The Death of Jane Lawrence

About the book

Practical, unassuming Jane Shoringfield has carefully thought it through and concluded that the best course of action is to enter into a marriage of convenience with a husband who will allow her to maintain her independence and engage in fulfilling work. Her top choice, the charming yet reclusive doctor Augustine Lawrence, accepts her proposal with one stipulation: she must never venture to Lindridge Hall, his decaying ancestral home on the outskirts of town.

However, on their wedding night, a mishap leaves Jane stranded at Lindridge Hall during a severe rainstorm, where she encounters a completely different Augustine. The once bold and fearless surgeon has been replaced by a fearful, paranoid individual who cannot distinguish between reality and hallucination, believing Jane to be a ghost haunting him. Though Augustine returns to his senses by morning, Jane senses that something sinister lurks within Lindridge Hall and within the man she has hastily tied her fate to for safety.

Set in a twisted version of post-World War II England, Caitlin Starling weaves a fresh gothic horror tale inspired by Crimson Peak, challenging and subverting the narrative conventions established by Shirley Jackson and Rebecca. Readers will be left unsettled and eager to start anew once they reach the chilling conclusion.