I really enjoyed "The Shadow Key" by Susan Stokes-Chapman. A Welsh gothic horror that reminded me of Hammer Horrors (in a good way). Full of atmosphere and a plot line that had me hooked.

I loved Susan Stokes-Chapman's first novel, Pandora. And The Shadow Key didn't disappoint even though I managed to guess the twist (I don't mind as long as the book is good enough - and this was!). I really think that Susan is on a roll and likely to usurp Laura Purcell as the queen of gothic historical novels as so far the standard of our books is so high. I love the setting in Wales, characterisation and the historical detail. It's nice to read a book set outside of London too. I highly recommend it.

Secrets, superstition and sorcery with a Gothic touch. Henry, a disgraced London doctor, goes to work in a rural Welsh mining community in the late eighteenth century. He is employed by Linette, the lady of the local Manor House, to look after her mother who has ‘lost her mind’. He also tends the sick in the local village where everyone is suspicious of him simply because he is English. They’re a superstitious lot too, preferring their traditional herbal products to Henry’s medicines. Will he be able to make them trust him? And what exactly happened to his predecessor? An atmospheric tale of mystery, superstition and possible murder. A immersive read from the author of Pandora.

Rural Wales, 1783. Dr Henry Talbot leaves London under a cloud and takes up a new position at Plas Helyg. There he meets Linette Tresilian, an isolated, headstrong young woman.

The author's love of the setting in Wales shines through strongly. There are nods to folklore, myth and plenty of Welsh language. I knew very little about Hellfire clubs before reading this novel and I loved learning more about them.

The plotting is very clever and there are a couple of big twists. After a gentle beginning, the pace accelerates towards an ending which brings all of the threads together.

I enjoyed this book but I expected it to be more creepy/scary than it was so it let me down on that front.

Expectations aside, I enjoyed the writing and Stokes-Chapman's storytelling a lot. Her research into Welsh history and folklore was apparent and fun to read. The setting was rural, eerie and just how I find Wales is from all my previous visits!

The book let me down in the plot and the characters a touch. There's lots of twists at the end but I feel like the reveals are info-dumped by the 'villains' in a very Hollywood-esque way. It felt unnatural. Otherwise the story was well crafted, albeit a bit bland ... I expected a more scary/shocking reveal which never came. I'm sure it will work for some but it didn't 'wow' me!

The characters I found were hit and miss- I liked Linette a lot, but Henry never ended up actually feeling like a person.

Despite the criticisms above it's a nice enough mystery(ish) novel with some elements of magic/gothic-ness hinted at. I wish there was more of the supernatural shown in it, but overall an enjoyable read!

The Shadow Key by Susan Stokes-Chapman

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Henry is a doctor in London and finds himself out of his job and no prospects of finding another job. That is until he is offered a position in a small town in Wales, with no other options, he accepts the job and moves to the small town, where the townspeople hate outsiders.

Living and working with the Tresilin family, all is not as it seems. Secrets and old tales seem to be everywhere and when Henry finds out there was an alternative motive to bringing him to Wales. He must unlock the secrets from the Tresilins past history to help Lady Tresilin today.

I went into this book blind, and so glad I did. It was fast paced and the storyline was addictive. I enjoyed how the author put in some Welsh Folklore into the story aswell.

We had high hopes for Susan Stokes-Chapman's newest book after the brilliant Pandora and this did not disappoint. Set in Wales with two wonderful protagonists we get to the heart of the darkness that lies at Plas Helyg. We loved how Welsh culture, language and mythology were weaved in a story of murder and secrecy. The first third we felt could have been a tad more condensed, but on the whole we thoroughly enjoyed it and certainly didn't see the twist coming! Linette, Henry and Rowena are characters we'll be thinking about for a long time.

A full review will be shared on www.instagram.com/thehistorybelles nearer publication date.

This was terrific! Definitely gothic with some plot twists I didn’t see coming. I thought the inhospitable context by ‘the locals’ was very well done. I base this on a trip I took many years ago to Aberystwyth when I was a student and I found the ‘locals’ quite scary in the pub. So I thought it was very funny that the author went to University there. Maybe she went to the same pub as me!! I really liked the two main characters. Many thanks to Netgalley for an arc of this book.

The Shadow Key by Susan Stokes-Chapman


A wonderful gothic read which is full of suspense and intrigue to keep you reading til the last page.

Henry Talbot a physician has been sacked from his London based position . He flees to Wales . The locals are very wary of him , and likewise when he discovers the previous physician died in what can be described as a mysterious situation . Henry sets out to find out what has happened and what is going on.
I really enjoyed the tale and the way the plot carried us along Henry's path and what had brought him to where he was now and what will happen next.

This was such a wonderful read, atmospheric and gothic with lots of mystery, cults and magic. The author wrote well developed characters and a realistic setting with lots of intrigue. A little slow to get going but as the story unfolded I couldn’t put it down!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc

This is an absolutely perfect example of an historical gothic story. Full of folklore, magic, witchcraft and herbalism and all thoroughly researched and exquisitely written. I wholeheartedly recommend this book and look forward to the next one from this author. Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the advance review copy.

What a beautiful cover for a dark gothic- style novel. Set in west, Welsh speaking Wales in the 1700's this book tells the story on Henry Talbot who was a physician in London but fell on hard times when a wealthy patient dies under his knife. It seems the only job he is offered is at Plas Helyg, a huge stone house, run by the eccentric Linette Tresilian. Her mother is 'mad' and her cousin, Julian, fears that Linette maybe as well. Henry is tasked with looking after the family as well as tending to the estate tenants and mine workers.
Readers are immersed in the Welsh landscape and folklore as well as the more fashionable activity of 'hellfire' clubs. These two worlds collide to bring misdemeanour and mayhem to the family.
The book has some beautiful prose and is well researched. Descriptions take the reader into the heart of the Welsh countryside and into the lives of its residents.
The plot has plenty of twists although was a little slow at times. A must for lovers of things historical and fantastical.
With thanks t to Netgalley and Random House Uk, Vintage for an arc copy in return for an honest review.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this eARC of 'The Shadow Key' by Susan Stokes-Chapman.

Susan Stokes-Chapman, renowned author, writing about Wales? Beauty. I always get nervous when I read about Wales because I'm scared authors are gonna butcher the language - and usually they do - but not Susan. She unapologetically used Welsh in this novel and it's used in this as a plot point for the story. Our main character is an English lad who moves to Wales to become their doctor, the Welsh residents are super suspicious of him after what happened to the last doctor - and because he is English and I don't really need to explain history for you to understand that. I absolutely loved this story and the mystery woven in. Thank you Susan for this beauty.

I read an eARC of this book so thank you to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for this.

A beautifully written, compelling tale of the Welsh countryside, family mysteries and secret societies.

We follow Henry, a prestigious surgeon who after a deadly mistake is forced to give up his practice in London and take a rural posting in Wales. The villagers are hostile towards him. He meets Linette who is holding the estate together at great personal cost and is tasked with assessing if she shows signs of the same madness afflicting her mother. Henry becomes suspicious of the death of his predecessor and starts his own investigation whilst facing threats to his safety.

This is a compelling story of love of the Welsh countryside, betrayal, greed and intrigue. I thoroughly enjoyed this, the characters were so well developed, flawed and believable. Henry is an intelligent and capable protagonist who refuses to be convinced by the tenuous explanations provided to him and perseveres in his own investigation. His supportive and growing friendship with Linette and his deepening love for the land created a likeable and empathetic main character. Lunette’s bravery and determination to protect and maintain her home and its people while atoning for the sins of her ancestors made her a fascinating character too.

I found this to be very well written, the pacing was good, the atmosphere haunting, the mystery that unravelled was exciting. This is the second book from this author that I have thoroughly enjoyed and I will eagerly await their next novel.

A darkly gothic novel of superstition, folklore and the trappings of power set in the remote Welsh countryside. An accomplished novel with plenty of twists and an atmospheric setting, although a bit slow at times.

I picked this novel based on the cover, and I'm so glad that I did. Dark, gothic, full of superstition with beautiful descriptions of the setting. Henry moves to the Welsh countryside after a scandal, and struggles to fit into a community that won't accept him. Historical fiction mixed with fantasy. A great read. Thank you to Net Galley, the author and publisher for an advanced copy

🗝️A perfectly spine chilling gothic based in wonderful Wales.
If you are a fan of historical fiction and dank dripping caves, traditional folklore and superstition then preorder your copy and prepare for some twists and turns.
🕸️Release date 11th April 2024

3.5 stars

An enjoyable read.
I took a while to warm to it, I felt the start was slow this is probably me.
It has a good solid storyline that I could hazard a guess where it MIGHT be going.
Very pleased when I was wrong.
I particularly liked seeing some Welsh language and folklore thrown in there.
Coming from Wales myself, it adds a little something to the story.
Glad I picked this one up.

A suspenseful gothic mystery novel with interesting plot twists and relatable, well-built characters.

We are in Meirionydd, it’s the year 1783 and Henry Talbot is a physician who has been dismissed from a London hospital. He has has to move to Wales to work there. He doesn’t know the language and the people are suspicious of him. He discovers that the previous physician died mysteriously and he investigates as he goes through romance, myths and beliefs.

The prose is precise and delicate at the same time and it immerses the reader in a suggestive landscape suspended in time and magical while leading him through an intense story full of suspense, mystery and romance.

Recommended for those who love intriguing mysteries, gothic atmosphere and witty but lovely main characters.

This was a highly anticipated read after loving Pandora by this author and she sure does know how to write a clever novel! She’s rapidly become an auto-buy author for me and this one was just perfection!

The vibes. THE VIBES. Spot on and the sense of dark, creeping, spine tingling goosebumps began from the very first page. I loved the feel of this book and I was hooked from the first chapter. And also, as someone who is learning Welsh, I so enjoyed the setting of this book. I even managed to translate a few words!

From the very beginning, we follow Henry on his move to the rural welsh countryside, and things feel far from comfortable for our MC. After leaving scandal behind in London, he takes up the position as doctor to tend a household and the outlying village, but he is far from well received. Is it because he’s an Englishman in a strong welsh community or does it run deeper… the few attempts on his life would suggest the latter…!

You can really see just how much research and time the author put into this book and it truly shows, not just in the writing but how the history is captured. I love an author who takes background research seriously and it shines from this book!

I loved the plot, everything was cultivated and created in such a perfect way to have you enchanted and fully invested. At least I was- I couldn’t put the book down! It had a steady rhythm that built you up to an ending that will have you speeding through the pages. A quick blink and I seemed to have finished the book and was staring at the end! I honestly cant wait for the books to follow from this author!