Synopses & Reviews
"One of the finest literary craftsmen currently working is writing horror: Catriona Ward." —Olivie Blake, New York Times bestselling author
From Catriona Ward, author of The Last House on Needless Street, comes another mind-bending and cleverly crafted tale about the stories that shape us, and how easily they can escape us.
In a cottage overlooking the windswept Maine coast, Wilder Harlow begins the last book he will ever write. It is the story of a sun-drenched summer of his youth and of the killer that stalked the small New England town. Of the terrible tragedy that forever bonded him with his friends Nat and Harper in unknowable ways. Of a horror that has followed them over the years.
Wilder has returned to the town decades later in an attempt to recount that summer's events in his memoirs. But as he writes, Wilder begins to fear his grip on the truth is fading, and events in the manuscript start to chime eerily with the present. He's even started seeing a dark-haired woman down in the icy waters below the cottage, but nobody else can.
No longer able to trust his own eyes, Wilder begins to fear that this will not only be his last book, but the last thing he ever does...
"An alchemist of storytelling." —Chris Whitaker, New York Times bestselling author of We Begin At the End
Review
"This twisted tale of ghosts and murderers, derailed lives and childhood traumas is a vertical labyrinth that will take you straight down into the heart of darkness. Enthralling and heartbreaking." M. R. Carey, author of The Girl with All the Gifts
Review
"Catriona Ward's books are each potent, dark, immersive, and surprising. Looking Glass Sound is a frightening nesting doll of a novel about ghosts and monsters, trauma and loss, and the specific aching intensity of teenage friendships. Perhaps most of all, it's a book about stories-and their ability to save or destroy the teller. You'll stay up all night wandering the labyrinth Ward has deftly constructed." Katie Gutierrez, bestselling author of More Than You'll Ever Know
Review
"In the right hands, narrative can be a kaleidoscope, fracturing into more and more wondrous configurations. I think maybe Catriona Ward spilled a little blood into her kaleidoscope with this one." Stephen Graham Jones, New York Times bestselling author of The Only Good Indians
Synopsis
"If you love the novels of Shirley Jackson, Patricia Highsmith, and Tana French, here's your next obsession."--Kelly Link, author of White Cat, Black Dog
From Catriona Ward, author of The Last House on Needless Street, comes a masterful story about friendship and betrayal, dark obsessions, and the impossibility of escaping your own story.
In a cottage overlooking the windswept Maine coast, Wilder Harlow has begun the last book he will ever write.
It is the story about the sun-drenched summer days of his youth in Whistler Bay, and the blood-stained path of the killer that stalked his small vacation town. About the terrible secret he and his companions, Nat and Harper, discovered entombed in the coves off the bay. And how the pact they swore that day echoed down the decades, forever shaping their lives.
But the more Wilder writes, the less he trusts himself and his memory. He starts to see things that can't be real - notes hidden in his cupboards, from an old friend now dead; a woman with dark hair drowning in the icy waters below, calling for help; entire chapters he doesn't recall typing, appearing overnight. Who, or what, is haunting Wilder?
No longer able to trust his own eyes, Wilder begins to fear that this will not only be his last book, but the last thing he ever does.
"An origami puzzle of a book, the mystery so beautifully crafted you don't see the folds, with edges sharp as a paper cut."--Lauren Beukes, author of The Shining Girls
Synopsis
"If you love the novels of Shirley Jackson, Patricia Highsmith, and Tana French, here's your next obsession."--Kelly Link, author of Pulitzer Prize finalist Get In Trouble
An Indie Next Pick - A LibraryReads Hall of Fame Pick - A Most Anticipated Book by Paste, GoodReads, Polygon, BookRiot, and more
From Catriona Ward, author of The Last House on Needless Street, comes a masterful story about friendship and betrayal, dark obsessions, and the impossibility of escaping your own story.
In a cottage overlooking the windswept Maine coast, Wilder Harlow has begun the last book he will ever write.
It is the story about the sun-drenched summer days of his youth in Whistler Bay, and the blood-stained path of the killer that stalked his small vacation town. About the terrible secret he and his companions, Nat and Harper, discovered entombed in the coves off the bay. And how the pact they swore that day echoed down the decades, forever shaping their lives.
But the more Wilder writes, the less he trusts himself and his memory. He starts to see things that can't be real - notes hidden in the cabin, from an old friend now dead; a woman with dark hair drowning in the icy waters below, calling for help; entire chapters he doesn't recall typing, appearing overnight. Who, or what, is haunting Wilder?
No longer able to trust his own eyes, Wilder begins to fear that this will not only be his last book, but the last thing he ever does.
"An origami puzzle of a book, the mystery so beautifully crafted you don't see the folds, with edges sharp as a paper cut."--Lauren Beukes, author of The Shining Girls
Synopsis
A USA TODAY BESTSELLER - An Indie Next Pick - A LibraryReads Hall of Fame Pick
The author of The Last House on Needless Street, Catriona Ward, delivers a masterful story about friendship and betrayal, dark obsessions, and the impossibility of escaping your own story. "Here's your next obsession." (Kelly Link, author of Get In Trouble)
In a cottage overlooking the windswept Maine coast, Wilder Harlow has begun the last book he will ever write.
It is the story about the sun-drenched summer days of his youth in Whistler Bay, and the blood-stained path of the killer that stalked his small vacation town. About the terrible secret he and his companions, Nat and Harper, discovered entombed in the coves off the bay. And how the pact they swore that day echoed down the decades, forever shaping their lives.
But the more Wilder writes, the less he trusts himself and his memory. He starts to see things that can't be real - notes hidden in the cabin, from an old friend now dead; a woman with dark hair drowning in the icy waters below, calling for help; entire chapters he doesn't recall typing, appearing overnight. Who, or what, is haunting Wilder?
No longer able to trust his own eyes, Wilder begins to fear that this will not only be his last book, but the last thing he ever does.
"An origami puzzle of a book, the mystery so beautifully crafted you don't see the folds, with edges sharp as a paper cut."--Lauren Beukes, author of The Shining Girls
Synopsis
A USA TODAY BESTSELLER - A Best Book of the Year (Vulture) - A Best Horror Book of the Year (Esquire) - An Indie Next Pick - A LibraryReads Hall of Fame Pick
The author of The Last House on Needless Street, Catriona Ward, delivers a masterful story about friendship and betrayal, dark obsessions, and the impossibility of escaping your own story. "Here's your next obsession." (Kelly Link, author of Get In Trouble)
In a cottage overlooking the windswept Maine coast, Wilder Harlow has begun the last book he will ever write.
It is the story about the sun-drenched summer days of his youth in Whistler Bay, and the blood-stained path of the killer that stalked his small vacation town. About the terrible secret he and his companions, Nat and Harper, discovered entombed in the coves off the bay. And how the pact they swore that day echoed down the decades, forever shaping their lives.
But the more Wilder writes, the less he trusts himself and his memory. He starts to see things that can't be real - notes hidden in the cabin, from an old friend now dead; a woman with dark hair drowning in the icy waters below, calling for help; entire chapters he doesn't recall typing, appearing overnight. Who, or what, is haunting Wilder?
No longer able to trust his own eyes, Wilder begins to fear that this will not only be his last book, but the last thing he ever does.
"An origami puzzle of a book, the mystery so beautifully crafted you don't see the folds, with edges sharp as a paper cut."--Lauren Beukes, author of The Shining Girls
Synopsis
A USA TODAY BESTSELLER - A Best Book of 2023(Vulture) - A Best Horror Book of All Time (Cosmopolitan) - A Best Horror Book of 2023 (Esquire) - An Indie Next Pick - A LibraryReads Hall of Fame Pick
The author of The Last House on Needless Street, Catriona Ward, delivers a masterful story about friendship and betrayal, dark obsessions, and the impossibility of escaping your own story. "Here's your next obsession." (Kelly Link, author of Get In Trouble)
In a cottage overlooking the windswept Maine coast, Wilder Harlow has begun the last book he will ever write.
It is the story about the sun-drenched summer days of his youth in Whistler Bay, and the blood-stained path of the killer that stalked his small vacation town. About the terrible secret he and his companions, Nat and Harper, discovered entombed in the coves off the bay. And how the pact they swore that day echoed down the decades, forever shaping their lives.
But the more Wilder writes, the less he trusts himself and his memory. He starts to see things that can't be real - notes hidden in the cabin, from an old friend now dead; a woman with dark hair drowning in the icy waters below, calling for help; entire chapters he doesn't recall typing, appearing overnight. Who, or what, is haunting Wilder?
No longer able to trust his own eyes, Wilder begins to fear that this will not only be his last book, but the last thing he ever does.
"An origami puzzle of a book, the mystery so beautifully crafted you don't see the folds, with edges sharp as a paper cut."--Lauren Beukes, author of The Shining Girls
About the Author
Catriona Ward was born in Washington, DC, and grew up in the United States, Kenya, Madagascar, Yemen, and Morocco. She studied English at the University of Oxford and later earned her master's degree in creative writing at the University of East Anglia. Ward is a three-time winner of the August Derleth Award for Best Horror Novel: for The Girl from Rawblood, her debut; Little Eve; and The Last House on Needless Street. Little Eve also won the Shirley Jackson Award for Best Novel. Ward is the international bestselling author of The Last House on Needless Street and Sundial.