Such an Odd Word to Use
Secrets don’t hide, they echo
by Carl Goodwin
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Pub Date 9 Oct 2025 | Archive Date 31 Mar 2026
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Description
After years on the move, Mark hopes for peace in a secluded Clerkenwell house once used as a music studio. Hidden behind Georgian terraces, it feels like the perfect retreat... until small disturbances begin to ripple beneath the surface. A glance held too long. A neighbour who knows too much. Watchers who linger.
A routine planning request triggers something deeper, that seems too coordinated to be pure chance. As unease grows, Mark begins to suspect the house holds more than memories. But in an age of constant surveillance, what separates paranoia from perception?
Such an Odd Word to Use is a quietly unsettling thriller novella (31.5k words) for the digital age, where even silence may be scripted.
A Note From the Publisher
Reviews: Please post on NetGalley / StoryGraph / Goodreads; hold retailer reviews until 9 Oct.
Tone: quiet, slow-burn psychological suspense; literary tilt; novella length (31.5k words).
Content: no graphic violence; atmosphere over action.
Advance Praise
Selected for LoveReading’s “Indie Books We Love”.
“An atmospheric novella… creating an unsettled feeling that lingers after the final page.”
— LoveReading
Selected for BookLife's “Editor's Pick”.
“Smart slow burn of a London mystery, with lively puzzles and literary heft.”
— BookLife Reviews
Marketing Plan
- Launch: 9 Oct (UK on-sale; other retailers follow standard propagation).
- Reader discovery: StoryGraph giveaway (UK/IE, then WW from 19-Oct), NetGalley DRC (this listing), LibraryThing Early Reviewers (Oct batch UK/IE and Nov batch WW).
- Retail pages: Author Central + Editorial Reviews.
- Promotion: Amazon Ads + eBook platforms
- Trade & local: proofs to 12 bookshops.
- Email/web: carlgoodwin.com buy box; ConvertKit to collect subscribers.
Available Editions
| EDITION | Ebook |
| ISBN | 9781917523639 |
| PRICE | £5.99 (GBP) |
| PAGES | 162 |
Available on NetGalley
Average rating from 2 members
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