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The Night Stairs

The gripping psychological thriller with a jaw-dropping twist from the Sunday Times bestseller

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The Night Stairs

By: Erin Kelly
Narrated by: Bessie Carter
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Narrated by Bessie Carter (Bridgerton, Outrageous, Les Misérables).

Twenty-four years ago, a girl died on the night stairs at St Cordula’s Catholic boarding school.

Only three people know what really happened that night. And keeping the secret could prove deadly.

St Cordula’s has survived for centuries on tradition, discipline and silence. Now Deputy Head Fiona Fox is preparing to make a controversial change that could save the school from ruin.

But some traditions are dangerous to break.

Legend says St Cordula’s will remain safe as long as the words ‘GOD FORGIVE ME’, scrawled on a chapel wall by a fifteenth-century nun before her death, are preserved.

The last time they faded, in 2002, a mysterious outbreak of vertigo swept through the school.

One girl died.

Fiona knows her death wasn’t an accident.

Now the vertigo is back.

Could unmasking the truth about what happened that night be more dangerous than if it had stayed buried?

**PERFECT FOR FANS OF THE TRAITORS, CLARE MACKINTOSH AND CLARE MCGOWAN**

‘I raced through it’ CLARE MACKINTOSH
‘Utterly compulsive’ RUTH WARE
‘Had me hooked from page one’ JENNIE GODFREY
‘Relentlessly gripping’ LUCY CLARKE

© Erin Kelly 2026 (P) Penguin Audio 2026

 Crime Thrillers Mystery Psychological Suspense Thriller & Suspense Women Sleuths Fiction Thriller
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Critic reviews

Had me hooked from page one. . . a twisty, confounding mystery (Jennie Godfrey, author of THE LIST OF SUSPICIOUS THINGS)
Erin Kelly has huge fun stirring lashings of snobbery, religion, teenage bitchiness and a hot priest into her gothic take on Malory Towers-style school stories
Kelly brilliantly evokes the hothouse atmosphere of the school, and the dangerously intense feelings it fosters
Erin Kelly is the utter queen of dark and twisty...an absolute joy (Joanna Cannon, author of AN UNLIKELY VISITOR)
I’ve loved each of Erin Kelly’s novels – but The Night Stairs is my new favourite. The richly evoked setting of St Cordula’s convent school becomes a playground for malaise and madness, in this relentlessly gripping psychological thriller. Original, atmospheric, and deliciously dark (Lucy Clarke, author of THE HIKE)
A spine-chilling read
Hysteria, secrets, faith. . . and murder? This gothic boarding school mystery had all of my favourite things, and gripped me until the very last twist. Erin Kelly is a cut above (Juno Dawson, author of HER MAJESTY'S ROYAL COVEN)
Nobody builds a world quite as believable as Erin Kelly. And no one can tear it down quite so deliberately too. The Night Stairs is another captivating, fiendishly clever thriller with blindsiding twists (John Marrs, author of DEAD IN THE WATER)
Outstanding...peeling back the layers of respectability and tradition in a Catholic girls' school to reveal incense-bitter truths. Atmospheric and expertly crafted, this is as much an insightful novel about female friendship and betrayal as it is a compelling mystery...Erin Kelly is one of the absolute best in the business. (Jane Casey, author of THE SECRET ROOM)
I was utterly absorbed by this chilling and immersive thriller. The plot is intricate, the twists are head-spinning, the setting is so vivid I can still walk around it in my mind, but what I loved most of all were the perfectly painfully rendered characters. (Holly Seddon, author of 59 MINUTES)
All stars
Most relevant
A narrator can make or break a listen - obviously but Bessie Carter is exceptional in reading this book. I enjoyed the story and the setting. Felt that the narration really brought it to life. Would absolutely recommend.

Beautifully read

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A gothic, ancient, convent school. A creepy legend. Well drawn characters. Dark secrets. Compelling storytelling. Sprinkled with literary, pop culture & biblical references. What more do you want? I loved it!
As a mother of a teenage daughter, I thought the cruelty, the bonding and the suggestibility was expertly captured.
Good narration too.

Fantastic

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