Available Formats
The Beholders
By (Author) Hester Musson
HarperCollins Publishers
Fourth Estate Ltd
5th June 2024
18th January 2024
United Kingdom
General
Fiction
Thriller / suspense fiction
Classic crime and mystery fiction
Historical adventure fiction
Historical crime and mysteries
Horror and supernatural fiction
Classic fiction: general and literary
Fiction based on or inspired by true events
Narrative theme: Sense of place
823.92
Hardback
336
Width 159mm, Height 240mm, Spine 33mm
540g
'Held me completely in its thrall until the very last line SUSAN STOKES-CHAPMAN, bestselling author of Pandora
A well-researched and thoroughly convincing page-turner LAURA SHEPPERSON, bestselling author of The Heroines
SOME HOUSES ARE HAUNTED BY THE LIVING
June, 1878. The body of a boy is pulled from the depths of the River Thames, suspected to be the beloved missing child of the widely admired Liberal MP Ralph Gethin.
Four months earlier. Harriet is a young maid newly employed at Finton Hall. Fleeing the drudgery of an unwanted engagement in the small village where she grew up, Harriet is entranced by the grand country hall; she is entranced too by her glamorous mistress Clara Gethin, whose unearthly singing voice floats through the house. But Clara, though captivating, is erratic. The master of the house is a much-lauded politician, but he is strangely absent. And some of their beautiful belongings seem to tell terrible stories.
Unable to ignore her growing unease, Harriet sets out to discover their secrets. When she uncovers a shocking truth, a chain of events is set in motion that could cost Harriet everything, even her freedom
A page-turning epistolary novel which takes us on a weaving tale of intrigue, full of heart, that held me completely in its thrall until the very last line. Bravo! Susan Stokes-Chapman, number one bestselling author of Pandora
A dark slice of the sort of gothic nineteenth-century readers were warned against. Thrumming with tension and posing chewy questions about power and complicity, within two pages it had me in its grip and I couldnt bring myself to look away. Uneasy, unsettling, and unputdownable. Lianne Dillsworth, author of Theatre of Marvels
A well-researched and thoroughly convincing page-turner Laura Shepperson, bestselling author of The Heroines
An atmospheric historical thriller with layer upon layer of secrets and twists that kept me guessing right through to the novels exquisite ending. Simultaneously enthralling and unsettling, this book examines the darkness beneath the surface of Victorian society with deft and unflinching brushstrokes. I cant wait to read more from Hester Musson. Katie Lumsden, author of The Secrets of Hartwood Hall
Hester Musson studied at Bristol University and the RCS in Glasgow. She worked as an actress and autocue operator in London before writing full time, and now lives in Scotland.