Starve Acre by Andrew Michael Hurley

​Spooky, gothic, atmospheric. ​

This story is haunting in subtle ways. There is the big old house, an ancient 'Old Justice' gallows tree, the sudden death of a disturbed child, voices from the past - all set in the cold and desolate moorlands. The perfect recipe.

​Hurley has the right narrative: understated, not dwelling on the obvious horror that belies the story and shapes the events, no cliched banging doors. This is about grief and how it affects people differently, and ultimately how they overcome it by whatever means. Elegant and profound, disturbing and supernatural.

Published at Halloween. A timely ghost story, not too long, just right. Brilliant.

Published by John Murray Press on 31 October 2019. Advanced review copy supplied by the publishers.

​See other books by Andrew Michael HurleyThe Loney and Devil's Day.