The House on Vesper Sands

Richly atmospheric and deliciously eerie, The House on Vesper Sands is a gothic mystery set in Victorian London - best read while the night deepens and lamplight flickers . . .

'Dickens is whirling enviously in his grave' Irish Times
'Clever and funny and exquisitely disturbing' Joanna Cannon
'Spine-tinglingly spooky' Red

In Victorian London, poor women are vanishing, and rumours abound of a shadowy gang known as the Spiriters.

While Gideon Bliss sets out in search of his lost love, a seamstress jumps to her death with a mysterious message stitched into her own skin. Nearby, her aristocratic employer makes an abrupt exit from a gala ball, with society columnist Octavia Hillingdon in pursuit.

And on the sullen Kent shore, as the darkness gathers, secrets lie hidden at the house on Vesper Sands.


Genre: Horror

"Clever and funny and exquisitely disturbing, an utter joy." - Joanna Cannon

"I'm not completely sure what the word 'rollicking' means, but I can personally guarantee that The House on Vesper Sands is a rollicking good read. For a novel about grief, estrangement, and the literal stealing of vulnerable young women's souls, this book is a lot more fun than it has any right to be. Paraic O'Donnell's sheer love of his characters is exuberant and infectious; the dialogue crackles with verve and wit, and the plotting is as intricately satisfying as a heavy pocket watch. The setting may be Victorian , but in modern parlance this novel is an absolute banger." - Jon McGregor

"Like the love child of Dickens and Conan Doyle, but funnier than both." - Liz Nugent

"The most vivid and compelling portrait of late Victorian London since The Crimson Petal and the White." - Sarah Perry