The House at Midnight by Lucie Whitehouse

A magnificent debut by Lucie Whitehouse, The House at Midnight will keep you up long into the night turning the pages. A modern gothic splashed with romance and suspense, this novel will wrap its dark magic around you.

On a bitterly cold winters night, New Year’s Eve, seven friends from college meet at Stoneborough, a grand manor in the English countryside. Lucas Heathfield recently inherited the manor after the shocking, tragic death of his Uncle Patrick. Hoping the manor will become their escape from London to relax, he invites all of his friends to make themselves at home there every weekend. Danny, Rachel, Martha and Michael, plus Rachel’s new boyfriend Greg, feel nothing sinister about the place like Jo does.

Joanna is the narrator of the story, a junior reporter at the Putney Gazette. She’s had a crush on Lucas for years throughout college, but knows they are only friends. Lucas finds himself making small passes at Joanna in the dark shadows of the manor. Much to her surprise, he reveals that he’s loved her for years , and she is only too happy to respond.

Soon, Danny gets fired and Lucas gives up his job, and becomes obsessed by old films showing his mother, father and uncle enjoying Stoneborough Manor. Danny gets fired, and as Lucas’s best friend, soon moves into the manor with Lucas. Jo feels her dreams are being destroyed by Danny’s increased influence on Lucas, who is still struggling to absorb Patrick’s death.

Joanna is distraught after Danny accuses her of only being after Lucas for his money, and becomes frustrated when Lucas seems oblivious to Danny’s attacks. She retreats, not devious enough to outmatch Danny’s malice. Jo’s uneasiness sharpens when she accidentally sees Greg and Rachel together. When their mutual attraction results in a fiery embrace, it is the beginning of the end for the group.

An inseparable companion, Stoneborough emits the misery of its inhabitants as though absorbing their pain. Well-plotted, finely honed characters give way to a shattering conclusion of violence. Newcomer Lucie Whitehouse has written a tense and captivating story that will linger long after the final, shocking pages.