The Secret by the Lake is a chilling, unputdownable novel by Louise Douglas, set in 1903 and 1993. It follows two motherless boys, Lewis and Isak, who are banished to boarding school and discover the fate of a young girl named Harriet, who was taken to All Hallows asylum in 1903. The asylum is now a boarding school, and the boys are marooned in an old wing of the school during refurbishment. They hear cries and calls from the past and become aware of restless ghosts. As they learn more about Harriet's fate and Nurse Emma's desperate fight to keep her safe, they realize that the ghosts are still restless and must bring peace to All Hallows before the past breaks them first. The book has received praise for its vivid descriptions, evocative plot, and intriguing mystery.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 390 pages
Publication date: 12 October 2021
Publisher: Boldwood Books Ltd

Discover the latest chilling, unputdownable novel, from the Richard and Judy bestseller.

In 1903, fishermen find a wrecked boat containing a woman, who has been badly beaten, and a young girl. An ambulance is sent for, and the two survivors are taken to All Hallows, the imposing asylum, hidden deep on Dartmoor. The woman remains in a coma, but the little girl, Harriet, awakens and is taken to an attic room, far away from the noise of the asylum, and is put in the care of Nurse Emma Everdeen. Two motherless boys banished to boarding school...

In 1993, All Hallows is now a boarding school. Following his mother's death and his father's hasty remarriage, Lewis Tyler is banished to Dartmoor, stripped of his fashionable clothes, shorn of his long hair, and left feeling more alone than ever. There he meets Isak, another lost soul, and whilst refurbishment of the dormitories is taking place, the boys are marooned up in the attic, in an old wing of the school. Cries and calls from the past that can no longer be ignored...

All Hallows is a building full of memories, whispers, cries from the past. As Lewis and Isak learn more about the fate of Harriet and Nurse Emma's desperate fight to keep the little girl safe, it soon becomes clear there are ghosts who are still restless. Are they ghosts the boys hear at night in the room above, or are they the unquiet souls from the asylum still caught between the walls? And can Lewis and Isak bring peace to All Hallows before the past breaks them first...

Praise for Louise Douglas:

Louise Douglas achieves the impossible and gets better with every book. Milly Johnson

A brilliantly written, gripping, clever, compelling story, that I struggled to put down. The vivid descriptions, the evocative plot, and the characters that will stay with you long after you've finished reading. I can't wait to see what Louise Douglas comes up with next.

Weight: 330g
Dimension: 129 x 201 x 33 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781800486010