A town gripped by fear. A woman cast out. Can he save Pale Harbor from itself?
Maine, 1846. Gabriel Stone is desperate to escape the ghosts that haunt him in Massachusetts after his wife’s death, so he moves to Maine, taking a position as a minister in the remote village of Pale Harbor.
But not all is as it seems in the sleepy town. Strange, unsettling things have been happening, and the townspeople claim that only one person can be responsible: Sophronia Carver, a reclusive widow who lives with a spinster maid in the eerie Castle Carver. Sophronia must be a witch, and she almost certainly killed her husband.
As the incidents escalate, one thing becomes clear: they are the work of a twisted person inspired by the wildly popular stories of Mr. Edgar Allan Poe. And Gabriel must find answers, or Pale Harbor will suffer a fate worthy of Poe’s darkest tales.
HESTER FOX is a keen painter and has a master’s degree in historical archaeology, as well as a background in medieval studies and art history. Hester lives outside of Boston with her husband, cat and new baby.
The Widow of Pale Harbour is her second novel.
The Witch of Willow Hall
The Widow of Pale Harbour
Hester Fox
An imprint of HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
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London SE1 9GF
First published in Great Britain by HQ in 2019
Copyright © Tess Fedore 2019
Tess Fedore asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.
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Ebook Edition © September 2019 ISBN: 9781474083898
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Everyone is enchanted by Hester Fox!
‘This debut recalls Georgette Heyer, with extra spookiness’
The Times
‘Creepy, tense, heartbreaking and beautifully, achingly romantic’
Cressida McLaughlin
‘Steeped in Gothic eeriness it’s spine-tingling and very atmospheric’
Nicola Cornick
‘Beautifully written, with an intriguing plot full of suspense and mystery, The Witch of Willow Hall will cast a spell over every reader’
Lisa Hall
‘A wonderful debut novel’
Linda Finlay
And readers have fallen under her spell too!
‘I could NOT put this thing down!’
‘Do yourself a huge favour and read this NOW!’
‘Historical fiction with a side of romance and major helping of creepiness, this debut novel hits the mark!’
‘Hester Fox has the unique and amazing ability to transport readers to another time and place’
‘The perfect autumn read’
‘The ULTIMATE page turner!’
To Mike
Contents
