The Cold House - by Angela Slatter (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

When Everly's husband and young daughter die in a car crash she finds out nothing is quite what she thought... Secrets, lies and grief collide in this funny, tragic, intimate and utterly compelling horror novella.

Written by the acclaimed author of the Sourdough Universe novels and winner of multiple awards including the Shirley Jackson and World Fantasy, this searing tale is perfect for fans of Rachel Harrison, Delilah S. Dawson and Sarah-Maria Griffin.

Writer Everly Bainbridge's life is left in ruins when her husband takes their child to the supermarket one day and a lorry collides with their car. After the accident, a lawyer appears on her doorstep and tells her her husband was not who he said he was and she is a very rich widow. She retreats to a lonely house in the countryside to recover. But there's a well in the cellar, a spectacularly cold room, and one night, Everly wakes up with a foot hanging over the emptiness of the well and the echo of her daughter's voice in her ears...

A short, sharp, emotionally layered story of horrific secrets and dangerous lies, this dark, fierce gem of a novella will keep you turning the pages late into the night...

Review Quotes

Praise for The Cold House

"A wonderfully gripping modern gothic tale of haunting, grief, secrets and lies. A remote community, an unreliable narrator, and twisty reveals that keep on coming--I read it in one sitting! Highly recommended!"
Sarah Pinborough, the #1 international bestselling author of We Live Here Now and Netflix's Behind Her Eyes

"The Cold House is a unique blend of folk and grief horror--emotionally raw, captivating, and a twisting, winding descent into darkness. No one does it like Slatter. I'm a fan for life!"
Sadie Hartmann 'Mother Horror', Bram Stoker Award(R)-winning author of 101 Horror Books to Read Before You're Murdered

"Old magic and fresh grief twist together, weaving a growing dread that builds to an explosive conclusion."
Kelley Armstrong, #1 bestselling author of the Rip Through Time series and Every Step She Takes

"Claustrophobic and elegantly plotted, The Cold House is full of grief, mystery, and the pain of family secrets. Slatter just keeps getting better!"
Christopher Golden, New York Times bestselling author of The Night Birds and The House of Last Resort

"A luscious little labyrinth of a book, drenched in ambiance and dripping with delicious prose, full of twists, turns, terror, torment, and triumph."
Delilah S. Dawson, New York Times bestselling author of Bloom and Guillotine

"A gorgeous and unsettling entry into the horror genre. Slatter melds grief and folk horror with a master's touch. There's a tender brutality in her turns of phrase and a humanity in her characters that will move even the hardest soul. If I dared, I'd beg a final request to keep reading and reading and reading."
Kristi DeMeester, author of Dark Sisters and Such a Pretty Smile

"A masterclass in storytelling. Slatter rolls out her devastating revelations smoothly and with perfect timing, drawing us into this sad, terrifying novella with ease, and chilling us to the bone."
Kaaron Warren, author of The Underhistory

"Starting with the classic set up to a psychological thriller, The Cold House quickly morphs into something darker and stranger. Reminiscent of folk horror classics The Wicker Man and Robin Redbreast, this slice of rural noir is punchy, pacy and atmospheric."
Olivia Isaac-Henry author of The Verdict and Sorrow Spring

About the Author

A.G. Slatter has won a Shirley Jackson Award, a World Fantasy Award, a British Fantasy Award, a Ditmar, three Australian Shadows Awards, eight Aurealis Awards and a Premier Ignotus. Most recently, All the Murmuring Bones was shortlisted for the 2021 Queensland Premier's Literary Awards Book of the Year and the 2021 Shirley Jackson Award; The Path of Thorns won both the Aurealis Award for Best Fantasy Novel and the Australian Shadows Award for Best Novel in 2022; and The Briar Book of the Dead has been shortlisted for both the Aurealis and Australian Shadows Awards for 2024. She has a PhD in Creative Writing, is a graduate of Clarion South and the Tin House Summer Writers Workshop, and has been a judge for the World Fantasy and Aurealis Awards. Angela's short stories have appeared in many Best Of anthologies, and her work has been translated into many languages. She lives in Brisbane, Australia with a superannuated beagle and a TBR pile which will likely be the death of her. Find her on her website angelaslatter.com and on social media @angelaslatter