The Night Stairs

When schoolgirls start fainting one after the other at a convent boarding school, old legends twist into new scandals. From irresistible bestselling storyteller Erin Kelly comes the new addictive thriller that will leave you craving to read more.

'Had me hooked from page one. . . a twisty, confounding mystery' JENNIE GODFREY

'Relentlessly gripping...Original, atmospheric, and deliciously dark' LUCY CLARKE

Centuries of tradition are coming to an end at St Cordula's school. Deputy Head, Fiona Fox, is about to preside over a controversial move to save it from ruin. But it’s not easy to change things at a school this old.

Legend has it that the ghost of fifteenth-century nun, Sister Matilda, will keep St Cordula’s safe. But only as long as the words ‘GOD FORGIVE ME’, scrawled by Matilda on a chapel staircase wall before she fell to her death, are repainted every year. The words have only been allowed to fade once, in 2002. But then, fits of vertigo spread through the pupils, and a second girl fell to her death on the night stairs. Only three people know the truth of what happened on the night of the tragedy.

Now the vertigo is back, and Fiona must stem the outbreak before it threatens St Cordula’s future, or worse, another girl loses her life. But when one of her pupils begins a dangerous investigation into the past, old secrets start to twist into new scandals…

'Creates a world that pulls you in and won't let go. Deliciously dark and satisfying' JANE FALLON

'Outstanding...as much an insightful novel about female friendship and betrayal as it is a compelling mystery' JANE CASEY

'Deeply layered, beautifully penned and infinitely absorbing... a triumph' ABIR MUKHERJEE

'A stylish and utterly compulsive read from one of my favourite storytellers' RUTH WARE

'A stunning gothic thriller: beautifully-written, wise, moving, and utterly compelling. . . an absolute triumph' ALEX NORTH

'Compulsively creepy and genuinely thrilling. . . Warning: this will keep you up all night' ANNA MAZZOLA

'Like falling into a fever dream – enchanting, embroiling, and addictive. An absolute classic from the peerless Erin Kelly' SARAH HILARY

PRAISE FOR ERIN KELLY:

‘So thrilling and unexpected that it made my head spin’ LISA JEWELL
‘Erin Kelly is supremely skilled at unusual and intelligent suspense plots’ DAILY MAIL
‘Original, suspenseful, and with complex characters that spring irresistibly to life on the page’ LOUISE CANDLISH
‘An incredibly atmospheric psychological thriller with a clever, elaborate plot’ GRAZIA
‘Incomparable…captivating, cleverly constructed’ PAULA HAWKINS
‘Magnificent’ MARIAN KEYES
‘A gripping tale of secrets, revenge and obsession, masterfully done’ GUARDIAN
‘Propulsive… atmospheric, original’ GILLIAN McALLISTER
‘A taut chamber-piece of psychological suspense’ FINANCIAL TIMES