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A Slow and Secret Poison

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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

'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…

© Carmella Lowkis 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025

 20th Century Gothic Historical Historical Fiction Horror Romance

Critic reviews

Dark and deliciously gothic, Lowkis’s slow-burn second novel is brimful of sinister surprises
Gloriously entertaining . . . Fans of gothic novels with a queer edge will love it
A deliciously dark read
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
All stars
Most relevant
This is a fantastic captivating storyline, It's dark, twisty and heart breaking!
We are slowly fed the poison of this delicious tale, and the story slowly unfolds, but nothing is as it seems!
Excellent narration. 🎶

EXTREMELY DARK. 😱

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