A fantastic, creepy crime fiction/thriller which will keep you up at night, you must read Letters from the Dead by Sam Hurcom.

The plot:

1905. A year after ‘the affair’ in Dinas Powys, Thomas Bexley has become a drunkard and recluse, haunted by terrible visions of the dead. But when news of a spate of extraordinary kidnappings reaches him, Thomas is shocked to learn that his dear friend and former mentor, Professor Elijah Hawthorn, is the lead suspect.

Discovering a plea for help from Hawthorn claiming to have unearthed a gruesome conspiracy at the heart of the Metropolitan Police, Thomas embarks on a journey to prove Hawthorn’s innocence.

But wherever Thomas goes, he is followed by the dead, and as the mystery of Hawthorn’s disappearance deepens, so too does Thomas’s apparent insanity…

How can Thomas be certain of the truth when he can’t trust anybody around him, not even himself…?

An easy 5-stars

Blimey, will this book stay on my mind for a while. From the get-go, this book demands your attention and won’t let you go until the very last page (although I’m anxiously awaiting any future reads).

Don’t judge this book by its pretty cover – it’s very gothic and therefore demands a place in my heart. It is deliciously creepy, and I read a particular part before I was going to go to sleep, which I definitely wouldn’t recommend doing. Read it when it’s light outside and thank me later.

I haven’t read Hurcom’s debut, A Shadow on the Lens, but based on the synopsis, I can tell you that Letters from the Dead provides pretty hefty spoilers, which I’m gutted about. It won’t stop me from going back to read the first book because this was so fantastic, but I’d recommend you start with A Shadow on the Lens to avoid spoilers (also guaranteed you’ll go back and read the first, if you start with this, so just trust me).

It does have its gruesome moments, but most of all, it’s so interesting. The plot is incredibly well-built and thought-through from the first page to the very end, and it’s intense. It takes a sinister plot and every word jumps out at you on the page with all its horror.

Now, I vow never to give spoilers, which makes this a fairly difficult book to review, but one of my favourite aspects is the unreliable narrative. Take from that what you will.

It’s quite a cinematic reading experience and would make a fabulous film (petition at the ready). I also have a very good imagination, which wasn’t my friend whilst reading Letters from the Dead – definitely caused myself to jump a good few times.

Everything about this, from the protagonist, down to the gruesome parts and 1900-London – it is the perfect, scary, intense read.

Also, one of the plot twists just creeps up on you which I absolutely adoooooored. The ending – just incredible. I loved every second of this read.

An easy 5-stars, and it *might* make it into my top reads of the year, purely for its uniqueness and incredible writing. For fans of Laura Purcell.

Letters from the Dead, Sam Hurcom, RRP £14.99 (hardback); Book Depository

Pages: 373

Publisher: Orion

Genre: Crime Fiction/ Thriller/ Historical Fiction