Fox, Essie – The Bell Bookshop

Catherine

Emma — Thu, 12 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The greatest tragic love story ever told – but this time, Catherine tells it herself. In Catherine, Essie Fox breathes new life into Wuthering Heights, transforming a gothic masterpiece into a haunting confession of obsession, madness and love that even death cannot end.

‘A haunting work in its own right ? provides an extra dimension and new perspectives on one of literature’s best-known tales of doomed love’ Sunday Times

‘Reverent and irreverent ? A must-read for anyone who visits Heathcliff and Cathy’s Yorkshire Moors in their dreams’ Erin Kelly

‘Every bit as gripping as the classic, yet has added immediacy and emotion. Hugely moving’ Sean Lusk

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With a nature as wild as the moors she loves to roam, Catherine Earnshaw grows up alongside Heathcliff, a foundling her father rescued from the streets of Liverpool. Their fierce, untamed bond deepens as they grow – until Mr Earnshaw’s death leaves Hindley, Catherine’s brutal brother, in control and Heathcliff reduced to servitude.

Desperate to protect him, Catherine turns to Edgar Linton, the handsome heir to Thrushcross Grange. She believes his wealth might free Heathcliff from cruelty – but her choice is fatally misunderstood, and their lives spiral into a storm of passion, jealousy and revenge.

Now, eighteen years later, Catherine rises from her grave to tell her story – and seek redemption.

Essie Fox’s Catherine reimagines Wuthering Heights with beauty and intensity – a haunting, atmospheric retelling that brings new life to a timeless classic and lays bare the dark heart of an immortal love.

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‘A dazzling feminist retelling of the greatest tragic love affair in fiction ? gothic, defiant and heartbreakingly human’ Louisa Treger

‘Exquisite’ Liz Fenwick

‘Passionate, vivid, utterly mesmerising ? satisfyingly familiar and yet sparking with wild gothic originality’ Kate Griffin

‘Haunting, authentic, exquisite ? a fresh and relevant story of obsession and revenge’ Anna Mazzola

‘A new level of understanding is brought by the change in perspective, and the joy, anguish, passion, obsession and destruction are not only witnessed but embodied. Essie Fox doesn’t write from the heart, she writes from her soul ? stunning’ Barbara Havelocke

‘Wuthering Heights has been re-imagined by one of our most prominent Gothic novelists ? Read it by candlelight, surrounded by shadows, and let the deathly icy-cold fingers of its protagonist clasp you and send shivers down your spine’ Dr Michael Stewart

‘Beautiful! I loved being back in that world’ Emma Carroll

‘Expertly written, cleverly melding original text with reimagined interpretations ? a feminist retelling that retains the emotional truth of Emily BrontÃ«’s original. Essie Fox has lovingly and meticulously reconstructed the story to draw out its dark, twisted heart – wild, windswept and gloriously gothic’ Katherine Clements

‘Dark and poignant, it’s a book to sink into on a cold winter’s evening’ Frances Quinn

‘Essie Fox brings fresh passion and insight to one of the most compelling relationships in English literature ? With aching beauty and sadness, Catherine enchants and captivates’ Dr Tim Rideout

‘Death-tinged, dreamlike and darkly poetic, this rich reimagining of Catherine Earnshaw’s inner world will send you rushing back to Emily’s Bronte’s novel and poetry to reconsider scenarios you thought you knew’ Emma Liggins

‘Darkly, wildly romantic’ Kate Lord Brown

‘Steadfast to the original story, but with some delightful gothic touches of the author’s own ? Essie Fox’s love of Victorian literature and the Yorkshire landscape shines through on every page’ Karen Powell

‘A sumptuous Gothic treat, regardless of whether you are a fan of Wuthering Heights‘ C.S. Green

Dangerous

Emma — Thu, 24 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0000

When the disgraced Lord Byron is associated with the deaths of women in Venice, he turns detective to unveil the killer and clear his name. A dazzling, riveting historical mystery by the author of the Sunday Times bestseller, The Fascination.

‘Brooding and brilliant’ A.J. West

‘What could so easily have been a risible premise for a novel becomes, in Fox’s expert hands, the starting point for an atmospheric thriller’ Sunday Times

‘As mesmerising and charismatic as Byron himself can ever have been ? a magnificent gothic tale of scandal, secrets and murder’ Janice Hallett

‘Evokes all the grimy charisma of eighteenth-century Venice ? a mystery as sinuous as the city’s alleys and canals. I was enthralled’ Elizabeth Fremantle

‘A dark treat ? splendidly gothic and impressively researched’ Andrew Taylor

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Fiction can be fatal?

Living in exile in Venice, the disgraced Lord Byron revels in the freedoms of the city
But when he is associated with the deaths of local women, found with wounds to their throats, and then a novel called The Vampyre is published under his name, rumours begin to spread that Byron may be the murderer?

As events escalate and tensions rise – and his own life is endangered, as well as those he holds most dear – Byron is forced to play detective, to discover who is really behind these heinous crimes. Meanwhile, the scandals of his own infamous past come back to haunt him?

Rich in gothic atmosphere and drawing on real events and characters from Byron’s life, Dangerous is a riveting, dazzling historical thriller, as decadent, dark and seductive as the poet himself?

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‘A plot as labyrinthine as the Venice backstreets, told in dazzling prose; suspenseful, seductive stuff’ Erin Kelly

‘Brilliant, daring writing ? a darkly delicious Venetian tale of murder and mystery’ Anna Mazzola

‘Essie Fox expertly weaves fact and fiction in this gloriously gothic thriller ? Venice becomes the atmospheric backdrop to Byron’s daring attempt to catch a killer’ Anita Frank

‘Sumptuous, entertaining and glorious’ C.S. Green

‘Fox is the queen of darkly glittering gothic fiction ? a tale so compelling I devoured it in one sitting’ Louisa Treger

‘Many writers have tried and failed to capture the Byronic quintessence, but the brilliant Essie Fox has succeeded admirably. She proves that the poet and rake remains fascinating because he is, indeed, mad, bad and Dangerous‘ Alex Larman

‘A heady and intoxicating brew ? scandalously scintillating’ Kate Griffin

‘A gorgeously clever thriller’ Amanda Craig

‘A ravishing tale of murder, lust and thwarted ambition ? a sumptuous, decadent delight’ Emma Carroll

‘A deliciously gothic and beautifully written historical thriller starring the ultimate bad boy hero, Lord Byron’ Frances Quinn

‘An incredibly evocative and atmospheric book that captures the Byronic soul in all its beauty and madness’ Victoria Dowd

‘Deliciously dark and everything I hoped it would be’ Paul Burston

‘An engaging historical mystery tale in which the dissolute poet turns sleuth to clear his own name’ Julie Anderson, Time & Leisure Magazine

‘A dark, disturbing treat, impeccably researched and compellingly told’ Bridget Walsh

‘What a ride! Gripping and atmospheric’ Caroline Lea

‘A delicious dish of decadence ? fastidiously researched, richly imagined, full of wonderful descriptions of Venice’ Michael Stewart

The fascination

Emma — Thu, 06 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000

`Makes skilful use of the tropes of Victorian gothic fiction? a story of society’ s outsiders seeking acceptance and redemption ´ Sunday Times

`An inventive slice of gothic fiction, big-hearted and full of strangeness ´ The Times

`A dazzling kaleidoscope of darkness and light ´ Laura Purcell

`A magical, macabre masterpiece ´ A.J. West

`Brimming with Victorian wonders! ´ Sean Lusk

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Victorian England. A world of rural fairgrounds and glamorous London theatres. A world of dark secrets and deadly obsessions?

Twin sisters Keziah and Tilly Lovell are identical in every way, except that Tilly hasn’t grown a single inch since she was five. Coerced into promoting their father’s quack elixir as they tour the country fairgrounds, at the age of fifteen the girls are sold to a mysterious Italian known as ‘ Captain’ .

Theo is an orphan, raised by his grandfather, Lord Seabrook, a man who has a dark interest in anatomical freaks and other curiosities ? particularly the human kind. Resenting his grandson for his mother’ s death in childbirth, when Seabrook remarries and a new heir is produced, Theo is forced to leave home without a penny to his name.

Theo finds employment in Dr Summerwell’ s Museum of Anatomy in London, and here he meets Captain and his theatrical ‘ family’ of performers, freaks and outcasts.

But it is Theo’ s fascination with Tilly and Keziah that will lead all of them into a web of deceits, exposing the darkest secrets and threatening everything they know?

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`Fascinating and immersive ´ Anna Mazzola

`It had me spellbound ´ Louisa Treger

`A wonderful, captivating carnival of a novel ´ Elizabeth Fremantle

`Essie Fox’ s best novel to date – weaves terrors with triumphs, heartache with hope ´ Culturefly

`A scintillating cabinet of curiosities ´ Foreword Reviews

`A cast of characters Dickens would be proud of ´ Frances Quinn

`Rich, dark and heady ? a glorious gothic carnival ´ Kate Griffin

`Magnificent … a triumph ´ Dinah Jefferies

`A tender, beautifully written meditation on what it meant in Victorian times to be an outsider ´ Historical Novel Society

`Darkly gothic, but surprisingly tender … rendered with such magical and often terrifying authenticity. A marvel ´ Damian Dibben

`Filled with gothic darkness and glorious hope ´ Liz Fenwick

`Full of horrors and delights ´ Bridget Walsh

‘ An opium trance of a novel, a vivid fantasmagoria ´ Noel O’ Reilly

`Deliciously dark, full of twists and surprises ´ Liz Hyder

`What a triumph! ´ Emma Curtis

`Very fine historical fiction ´ Emma Carroll

`Truly unexpected and original ´ Kate Forsyth

`A dizzying potion of a novel ´ Polly Crosby

`A sumptuous, gothic treat ´ Caroline Green

`Exceptional storytelling ´ Nydia Hetherington

`I loved this group of wonderful ” others” ´ Marika Cobbold

`An exquisite novel ´ Erika Mailman

`Haunting and emotive ´ Gill Paul

The fascination

Emma — Thu, 22 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0000

The estranged grandson of a wealthy collector of human curiosities becomes fascinated with teenaged twin sisters, leading them into a web of dark obsessions. A dazzlingly dark gothic novel from the bestselling author of The Somnambulist.

‘Makes skilful use of the tropes of Victorian gothic fiction? a story of society’s outsiders seeking acceptance and redemption’ Sunday Times Book of the Month

‘Mysterious, sometimes shocking, full of surprises and twists ? brimming with Victorian wonders!’ Sean Lusk

‘A magical, macabre masterpiece’ A.J. West

‘Fascinating and immersive’ Anna Mazzola

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Victorian England. A world of rural fairgrounds and glamorous London theatres. A world of dark secrets and deadly obsessions?

Theo is an orphan, raised by his grandfather, Lord Seabrook, a man who has a dark interest in anatomical freaks and other curiosities ? particularly the human kind. Resenting his grandson for his mother’s death in childbirth, when Seabrook remarries and a new heir is produced, Theo is forced to leave home without a penny to his name.

Theo finds employment in Dr Summerwell’s Museum of Anatomy in London, and here he meets Captain and his theatrical ‘family’ of performers, freaks and outcasts.

But it is Theo’s fascination with Tilly and Keziah that will lead all of them into a web of deceits, exposing the darkest secrets and threatening everything they know?

Exploring universal themes of love and loss, the power of redemption and what it means to be unique, The Fascination is an evocative, glittering and bewitching gothic novel that brings alive Victorian London – and darkness and deception that lies beneath?

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‘Essie Fox follows in the footsteps of Angela Carter and AS Byatt with an adult fairy tale that delves into the darkest compulsions of human nature ? an opium trance of a novel, a vivid fantasmagoria’ Noel O’Reilly

‘Deliciously dark, full of twists and surprises’ Liz Hyder

‘Filled with gothic darkness and glorious hope’ Liz Fenwick

‘Rich, dark and heady ? a glorious gothic carnival’ Kate Griffin

‘Truly unexpected and original’ Kate Forsyth

‘Beautifully researched, full of horrors and delights ? a chilling, thrilling slice of Victorian gothic’ Bridget Walsh

‘A cast of characters Dickens would be proud of’ Frances Quinn

‘A dizzying potion of a novel’ Polly Crosby

‘A twisty, gothic treat ? wild and wonderful cast of characters’ Rebecca John

‘Rich in peril, tempered with strange, theatrical beauty’ Kate Mascarenhas

‘A wonderful, captivating carnival’ Elizabeth Fremantle

‘Haunting and emotive’ Gill Paul

‘A gorgeously gothic slice of Victoriana’ Katherine Clements

‘Beautifully controlled ? exceptional storytelling, exquisitely told’ Nydia Hetherington

‘A beautiful, haunting tale peopled by a thrilling set of living, breathing characters ? very fine historical fiction’ Emma Carroll

‘So inventive and surprising ? beautiful writing, unforgettable characters’ Juliet West

‘A sumptuous, gothic treat that will reel you in and not let you go until the final page. Bravo!’ Caroline Green

‘Essie Fox is the mistress of gothic Victoriana ? utterly beguiling and rendered in exquisite detail ? a wonderful, captivating carnival of a novel’ Elizabeth Fremantle

‘Wonderfully vivid and touching ? extraordinary’ Adele Geras

‘I loved this story of a group of wonderful “others” fighting to find their place and purpose in a glittering, but unforgiving, Victorian England’ Marika Cobbold

‘Atmospheric, gripping and ultimately uplifting’ Karen Coles

‘Richly detailed, beautifully written ? a fascinating read’ Michael J Malone

‘The very best kind of gothic’ Lianne Dillsworth

‘Masterful’ Louise Swanson

‘A kaleidoscopic, twisting, devilish novel guaranteed to dazzle and delight. I was utterly beguiled’ Dan Bassett, Bookseller