Bargains! PROMOTIONS

Close Notification

Your cart does not contain any items

A Slow and Secret Poison

Carmella Lowkis

$45

Hardback

Not in-store but you can order this
How long will it take?

QTY:

English
Doubleday
22 February 2026
Tantalising gothic fiction in which a woman fleeing her past accepts a position at a crumbling manor, only to discover she's not the only one with secrets...

'A gloriously entertaining gothic novel' The Times 'Carmella Lowkis has done it again with this deeply satisfying and gothic stunner' ALLY WILKES 'One of the best gothic novels the genre has to offer' JOHANNA VAN VEEN

'We are cursed, here at Harfold, whether you believe in it or not.'

1922, Wiltshire. When Vee Morgan accepts the job of gardener at a crumbling stately home, she's hoping for a fresh start where nobody knows her troubled history.

But Harfold Manor is shadowed by grief and the memories of long-faded glory, its rooms haunted by the only surviving member of the family, Lady Arabella Lascy. Vee is fascinated by her enigmatic new employer, a woman obsessed with the curse she believes has killed her family one by one. A curse that is coming for her next.

As Vee immerses herself in the world of Harfold, she finds herself increasingly entranced by Arabella and the secrets that poison her.

But Vee has her own things to hide- secrets that caused her to flee Cardiff, secrets that estranged her from her own family, secrets that might finally catch up to her...

'Full of rich gothic decay and ratcheting tension ... twist after twist left me reeling' DANIELLE GILES
By:  
Imprint:   Doubleday
Country of Publication:   United Kingdom
Dimensions:   Height: 223mm,  Width: 144mm,  Spine: 32mm
Weight:   460g
ISBN:   9780857529510
ISBN 10:   085752951X
Pages:   352
Publication Date:  
Audience:   General/trade ,  ELT Advanced
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active

Carmella Lowkis grew up in Wiltshire and has a degree in English Literature and Creative Writing from the University of Warwick. After graduating, she worked in libraries, before moving into book marketing. Her debut novel Spitting Gold was published in 2024. Carmella lives in North London with her fiancee.

Reviews for A Slow and Secret Poison

Atmospheric and delicious, A Slow and Secret Poison slowly unfolds its mysteries, taking in a 1920s sapphic love story, the class intrigue of The Little Stranger, and a reminder that some parts of the natural world are also poisonous. Carmella Lowkis has done it again with this deeply satisfying and gothic stunner. -- Ally Wilkes * author of All the White Spaces and Where the Dead Wait * A Slow and Secret Poison is one of the best gothic novels the genre has to offer. Twisty, erotic, and atmospheric, this one is sure to linger long after you have finished reading -- Johanna van Veen * author of Blood on Her Tongue and My Darling Dreadful Thing * I was utterly captivated – a truly compelling, immersive tale. If Agatha Christie and Shirley Jackson had ever teamed up to write a novel, it would have turned out like this: intricately plotted, seductive, and sinister. -- Naomi Kelsey * author of The Burnings * Full of rich gothic decay and ratcheting tension, A Slow and Secret Poison is an incisive exploration of how privilege and class haunts us all. The sapphic love story kept me constantly guessing, even as twist after twist left me reeling. A lush, atmospheric delight. -- Danielle Giles * author of Mere * Carmella Lowkis has a true talent for the creeping gothic. Her characters are alluring and settings entrancing. A Slow and Secret Poison conjures the uncertainty and dark potential of the interbellum in Great Britain in a thoroughly engrossing way. For fans of Sarah Waters, A Slow and Secret Poison is a must -- Emma Hinds * author of The Knowing *


See Also