The Murmurs : The most compulsive, chilling gothic thriller you'll read this year… Volume 1

Author: Michael J. Malone

Modern & contemporary fiction (post c 1945)

Published on 14 September 2023 by Orenda Books in the United Kingdom as part of 'The Annie Jackson Mysteries' series.

Paperback | 300 pages
198 x 128 x 22mm | 250g

A young woman starts experiencing terrifying premonitions of people dying, as it becomes clear that a family curse known only as The Murmurs has begun, and a long-forgotten crime is about to be unearthed…   ‘His biggest smash hit yet, an assured paranormal thriller in which the paranormal isn’t even the scariest part … A tale that leaves our interest piqued throughout, with the tension and foreboding reaching fever pitch’ Herald Scotland   `A tense, creepy page-turner´ Ian Rankin   `A master storyteller at the very top of his game, Michael J. Malone weaves the most exquisite tale … mesmeric and suspenseful´ Marion Todd    In the beginning there was fear.

White-hot, nerve-shredding fear.

Terrifying premonitions of deaths.

And then they started…The Murmurs…   On the first morning of her new job at Heartfield House, a care home for the elderly, Annie Jackson wakens from a terrifying dream. And when she arrives at the home, she knows that the first old man she meets is going to die.

  How she knows this is a terrifying mystery, but it is the start of horrifying premonitions … a rekindling of the curse that has trickled through generations of women in her family – a wicked gift known only as 'the murmurs'…   With its reappearance comes an old, forgotten fear that is about to grip Annie Jackson.

  And this time, it will never let go…   A compulsive gothic thriller and a spellbinding supernatural mystery about secrets and small communities, about faith, courage and self-preservation, The Murmurs is a startling and compulsive read from one of Scotland's finest authors…     `Poetic and beautifully crafted, this is a chilling and compelling read´ Caro Ramsay   `A fine, atmospheric chiller couched in Malone's customary elegant prose´ Douglas Skelton  Praise for Michael J Malone   `A gothic ghost story and psychological thriller all rolled into one. Brilliantly creepy … a spine-tingling treat´ Daily Record   `Prepare to have your marrow well and truly chilled by this deeply creepy Scottish horror … A complex and multi-layered story´ Sunday Mirror   `A beautifully written tale, original, engrossing and scary… a dark joy´ The Times   `A deeply satisfying read´ Sunday Times   `A fine, page-turning thriller´ Daily Mail   `Unsettling, multi-layered and expertly paced´ CultureFly