____________

It begins with the house – and a body:
Alan Hobbes stabbed to death in his own bed.

For years, he’s lived as a recluse in the remains of a
derelict mansion that once belonged to a serial killer.

The police have a suspect: Christopher Shaw,
observed on the premises on the night of the murder.

Katie Shaw hasn’t seen her brother Chris in two years.
All her life, she’s tried to look out for him.
Even when he made it so hard.

But now he’s bound up in the secrets of this dark house.
To save Chris, dare she follow him inside . . .

____________

‘North handles the complicated plot with skill while bringing his troubled characters to life amid the horror’ Observer

‘Alex North at his best – a writer who can terrify you on one page and break your heart on the next’ STEVE CAVANAGH

‘One of those books that made me wish I’d written it. North wields suspense like a blade. Breath-taking and terrifying’ HELEN FIELDS

‘Dark, gripping, and twisty’ CLARIE MCGOWAN

‘Endlessly intriguing’ NEW YORK TIMES

‘The Half Burnt House is Alex North at his best – a writer who can terrify you on one page and break your heart on the next’ STEVE CAVANAGH

‘One of those books that made me wish I’d written it. North wields suspense like a blade. Breath-taking and terrifying’ HELEN FIELDS

‘Dark, gripping, and twisty’ CLARIE MCGOWAN

‘Endlessly intriguing’ NEW YORK TIMES
____________

Katie Shaw always looked after her younger brother Chris – until she left him alone one carefree afternoon and he was savagely attacked. He hasn’t spoken to her since.

Now a mother, Katie vows not to repeat her mistakes. Carelessness cost her one family, and she won’t let it destroy another.

Then she receives a call from the police.

They’re investigating a particularly brutal murder, in a half-ruined house that once belonged to a notorious local serial killer. The case has thrown up many unsettling questions, but only one prime suspect: Chris.

The detective wants Katie’s help finding him, but she has only one thing on her mind: proving her brother’s innocence, and finally making up for her negligence all those years ago. But soon it becomes clear that the killer isn’t finished yet.

Which means that even as she attempts to save her old family, Katie is placing her new one in deadly peril . . .
____________

‘North’s poetic way with even the most grotesque of situations is always a joy. The Half Burnt House is his best yet. I love it’ ALEX MARWOOD

‘Thrilling, moving and utterly gripping; The Half Burnt House is a triumph’ WILLIAM RYAN

‘A masterfully creepy, atmospheric rush of a read that will linger with you long after you’ve finished the last page’ NEIL BROADFOOT

If you leave a door half-open, soon you’ll hear the whispers spoken…

Fifteen years ago, a serial killer known only as ‘The Whisper Man’ wreaked havoc on the sleepy village of Featherbank.

But with the killer behind bars, the village is now a safe haven for Tom and his young son Jake to make a fresh start.

Until another boy goes missing. It feels like history is repeating itself.

Could the killer still be out there – and can Tom protect his son from becoming the next victim?
___________

‘A true skin-crawler’ Guardian

‘This flawlessly plotted thriller absolutely deserves to be shouted about’ Sunday Mirror