The Haunting of Avis Lovelock
by MK Hardy
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Pub Date 27 Aug 2026 | Archive Date 23 Aug 2026
Rebellion | Solaris
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Description
A professional sceptic must join forces with the professional spiritualist who has a knack for getting under her skin in this supernatural Victorian mystery for fans of Voyage of the Damned and The London Seance Society.
Avis Lovelock is a professional sceptic. Using her sharp insights and powers of observation, she sets out to debunk every nefarious spirit medium and psychic she can find. When American businessman Carlton Brooksbank invites her aboard the ocean liner Excambion to take her skills to America, Avis discovers she has been hired to prove to potential buyers that the vessel is not haunted.
As she begins her investigations, she runs afoul of the famous twin spiritualists onboard, Gideon and Rachel Duquesne. They are her polar opposites, and Rachel especially has a knack for getting under her skin. The more Avis works to discredit her adversaries and absolve the ship of its haunted reputation, the more she starts to have visions of water filling her cabin, drowned bodies on decks, and flickering lights on the sea. Then someone is found dead.
To discover the truth, Avis must join forces with her opponents, and confront some haunting secrets of her own.
Advance Praise
Praise for The Haunting of Avis Lovelock:
“A compelling, spooky slow-burn delight: I thoroughly enjoyed this!” —KJ Charles, author of How to Fake It in Society
“Unique and compelling - MK Hardy's indomitably funny protagonist brings us on a journey of ghosts, rationalism, ocean mysteries and the pleasures of scandalising high society” — Everina Maxwell, Sunday Times bestselling author of Call me Traitor
“Avis Lovelock might just be the messed-up female Sherlock we've all been waiting for! This enthralling and eerie occult mystery is exquisitely steeped in the threat of the sea and the cruelties of grief. The Haunting of Avis Lovelock gives us an uncanny tale and a damaged genius character, to delight in.” — Lorraine Wilson, BSFA Shortlisted author of We Are All Ghosts in the Forest and The Salt Oracle
“The maritime gothic you didn't know you needed. The Haunting of Avis Lovelock is an evocative, delicious slice of the historical, brimming with wit and mystery and vividly drawn characters you cannot help but fall for.” — Benedict Anning, author of Atomic Coffin
Praise for MK Hardy:
"A feverishly haunting story about the ways in which love can free us from the traumas that entangle us, all told with a deeply authentic Scottish voice.” —Sunyi Dean, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Book Eaters
“At once haunting and moving, shot through with a tenderness that underscores the pervasive, dreamy horror. This book will sink its roots into you and never let go.” —CJ Dotson, author of The Cut
“Perfectly creepy and rich with power and yearning.” —Lorraine Wilson, author of We Are All Ghosts in the Forest
“The Needfire combines all the elements of a traditional gothic novel – the derelict grand estate, the festering secrets, the prophetic dreams – with the more modern slow-burn sapphic love story. Add a pinch of witchcraft and a generous helping of female rage, and you end up with a haunting page-turner that demands to be felt.” —Johanna van Veen, author of My Darling, Dreadful Thing
“An assured and glorious debut; like the haar around Corrain House, The Needfire will linger with me for a long time to come.” —Sam K. Horton, author of Gorse
“Avowedly Gothic, unashamedly Sapphic and an observation of the futility of trying to control the elements.” —Historical Novels Review
“A rich, atmospheric and creepy book that has everything: monsters, ghosts and a beautiful sapphic relationship.” —Aliette de Bodard, Nebula Award-winning author of Navigational Entanglements
“The Needfire is a sumptuous feast of the gothic; a Rebecca for the Highlands and border places, where old wrongs stain land and bloodlines alike.” —Ally Wilkes, author of All the White Spaces and Where the Dead Wait
“Lush, atmospheric, and haunting, The Needfire takes the reader into the in between places, where secrets and mysteries await.” —Natania Barron, author of the Queens of Fate trilogy
“An unabashedly queer take on the Scottish Gothic tale, which hums with tension – sexual and otherwise – and rattles along compellingly to its explosive denouement. With a striking setting and strongly rendered sense of both place and time, The Needfire serves up a rich brew of magic and history.” —Sally Hinchcliffe, author of Hare House
"The Needfire is a gothic-lover’s dream. Writhing with a dark and luscious atmosphere, the story unfolds against the backdrop of a bleak Scottish landscape with a cast of characters whose actions blur the lines between right and wrong, justice and revenge. It has everything I yearn for in a gothic tale: a sapphic romance, a houseful of secrets, and a scorching sense of dread." —Angie Spoto, author of The Bone Diver and The Grief Nurse
“The Needfire is a beautifully written, intricate novel that is dripping with an atmosphere so strong that it clings to you with a creeping sense of dread. With characters that are complex and yet easy to root for, it adds something new to the genre whilst bearing all the hallmarks of a fantastically gothic novel.” — Elspeth Wilson, author of These Mortal Bodies
“An impressive slice of gothic historical fiction, with a deliciously twisting plot.” —Buzz Magazine
Available Editions
| EDITION | Paperback |
| ISBN | 9781837866960 |
| PRICE | £11.99 (GBP) |
| PAGES | 350 |