Bluff

Francine Toon

$45

Hardback

Forthcoming
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English

Doubleday
06 December 2025

Modern & contemporary fiction (post c 1945)

The author of the Sunday-Times-bestselling Pine returns with another sinister and atmospheric tale of buried secrets, set in the brooding Scottish landscape.

In this corner of Fife, summer nights meant parties on wind-blown beaches, wrapped in hoodies and denim jackets, pretending you weren't cold in the stubborn evening light.

Joanie, 2013. Desperate to flee the claustrophobia of St Rule, Joanie has long been looking forward to her big escape. But on the night of her school graduation this dream slips through her hands. Devastated, Joanie falls into the orbit of an enigmatic couple - Erin and David - who offer her a new kind of escape. Charismatic, older and intellectual, they make Joanie feel alive and important in a way she didn't know was possible.

Cameron, 2023. When Cameron arrives back in St Rule for Christmas a question burns in his mind- what ever happened to Joanie? It's been a decade since he saw his former friend, and in truth he hadn't given it much thought - busily building a life. But as he starts to look for answers, it becomes clear that someone wants to keep this secret buried at all costs. How far should he go to pursue the truth?

Set amongst the ancient cobblestone of a Scottish coastal town steeped in history, Francine Toon masterfully blends the tension of a mystery with the chill of a modern gothic. This is a story where every shadow holds a secret, and every revelation brings Cameron and Joanie closer to a truth that could shatter their worlds.

By: Francine Toon
Imprint: Doubleday
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 222mm, Width: 138mm, Spine: 25mm
Weight: 400g
ISBN: 9780857527554
ISBN 10: 085752755X
Pages: 352
Publication Date: 06 December 2025
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Francine Toon's debut novel Pine was a Sunday Times bestseller and number one Times bestseller. It won the 2020 McIlvanney Prize, was shortlisted for Bloody Scotland Debut Prize and longlisted for the Highland Book Prize and the Deborah Rogers Foundation Writers Award. Her poetry, written as Francine Elena, has appeared in The Sunday Times, The Best British Poetry 2013 and 2015 anthologies and Poetry London, among other places. Her short story 'Ghost Kitchen' was published in the anthology Of The Flesh.

Reviews for Bluff

A literary gothic thriller to chill the marrow * Guardian on PINE * [A] simmering gothic thriller * Daily Mail on PINE * Splicing small-town domestic drama with grisly mystery and occult thrills… cleverly crafted * Metro on PINE * As gripping as any boxset * Sunday Times Scotland on PINE * This haunting debut is a must-read for fans of eerie gothic fiction * The Skinny on PINE * A thrill of a book * i-D on PINE * Hugely atmospheric, exquisitely written and utterly gripping * Lucy Foley, author of THE HUNTING PARTY on PINE * Marries the claustrophobia of rural life with fascinating hints of Scottish myths, to create an emotional read with the pace of a thriller * Irish Country Magazine on PINE * Carefully calibrated to make every single hair on the back of your neck stand up on end * Scotland on Sunday on PINE * Eerie and thrilling * Sophie Mackintosh, author of THE WATER CURE on PINE * Both spooky and tender; drenched in a sense of place and yet eerily timeless * Mick Herron on PINE * Combines the Gothic sensibilities of Shirley Jackson with the psychologically astute suspense of Gillian Flynn * Sharlene Teo, author of PONTI on PINE *