Debut novel time and publishers 4^th Estate are using the tagline “Some houses are haunted by the living” to promote this strong historical thriller.  Written in the form of a diary from the 1870s the narrator is Harriet Watkins who becomes a maid for MP Ralph Gethin and his wife Clara.  Gethin starts off a shadowy figure, often absent from home but very much respected by the household staff.  Clara is seen as morose and neurotic by those living with her.  Harriet, on her arrival, begins to wonder if these perceptions are twisted.

The author gives the direction this will be going in right from the start with proceedings from a court case where we piece together Clara is on trial for the murder of her infant son.  We backtrack as to how this has come about through Harriet’s writings.  It’s being touted as a Gothic thriller and there are some Gothic elements here but not especially so.  The country house setting with an outsider trying to penetrate its secrets and what has gone on before will be familiar and I feel that it takes the first half of the book to fully get up to speed and then it goes off in a surprising way.

There’s some vivid well-drawn characterisation here (the narrator Harriet comes across extremely well) although the MP remains a little elusive as a character (intentionally perhaps as Harriet is never going to know how to react to him).

Certainly for the second half of the novel I was really drawn into some strong story-telling and this feels an impressive and commercial debut which should win Hester Musson a considerable number of fans eager to see what she comes up with next.

The Beholders will be published on 18^th January 2024 by 4^th Estate.  Many thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for the advance review copy.