We are but dust and shadows is the motto on the sundial in the garden at Blackthorn Manor. The past haunts the family living there.

When Robert Landimor, a famous painter, dies suddenly, he leaves his estate, including Blackthorn Manor, to his housekeeper, Mary, disinheriting his three daughters, Lucia, Izzy, and Sara in the process. No one understands why.

Sara attempts to find answers, but only uncovers buried secrets about their father and his family instead.

#TheHouseofDustandShadows  X/Twitter #TabithaPotts  #RandomThingsTours  @annecater  @RandomTTours Instagram #TabithaPotts @randomthingtours #blogtour #Gothichorror #mystery

Then, the body of a woman is discovered in the lake on the Manor’s grounds, leaving Sara and her sisters to face terrible danger.

Ghosts and the past may not be the only things haunting their family.

Fans of “Weyward” by Emilia Hart, “Wakenhyrst” by Michelle Paver, “The Secret History” by Donna Tartt, and “The Haunting of Hill House” by Shirley Jackson will enjoy “The House of Dust and Shadows” by Tabitha Potts.

My Review

This was a very entertaining read, though I can’t pretend I liked any of the characters very much. Of the three sisters I probably liked Lucia best. She is talented and artistic, but a lot nicer than her very talented and famous painter father, Robert Landimor. His paintings have sold for up to £500,000. But he’s a horrible man, though as we discover his childhood, we begin to understand why.

Izzy is too self-absorbed and I found it hard to empathise. She and Lucia have the same mother, Gloria Potter, a glamorous actress and model. She left him and re-married, while he married his secretary, the rather boring Jane Vaughan, with whom he had Sara. When Robert dies unexpectedly, we know that Jane is already dead.

The House of Dust and Shadows works in a number of ways. It is a contemporary Gothic mystery set mainly in 2016, but we go back and forth through Robert’s (and those of a few others) paintings. They give us background and context. It’s also a whodunnit if you believe Robert’s death is suspicious. Finally it revolves around Blackthorn Manor, an old decrepit house which Robert has left to his housekeeper, Mary, thus disinheriting his three daughters. Being a Gothic mystery, there has to be a crumbling mansion. That goes without saying.

I love a Gothic mystery and The House of Dust and Shadows did not disappoint. The twist at the end was unexpected, the outcome even more unexpected. In fact I was really shocked.

Many thanks to @annecater for inviting me to be part of #RandomThingsTours

About the Author

Tabitha recently received an Honourable Mention in the Alpine Fellowship Writing Prize and in 2025 was longlisted for the Penguin Michael Joseph Undiscovered Writers Prize. Several of her stories have been published in print anthologies. She completed an MA in Creative Writing at Birkbeck and has a First in English Language and Literature from Oxford University. In her spare time, she runs Story Radio Podcast, a literary podcast. She lives in London with her family and Tamaskan dog Flin.