Not every house is a home…

Belinda Bainbridge has spent her life in the shadow of her anxious mother, so when her father-in-law dies at The Bridge, his remote ancestral seat, she is secretly thrilled. His death means she, her husband Wilfred and their children can relocate and finally begin to create their own happy home born a merchant’s daughter, she will now be lady of the manor.

But their new home quickly proves far from ideal. The garden is a wilderness, the estate is struggling financially, there are whispers about the mysterious death of a servant many years before while their young son, Freddie, seems unusually fixated on the strange wooden figures – so-called ‘silent companions’ – that were once owned by his ancestors.

When Wilfred’s charismatic brother, Nathan, arrives unexpectedly from abroad, bringing a very different account of the family’s past, Belinda begins to question what her husband has told her. What really lies behind the sad history of the house?

And are Belinda’s children truly safe here?

The outstanding new haunted house story from Sunday Times bestseller and multi award winner, Laura Purcell. Adored by readers, The Silent Companions was picked for both the Radio 2 Book Club and the Zoe Ball ITV Book Clubs, and reignited readers’ passion for classic gothic tales for a new audience. House of Splinters revisits her iconic setting of The Bridge for a fresh new tale to chill and thrill new readers and existing fans to their very depths.

My Review

I’ve loved all of Laura’s books, but The Silent Companions has always been my favourite. I couldn’t believe we would be revisiting spooky house The Bridge, where it was set, in her latest novel House of Splinters.

There is something very creepy about the whole concept of ‘silent companions’. Each of these strange wooden figures resembles someone who lived at the house many years before, from the murdered footman Roberts and Wilfred’s late father, to Henrietta Maria, a supposedly wicked child who committed a series of heinous crimes and was eventually killed by her own mother, Anne Bainbridge.

Like Wilfred’s sister who was said to have the gift of sight, Freddie can see and talk to Henrietta Maria, or Hetty as he calls her. And he must take care of his baby sister Lydia and keep her from harm.

But when Wilfred’s estranged younger brother Nathan turns up after 18 years, things take a stranger turn. He is nothing but charm and charisma, but why was he sent away? And what is his relationship now with his brother?

Once again I listened to this on Audible and I am now waiting for Laura’s next Gothic mystery. It was brilliant and scary with some shocking moments I didn’t expect.

About the Author

Laura Purcell is a former bookseller and lives in Colchester with her husband and pet guinea pigs.

Her first novel for Raven Books The Silent Companions won the WH Smith Thumping Good Read Award 2018 and featured in both the Zoe Ball and Radio 2 Book Clubs. Other Gothic novels include The Corset (The Poison Thread in USA), Bone China, The Shape of Darkness (2020) and The Whispering Muse.

Laura’s historical fiction about the Hanoverian monarchs, Queen of Bedlam and Mistress of the Court, was published by Myrmidon.