Melanie Golding is a graduate of the MA in creative writing program at Bath Spa University, with distinction. She has been employed in many occupations including farm hand, factory worker, childminder and music teacher. Throughout all this, because and in spite of it, there was always the writing.
The Wicked Girls (2026) Roz Watkins "Roz is a wonderful writer, and the characters here are so well drawn! I was kept gripped to the final page by the mystery. A deeply troubling situation in a beautiful, wild setting, with characters you really care about. Add in a gothic mansion, the creepiest doll you've ever imagined and a curse that won't relent, and you have the perfect mix!"
The Short Straw (2023) Holly Seddon "A highly enjoyable, many-layered mystery with a masterfully handled sense of foreboding...Ending was by turns terrifying, suspenseful, and heart-breaking."
Stay (2023) Jane Bailey "I started reading Jane Bailey's Stay quite late at night, and that was my first mistake, because I couldn't put it down! Such a unique and suspenseful piece of drama, masterfully done."
The Woods are Waiting (2023) Katherine Greene "A fantastic read! Loved the creepy, folkloric sense of dread, the small town atmosphere, the mysterious woods and everything that lurks in them. Kept me guessing right to the end, so twisty!"
Other Women (2023) Emma Flint "Heartbreaking. I wanted it to go on and on, even as I raced to the end. Excellent, absorbing and totally gripping."
They Drown Our Daughters (2022) Katrina Monroe "An atmospheric, absorbing, multi-generational novel which explores the way historical events can impact the present. I'm always fully on board for anything that shines a light on the intense and difficult bonds between mothers and daughters, so this hit the mark for me! I was at turns terrified by the air of ghostly myth and compelled by the excellent prose. A brilliant achievement!"
Her Perfect Family (2021) (PI Matthew Hill) Teresa Driscoll "Her Perfect Family is a thrilling ride, a finely-crafted mystery that begins with a terrible act of violence, a mother's worst nightmare. I was gripped from the first page - I loved it!"
Good Neighbours (2021) Sarah Langan "A brilliant story. I was completely absorbed by the world Sarah Langan created. The interspersing of the media excerpts was inspired and my interest was piqued and then my assumptions were blown away by the end. I even felt a little sorry for the monster that is Rhea. Clever, arresting and thought-provoking, Good Neighbors gripped hold of me like the best kind of thriller."
It Will Just Be Us (2020) Jo Kaplan "A truly chilling novel with an ending that will take your breath away. Mad Catherine's house is (literally) the stuff of nightmares, and in Julian, Jo has created one of the most frightening characters I've come across since Gabe from Pet Semetary. I couldn't read it too late at night, and I had to cover up my mirrors! Also very glad I live in a modern house nowhere near a swamp."
Somewhere in the Dark (2020) R J Jacobs "A superb story, it is such wonderfully told, gripping, edge-of-your seat stuff. I really rooted for Jessie. The ending was truly moving, too. This book deserves to fly off the shelves!"
Survival Instincts (2020) Jen Waite "A beautifully written, masterfully paced thriller with kick-ass female characters who have to face insidious, and sadly plausible, abuse. Every woman with a mother or a daughter will recognize something of themselves in this book."
Keep Him Close (2020) Emily Koch "Intriguing, heart-breaking...a mystery novel with a beautiful character study at its heart."
Stephanie Wrobel "I love it. Fascinating, immersive, whip-smart, with a supremely clever ending that left me gasping."
I Spy (2019) Claire Kendal "Pacy, compelling and thrilling, with such an original premise."
I See Through You (2018) Daisy McNally "A wonderful read for those who enjoy authentic characters, exquisite writing and intriguing plotlines. I loved it."
The Necessary Marriage (2018) Elisa Lodato "Tragic and affecting, this novel absorbed me from the first page - and what an ending, wow!"
