Arson, obsession, and unrequited love lie at the center of this twisted Gothic mystery set in a crumbling English manor.

Intense, repressed Dorrie is secretly in love with vivid, self-assured Alys. When Dorrie’s abusive marriage implodes, the two women flee to Alys’s remote family home, Dovecombe Manor. But instead of a haven, Dorrie finds a ruin sunk deep in eerie woodland, held in limbo by a decade-old unsolved arson, and haunted by a historic curse. Locals say that the oak trees surrounding the house are sentient, malignant, and bent on vengeance against the family for an ancient wrong. As soon as the women arrive, it’s clear there’s something about the house that disturbs Alys—something she’s hiding from Dorrie.

When the investigation into the fire that nearly destroyed Dovecombe is reopened and suspicions focus on Alys, Dorrie’s sanity begins to crumble. Determined to protect the woman she loves, Dorrie sets out to solve the mystery of what happened on the night of the fire and save Alys from Dovecombe’s dark grip. Her quest pulls her into the tangled history of its secretive occupants—from housekeeper Bonnie, who harbors a deep resentment for the family she serves, to the brooding groundskeeper who’s always watching Alys, and Aly’s ruthless mother, Caroline, who will stop at nothing to restore Dovecombe and her family to their former grandeur. But in this bleak, wild landscape stalked by violence, pulsing with malice and dread, the most dangerous thing of all might be Dorrie.

Written in an evocative literary style, rich in atmosphere and sensory details, Dovecombe is a modern gothic for readers of Daphne du Maurier and Sarah Waters.

About the Author:

Alex Clark is a former stonemason and archaeologist who lives in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. Dovecombe is her first novel.