"There are NO ghosts at Larkin Lodge" Emily hears this from everyone. So how can they explain windows and doors opening on their own, muffled voices coming from the upstairs unused bedroom, or the rusty nail in the floor which appears and disappears? It might be post- sepsis syndrome from Emily's fall over the cliff in Ibiza and subsequent three month coma. Or maybe she was going mad. Her husband Freddie thought that it would be good for them to make a fresh start after she recovered, and convinced her to sell their London flat and move to the Cornish moors. The lodge needed a lot of TLC- while it was large and sturdy, no one had lived there for a long time. It was going to be a project for the two of them to reclaim the love they once had for each other, after sorely testing it with bad behavior.
One weekend, they invited their university friends to stay and after dinner and a few drinks, set up a Ouji board. After getting a "yes" to the question of this being a haunted house, they asked if there was anything the spirits wanted to relay. As Emily and her friend held the planchette over the board, it started moving violently spelling "find it" several times. Emily explored the history of the house, while Freddie wrapped up his job in London, leaving her in the house alone. But as she gets closer to the horrible truth of Larkin Lodge, she begins to learn that death may be only the beginning.
This is an original take on the haunted house novel. Pinborough does a great job of ratcheting up the tension, especially on Freddie, who has the most to lose. Both he and Emily are being psychologically traumatized by whatever is haunting the house, and the reader feels it as much as the characters do. Warning: do not read this book while alone on the moors!
Reviewed by Donna Ballard
May 20, 2025
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