The Haunting of Hero's Bay: The chilling new mystery from the author of The Lost Storyteller

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Amanda Block

The Haunting of Hero's Bay

Name: The Haunting of Hero's Bay
Price: 44.95 AUD
Availability: PreOrder
ISBN: 9781529362787

The chilling new mystery from the author of The Lost Storyteller

Amanda Block

$44.95

Paperback

Forthcoming
Pre-Order now

QTY:

English

Hodder Paperback
22 September 2026

Horror & ghost stories; Ghosts & poltergeists

The sea doesn't forget.

It knows all of this has happened before.

And will happen again . . .

1840

As a vast ship loses its way in the night-time mist, shattering against the cliffs of Crescombe, North Devon, a daring young artist dives into the murky sea. But it's not for heroism he is risking it all: something - or someone - is drawing him into those dark, perilous waters . . .

Now

When Finley arrives in Crescombe for the summer, he suspects he's not alone in his attic bedroom. Before long, he is uncovering secrets the remote seaside town has kept for almost two centuries: about ghosts and curses, about a ruthless old smuggling family, and about the young women whose bodies have washed up along the town's rocky shoreline, just below his porthole window.

Yet the more Finley learns, the closer he's bonded to those who have gone before him - and the closer he comes to meeting the same watery end...

By turns chilling, compelling and deeply emotive, this sweeping historical mystery will immerse you from the very first page.

By: Amanda Block
Imprint: Hodder Paperback
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 198mm, Width: 129mm,
ISBN: 9781529362787
ISBN 10: 1529362784
Pages: 400
Publication Date: 22 September 2026
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Originally from Devon, Amanda moved to Edinburgh in 2007, where she attained a master's degree in creative writing. Since then, she's divided her time between ghostwriting, editing and tutoring. Amanda's writing is often inspired by myths and fairy tales, which she uses as starting points to tell new stories. Her work has been shortlisted in contests such as the Bridport Prize and the Mslexia Short Story Competition. The Haunting of Hero's Bay is her second novel.

Reviews for The Haunting of Hero's Bay: The chilling new mystery from the author of The Lost Storyteller

Amanda is a powerful storyteller - I loved it * Jenny Colgan * Pacy, cleverly woven and a fabulous adventure . . . mystery, love, art, smuggling, ghosts and more * Tracy Rees * A sweeping, ghostly tale of doomed love and a celebrated painting's link with a string of mysterious deaths in a secretive seaside town * Kate Lord Brown * A haunting tale of the wrongs of the past being re-lived in the present . . . Smugglers and ghosts, but also compassion and love * Sue Lawrence * A rollicking read, shades of light and dark on the Devon coast. The pages just keep on turning * Sarah Maine * The kindly spirit of Daphne du Maurier is definitely watching over this terrific West Country novel: there are smugglers and shipwrecks, secrets and legends, clues hidden in artworks - and in hidey holes. Plus a quirky village full of irresistible characters, not one but two halting and tremulous love stories, and a protagonist whose plight and pluck are equally compelling. The Haunting of Hero's Bay was pretty much the perfect read. I loved it * Catriona McPherson * A beautifully atmospheric ghost story with a heartfelt centre. Romance-tinged but full of mystery, I loved it. Told with the same emotional human touch that made Amanda's debut novel so special * Callie Kazumi *