Elizabeth Brooks

England, 1939. Ten-year-old Virginia Wrathmell arrives at Salt Winds, a secluded house on the edge of a marsh, to meet her adoptive parents—practical, dependable Clem and glamorous, mercurial Lorna. The marsh, with its deceptive tides, is a beautiful but threatening place. Virginia’s new parents’ marriage is full of secrets and tensions she doesn’t quite understand, and their wealthy neighbor, Max Deering, drops by too often, taking an unwholesome interest in the family’s affairs. Only Clem offers a true sense of home. War feels far away among the birds and shifting sands—until the day a German fighter plane crashes into the marsh, and Clem ventures out to rescue the airman. What happens next sets into motion a crime so devastating it will haunt Virginia for the rest of her life. Seventy-five years later, she finds herself drawn back to the marsh, and to a teenage girl who appears there, nearly frozen and burdened by her own secrets. In her, Virginia might have a chance at retribution and a way to right a grave mistake she made as a child. Elizabeth Brooks’s gripping debut mirrors its marshy landscape—full of twists and turns and moored in a tangle of family secrets. A gothic, psychological mystery and atmospheric coming-of-age story, The Orphan of Salt Winds is the portrait of a woman haunted by the place she calls home.

Freya Lyell is struggling to move on from her sister Stella’s suicide five years ago. Visiting the bewitching Byrne Hall, only a few miles from the scene of the tragedy, she discovers a portrait of Stella – a portrait she had no idea existed, in a house Stella never set foot in. Or so she thought.Driven to find out more about her sister’s secrets, Freya is drawn into the world of Byrne Hall and its owners: charismatic artist Cory and his sinister, watchful mother. But as Freya’s relationship with Cory crosses the line into obsession, the darkness behind the locked doors of Byrne Hall threatens to spill out.

1945: War widow Peggy is grateful to have inherited Orchard House from her husband’s Aunt Maude; she looks forward to making a fresh start in rural Cambridgeshire, with her young son. The moment she sets eyes on the rambling property, however, doubt sets in. From the bricked-up cellar to the scent of violets and rotting fruit, the place seems shrouded by dark mysteries. When Peggy discovers Maude’s teenage diary gathering dust inside a broken desk, she begins to read, searching for answers. 1876: Orphaned Maude is forced to leave London, and her adored brother Frank, to live with a stranger. Everyone—especially Frank—tells her not to trust Miss Greenaway, the enigmatic owner of Orchard House, but Maude can’t help warming to her new guardian. Encouraged by Miss Greenaway to speak her mind, follow her curiosity, and form her own opinions, Maude finds herself discovering who she is for the first time, and learning to love her new home in the orchard.But when Frank comes for an unexpected visit, the delicate balance of Maude’s life is thrown into disarray. Complicating matters more, Maude witnesses an adult world full of interactions she cannot quite understand with implications beyond her grasp. Her efforts to regain control and right the future as she sees fit result in a violent tragedy, the repercussions of which will haunt Orchard House for the rest of Maude’s life—and beyond. Psychologically gripping and masterfully told, The House in the Orchard explores the blurred lines between truth and manipulation, asking us who we can trust, how to tell guilt from forgiveness, and whether we can ever really separate true love from destruction.

At the height of the Second World War in England, twenty-two year old Nina Woodrow joins the British Royal Air Force and rebels against her careful upbringing by embarking on an illicit affair with an officer. She risks losing everything for Guy Nicholson: her comfortable home, her childhood friends, and, especially, the love of her father, an enigmatic widower. Meanwhile, in the sleepy village where Nina grew up, where the upheavals of war seem far away and divorce remains taboo, Kate Nicholson struggles to cope with her new role as the wronged wife. She finds an unlikely confidant in Nina’s father, Henry, and as they grow closer Kate finds that she's embroiled in something much murkier, and more menacing, than a straightforward friendship. Sweeping and impassioned, with pitch-perfect period detail, Elizabeth Brooks’ The Woman in the Sable Coat tells the story of two families fatally entangled in one another’s deepest, darkest secrets.

Where do you go at night, once you have turned out the light and snuggled down under the blankets? Abigail Crabtree’s imaginary world is precious to her; an escape from the waking world. That is until one wintry night, when a sinister horseman appears and threatens to wrest it from her in the name of the King of Traumund.Desperate to save her realm from invasion, she turns to her godfather – the enchanting Mr. Montefiore – for help. She takes refuge in his desolate country house, where rumours of cruelty and murder abound. Encouraged by his apparent sympathy, Abigail and her giant owl soar beyond the borders of her own imaginary world and into the vast universe of collective dreams. But even as she delights in Traumund’s bewildering beauty, she finds herself ever more seduced by the very evil which threatens to destroy it. How can Abigail remember what she is fighting for? How can she even be sure where her loyalties lie? And – the most formidable question of all - will she ever be free of the intensely beguiling Mr. Montefiore?

'Charity Woolf' is the thrilling sequel to 'Montefiore's Goddaughter' by Elizabeth Brooks... It’s winter in Traumund, and death stalks the snowy streets of Mazurka, city of glittering soirées and moonlit murders. Georgia Wellington-Grub may be a governess – a mere nobody - but she will risk everything to save her city. It’s summer in the Waking World, but if Georgia expects a safe haven at Boughwinds Abbey she is doomed to disappointment. Mr. Montefiore’s ghost haunts the abandoned rooms and a young woman named Charity Woolf is in hiding from the world, with nothing but a dark secret for company. Which of them should Georgia trust in her fight against evil? Where will she turn, in a world where monsters may be allies, and the sweetest smile can mask the most hideous intent? Reviews of "Montefiore's Goddaughter": "This is a brilliant book. It is exciting, exceptionally imaginative and very intuitive of the teenager psyche. I did not want to put the book down from the moment I started reading it. It takes the reader into another world, the world of dreams. I think it is as good as any Harry Potter stories and as with these is an excellent read for people of all ages. I loved the illustrations too. I eagerly look forward to reading Elizabeth Brooks' next book." - Joy "This isn't your usual teen fiction - it's longer, more gothic, a big walloping Victorian sort of novel that'll keep you engrossed during long winter evenings reading in front of the fire." - Iceni "I think teenagers would love this book but as someone who is well beyond teenage years I must say that it's great for adults too. The story is irresistible, flitting between dreams and spooky reality, but it also manages to tackle adolescent themes of friendship and peer pressure without being patronising, partly because the heroine is so real and likeable. This is a rich, often very funny, novel. I especially liked its mockery of modern obsession with physical appearances and its message that there's more to life. I'm looking forward to the next one in the series." - Verhaeren "The author takes very real elements from today's world - obsession with superficialities, values that aren't any, pressure to conform - and contrasts them with the beautiful, nuanced and exciting world that her main character enters. Towards the beginning, I felt I knew where the story was headed, but soon realised I was wrong: the plot keeps twisting and turning in wonderful and unexpectable ways. A truly enjoyable read." - Antonia