Tideswell

Some places don't want you to leave. Tideswell never wanted you to arrive.

Alice thought she had a simple plan when she arrived at the dying seaside village - clear out her missing sister's cottage, sell it, and go home. But from the first night, something feels wrong. The storms. The dreams. The crumbling cottage and its strange inhabitants, each offering a version of her sister that contradicts the last.

As the week deepens, Alice finds herself pulled further into a history that feels impossibly close. The village has long memories, dark folklore, and very little patience for outsiders. And just when she thinks she can't take anymore, the village decides it has had enough of Alice altogether.

This is literary Gothic fiction for readers who love slow-burning atmosphere, complicated women, and mysteries that unspool quietly through grief and shadow. Layered, unhurried, and lit from within by a dry wit that makes the darkness all the more unsettling.

Some places don't just hide their secrets. They make you pay for finding them. Are you willing to follow Alice into the dark?

If you enjoyed "The Thirteenth Tale" by Diane Setterfield, you'll love this chilling tale of secrets and betrayal.