The Lost Children

Ebook

The gothic story of a disappearance that echoes through time

On the wild Cornish coast, love and loss echo through the halls of Hallows Abbey, where the past refuses to stay buried...

1966: Standing on the rugged Cornish coast, Hallows Abbey can be a lonely place for the boys boarding there. For Theresa, however, it offers an escape from her father’s long shadow, and as the school nurse, she tries to be a comfort to those students struggling to adjust to their remote life. But, before the year is over, Theresa will make a terrible decision – and the consequences for the children in her care will change everything…

2025: With her own children having just left home, Amanda’s emotions are in turmoil when she arrives at the isolated school where her husband is to be Deputy Head. When she learns of the school’s tragic history, in which a group of boys went out on a boat trip and disappeared, she becomes obsessed with finding out what happened, even when her research risks upsetting the fragile equilibrium of the school. But when she starts to hear voices in the gardens and crying in the halls at night, she begins to wonder if she’s losing her mind.

Only one thing seems certain: this corner of Cornwall could well be Amanda’s undoing.

Lose yourself in a spellbinding tale of whispers through time... Perfect for fans of Kate Morton, Barbara Erskine, and The Secret of Crickley Hall.

Previously published as The House on the Cliff

Praise for Victoria Scott:

'A fabuous twisty dual timeline with a hint of spooky season ghost story. I loved it!' – Rachel Burton

The twists and turns revealed kept me turning pages way longer than I was meant to stay awake. The way Meredith's mind gets confused as she learns more and more tugged at my heart, and reading Ellen's experiences with her beau and how his mental health was essentially compartmentalised in an era when there wasn't much knowledge was heartwrenching.

'Within the tale, there are elements of the gothic tradition, with old houses, fog, rising waters, stormy weather and more. The reader's pulse rate rises as we are committed to following the action. I thoroughly enjoyed The House In The Water. It consumed me from the start. It was the first book by Victoria Scott but I certainly she she will write more.'

'Don't you love a dual time line novel? I do and this one is exceptional – I have read the author's earlier work and this is straying into much darker territory, but I think it only serves to show what a great writer she is… Atmospheric, gripping, with huge heart and impossible to put down – the very best sort of book! Beautiful captivating prose, kept me totally engaged in both timelines.'

Wonderful. My first by this author but not the last.

'This is definitely a spellbinding and unsettling tale with a dash of romance set in WW2 and 2013 that might haunt your dreams and leave you with a lot to think about! A riveting read.'

'I was engrossed in the story from the start. May Day House is a rehab house for soldiers during WWII. They are cared for and sent back to war. Years later a couple buys the house which soon appears to be haunted by the soldiers who had been there. It is a great story.'