Author: Stephanie Bramwell-Lawes

Historical mysteries

Published on 23 April 2026 by Orenda Books in the United Kingdom.

Hardback | 300 pages
242 x 163 x 32 | 544g

Penniless and newly orphaned Briar Monroe finds shelter at Thornby Manor, a brooding estate above a mist-shrouded lake. But whispers of a dead wife, an estranged son and locked-away secrets haunt its corridors … Atmospheric, intoxicating and laced with peril, a spellbinding historical mystery of love, betrayal, obsession and a house that will not forget…‘Gloriously and traditionally gothic, rich in mist, rattling windowpanes, hidden missives and feverish dreams … an addictive Victorian mystery’ Joanna Miller‘A gripping gothic tale, simmering with menace’ A.J. West‘Fuses the brooding sense of menace of a Brontë novel with the twisty notes of a suspense thriller. A deliciously absorbing gothic mystery’ Vaseem Khan‘Atmospheric and accomplished … steeped in the gothic tradition of mystery and grief’ Essie FoxThere – suddenly – was Thornby Manor.

I would never forget the first time I saw it…A talisman of darkness, an emblem of death.

Warwickshire, 1891. Recently orphaned and left destitute, Briar Monroe accepts the protection of Lord Danville and the shadowed sanctuary of Thornby Manor. The great house looms above a mist-shrouded lake, its corridors heavy with secrets, not least the mysterious death of Lady Elizabeth Danville, and the unspoken tensions between her formidable widower and his magnetic son, Gabriel.

As Briar navigates the undercurrents of a household ruled by watchful servants and locked doors, she is drawn ever deeper into a web of suspicion, desire and fear. Whispers in the night, figures at windows, and a constant sense of being watched leave her questioning not only the truth about Thornby, but her own safety within its walls.

Atmospheric, intoxicating and laced with peril, Thornby Manor is a gothic tale of betrayal, obsession and a house that never forgets.

A simmering, haunting debut for readers who loved Jane Eyre, Rebecca, The Woman in White and The Silent Companions‘An enthralling gothic debut … beautifully written, brimming with tension and full of intriguing, morally grey characters. A wonderfully dark historical mystery that kept me reading until 1am!’ Caroline Lea‘Gothic fiction has a new star’ Annie Garthwaite‘Dark, deliciously unsettling … a spellbinding, emotionally intense, intelligent tale dripping with betrayal and obsession’ Barbara Havelocke‘Darkly dramatic, delicious fun. If you love a gothic novel full of secrets to be unpacked, this is one for you …’ Liz Hyder‘Full of darkness and twisted secrets…’ Kate Griffin‘This tale of mystery and madness, of deception and defiance, of scandal and suspicion, will have readers compulsively turning pages deep into the night’ Naomi Kelsey‘A chilling gothic mystery … as unsettling as the mist that swirls around the manor. The final twist took my breath away’ Emma Cowing‘Immersive and chilling gothic novel with a mystery that keeps you guessing until the final chapter’ Rachel Louise Driscoll‘A tense, atmospheric and masterful work of gothic fiction … as chilling as it is intoxicating’ Cathryn Kemp‘A gripping gothic masterpiece’ Gill Paul‘A gothic mystery written with beauty and elegance’ Liv Matthews‘Beautifully written, moody, haunting’ Louise Swanson‘Unsettling, intoxicatingly gothic, highly original and laced with dread … a must-read debut’ Dan Bassett‘Think Jane Eyre meets Rebecca meets Northanger Abbey with a sprinkling of Wilkie Collins. I absolutely loved it’ Joanna Miller