The Witching Hour

A chilling, haunting ghost story set in the modern day which delves into the real-life legend of a 19th-century sea witch…

Relocated to a coastal town, widowed teacher Sarah Grey is slowly rebuilding her life, along with her young son Alfie. But after an inadvertent séance one drunken night, her world is shaken when she starts to experience frightening visions.

She tries to explain them away. But Alfie sees them too and Sarah believes that they have become the targets of a haunting attack.

Convinced that the ghost is that of a 19th Century local witch, Sarah delves into local folklore and learns that the witch was thought to have been evil incarnate. And when a series of old letters surface, Sarah discovers that nothing is as it seems, not even the ghost who haunts her very home…

Perfect for fans of The Midnight House, The Familiars and The Lighthouse Witches.

Previously published as The Drowning Pool in 2011

Reviews

‘A stunning reinvention of the ghost story and an exploration of a 19th-century Essex witch hunt.’ The Guardian

‘A goose-pimply old-fashioned ghost story.’ Christopher Fowler, author of the Bryant and May series

‘Its vivid descriptions will leave even the toughest of souls with goose pimples.’ Closer

About the author

Syd Moore is the author of The Drowning Pool, a novel inspired by the legend of a 19th Century Essex woman – the Sea Witch Sarah Moore. She is also co-creator of Super Strumps, the game that reclaims female stereotypes through the medium of Top Trumps, and was founding editor of Level 4, an arts and culture magazine based in South Essex. She has worked extensively in publishing and the book trade and presented Channel 4’s late night book programme, Pulp.