets and past tragedy.’ Amanda Jennings, author of Sworn Secret
‘A clammy, atmospheric and suspenseful novel, it builds in tension all the way through to the startling final pages.’ Sunday Express, S Magazine
Purchase Link:
Author Bio:
Louise Douglas is the bestselling and brilliantly reviewed author of 6 novels including The Love of my Life and Missing You – a RNA award winner. The Secrets Between Us was a Richard and Judy Book Club pick. She lives in the West Country. Louise’s first book for Boldwood, The House by the Sea was published in March 2020.
Social Media Links:
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Louise-Douglas-Author-340228039335215/
Twitter https://twitter.com/louisedouglas3
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/LouiseDouglas3/
Newsletter Sign Up Link https://mailchi.mp/boldwoodbooks/hfpo47db7v
Bookbub profile https://www.bookbub.com/authors/louise-douglas
My Review:
The Room in the Attic by Louise Douglas is exactly the kind of book I love to read as Halloween approaches. A spooky former asylum full of secrets from the past, All Hallows is now a boarding school located deep in the heart of Dartmoor. It’s 1993 and motherless Lewis Tyler has been banished to the school by his father, making him feel more alone than ever. There he meets Isak, a boy as lonely as he is, who is moved with him into the attic room while the dormitories are being refurbished. But All Hallows is a building full of memories, whispers and cries from the past and it soon becomes clear that these can no longer be ignored…
Told in alternating timelines the story moves seamlessly between 1903 and 1993, revealing a dark and creepy story that kept me enthralled from beginning to end. In 1993 the ghosts from the past are making themselves known to the two young boys now sleeping in the attic and the story of Harriet and Nurse Emma begins to be revealed.
In 1903 a group of fishermen find a badly beaten woman and a young girl. Taken to All Hallows asylum the woman remains in a coma but the young girl, Harriet, is taken to the attic room and put in the care of Nurse Emma Everdeen. Harriet is hidden away from the noise and mayhem of the asylum, locked away with only Nurse Emma for company. At first Emma comes across as stern and unyielding, but soon softens towards Harriet and will stop at nothing to protect her. But where did Harriet and her mother come from? And can Nurse Emma get the young girl to reveal the truth?
The Room in the Attic is a deliciously creepy story with more than a hint of the supernatural. There are shocks and surprises throughout as the old asylum slowly begins to give up its secrets, the intrigue and suspense rising as the story moves towards its conclusion. I love a dark and spooky ghost story that keeps you guessing and this one is a beautifully written gothic mystery that does just that.
An atmospheric, richly detailed ghost story that I would highly recommend.
The Room in the Attic by Louise Douglas is available to purchase now.
Check out what these other brilliant bloggers have to say about this book:
Cal Turner Reviews 