Whisper Cottage – Anne Wyn Clark
How well do you know the woman next door?
When Stina and Jack move to an old rural cottage, they’re hoping for a fresh start. Their new home is run-down compared to their neighbour’s, but generous Mrs Barley quickly becomes a friend.
Until Stina sees a mysterious figure in the widow’s garden, and her happy new life begins to unravel. And when she hears strange noises in the night, she is forced to question if Mrs Barley is what she seems.
Why do the other villagers whisper about her? Why is she so eager to help the couple? And what is she hiding in her picture-perfect home?
Whisper Cottage is full of gossip, crossed wires, and misunderstandings that lead to some truly shocking things.
I have lived in a small town. I have lived in a small British village where everyone knows everyone’s business. So I understand a lot of Whisper Cottage in ways I wish I didn’t. I know what it is like to be the house that everyone talks about.
Stina and Jack are eager to move away from their high crime city when they discover they are expecting their first child. They find what appears to be the perfect cottage in a small, quiet village. The old woman next door, Mrs Barley, quickly becomes a friend, and beyond that a member of the family. But the rest of the village doesn’t seem to like her very much. There are many tales about witchcraft, and the village residents blame her for absolutely everything that goes wrong. From stomach aches to accidental deaths, it’s all Mrs Barley’s fault.
There are secrets, mysteries, hidden skeletons in Mrs Barley’s house, but it is not what anyone thinks, and the twists definitely surprised me. Whisper Cottage is a slow paced, slow build, with a heavy layer of eeriness all the way through. I could never quite tell where the story was going, and yet I was constantly waiting for the next twist to drop.
This was so good I couldn’t put it down and I ended up reading it cover to cover in just one sitting. Creepy, sinister neighbours, completely brilliant.
Do you like thrillers? Let me know your faves!
Netgalley and Avon Books UK provided me with the ARC copy of Whisper Cottage. These are my honest thoughts.
Bookish Yarn 