The buzz building around Catriona Ward's The Last House on Needless Street is real. I've read it and was blown away. It's a true nerve-shredder that keeps its mind-blowing secrets to the very end. Haven't read anything this exciting since Gone Girl
Stephen King This spectacular gothic fantasy is one of the most extraordinary thrillers of the year so ... Read morefar... Splendidly sinister and twisty, it comes to a magnificent Grand Guignol finale
Daily Mail
A truly captivating Gothic-thriller novel - a champion of the genre, it hooks you in from the very first page... a rare work of fiction that explores the human will to endure
Independent
Ward's superlative novel - part psychological thriller, part Gothic horror - plays countless tricks on the reader and rewards close attention
Financial Times
A chilling masterpiece in suspense... This unsettling yet deeply moving novel is a modern classic, and a major contender for book of the year
Sunday Express
This is Stephen King country, and Catriona Ward's novel is at the horror end of the thriller scale. But this is not horror as you know it... for all the deliberate echoes of Psycho and The Shining, Ward's ambition is closer to William Faulkner's The Sound and the Fury. The reader is in her hands but never feels manipulated - this is horror with integrity
The Times
This is the most gloriously complex, shifting story, deeply disturbing yet also, somehow, heartwarming ... Ward has created something exceptionally unsettling here, as many-layered and sinister as the Russian doll that sits on Ted's mantelpiece
Observer
The book sits in that twilight margin between psychological thriller and Gothic horror, with Ward, twice the recipient of the August Derleth Award, beautifully wrongfooting the reader every step of the way
Financial Times
This psychological thriller about a recluse and a missing girl has been praised by Stephen King and compared to Shirley Jackson. Unmissable
The i
Ward's gothic thriller unfolds secrets within secrets until its devastating denouement
Daily Mail
Full of twists and turns, this high-concept gothic horror is going to be huge
Guardian
An upmarket horror thriller with shades of Stephen King and William Faulkner
The Times
A truly captivating Gothic-thriller novel - a champion of the genre, it hooks you in from the very first page.... a rare work of fiction
Press Association
Books like this don't come around too often. An intelligent, well-written, stylish psychological thriller... with a perfectly structured plot arc and a perfectly satisfying whammy at the end. I would say I inhaled this in one, but I think I was too busy holding my breath throughout. Bravo
Joanne Harris, bestselling author of CHOCOLAT The new face of literary dark fiction
Sarah Pinborough, bestselling author of BEHIND HER EYES A sleek thriller, a horror tale in the dark-blooded vein of Shirley Jackson, and a story of a makeshift family that cracks like ice, like a broken heart, when you look closely. I can't recall another novel in recent years that dares so much and succeeds so wildly
A.J. Finn, bestselling author of THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW This page-turner is an absolutely gripping tale
Closer
Believe the hype. The Last House On Needless Street is not only a masterclass in horror, but in storytelling full stop. Up there with the best I've ever read. The most unsettling, beautiful, sad and wise book, it'll stay with me a long time. I'm in awe
Kiran Millwood Hargrave, author of THE MERCIES A chilling and beautiful masterpiece of suspense, cunningly plotted and written with the elegant imagination of a Shirley Jackson or a Sarah Waters. I was completely enthralled
Joe Hill, author of NOS4R2 This book is tender rather than terrifying. Playful and sweet as well as sinister and thrilling, the creeping dread is tempered beautifully with humour and it ends being extremely emotionally impactful
Emma Healey, author of ELIZABETH IS MISSING A masterpiece. Beautiful, heartbreaking and quietly uplifting. One of the most powerful and well-executed novels I've read in years
Alex North, author of THE WHISPER MAN THIS IS THE BEST HORROR NOVEL I HAVE EVER READ. Even Shirley Jackson, her Majesty, would have to concede to this one
Natasha Pulley, author of THE WATCHMAKER OF FILIGREE STREET Keeps readers deliciously off-balance throughout this multifaceted tale... This masterful horror novel packs an emotional wallop that lingers
Publishers Weekly (starred review)
I was glued to my sofa until I finished it. Such a clever book with two things I appreciate - horror and compassion
Francine Toon, author of PINE How can a book be utterly terrifying and filled with kindness at the same time? Just brilliant. What a book
Elizabeth Haynes, author of INTO THE DARKEST CORNER Brilliant. This is a book everyone is going to be talking about. Dark, clever and utterly page-turning
Cass Green, author of IN A COTTAGE IN A WOODS I didn't think it was possible but The Last House on Needless Street is even greater than the hype suggests. Clever, devastating, beautiful, terrifying, poignant, how often can you say that about one book? There's not enough stars in the world for Catriona Ward
Chris Whitaker, author of WE BEGIN AT THE END This immersive modern gothic reads like a timeless classic as it lures you hook and sinker into its world
Essie Fox, author of SOMNAMBULIST Both harrowing and compelling. As soon as I finished it I wanted to read it all over again. An absolute masterpiece
Katerina Diamond, author of THE HEATWAVE My favourite book of 2021. I loved every page
Alice Feeney, author of SOMETIMES I LIE One of the most original and exciting books I've read in years. Prepare to be immersed in this chilling, thrilling, emotional read
Jo Spain, author of DIRTY LITTLE SECRETS A breathtakingly ambitious book, gorgeously written, and never once shies away from showing you its fangs and its beautiful blood-filled heart. Stop reading this blurb already and open the damn book
Paul Tremblay, author of A HEADFUL OF GHOSTS New, inventive - even groundbreaking... A brave and challenging piece where Ward's superior writing skills shine through like a beacon
Guernsey Press
There's a well deserved buzz surrounding this novel, it's a bold, clever piece of storytelling. There's a dexterity and sleight of hand to Ward's tale that is breathtakingly clever. Poignant and thought provoking
NB Magazine
If you like your thrillers full of twists and tinged with the Gothic then you're going to love The Last House On Needless Street. Expect the unexpected and also don't expect to take a breath until you've finished this chilling but gripping story
Red Magazine
This extraordinary tale will thrill and move readers
Grazia
Gripping
Bella
Absolutely brilliant. This is extraordinary, high-wire-act horror, audacious as hell
Christopher Golden, author of RED HANDS The most extraordinary book. It's mesmerising, original, and challenging. A work of genius
Mark Edwards, author of THE HOUSE GUEST The creepiest, saddest-but-funniest, most mesmerising book I've read in a long time. Psychological thriller and horror writers beware: Catriona Ward just raised the bar skyward
Tammy Cohen, author of WHEN SHE WAS BAD As mad as a snake but all the better for it. A story that slinks deeply into uncomfortable places in the tradition of Fowles' The Collector. An enigmatic story of trauma
Adam Nevill, author of THE RITUAL I thought The Last House on Needless Street would be good but I didn't know it would be THAT good. It's a book of the year. For any year
Martyn Waites, author of THE OLD RELIGION Breathtakingly brilliant. Dark and relentlessly twisty, the best thing I've read this year
Lisa Hall, author of THE PARTY Incredible. Absolutely creep-inducing, skin-crawling, even agonising; and also so beautiful, both in writing and heart. One of my favourite things in ages
James Smythe, author of THE EXPLORER Not only edge of the seat, terrifying suspenseful horror, but it also broke my heart into tiny pieces. Such exquisite writing
Muriel Gray, author of THE ANCIENT A taut, dark, twisting exploration of the human condition. At once gripping and heartbreaking
Rebecca F. John, author of THE HAUNTING OF HENRY TWIST A risky, gleeful descent into a house without windows or doors. It's Straub meets Chaon, and is a must-read for horror fans
Sarah Langan, author of THE KEEPER Wow. What a journey this book takes you on. A unique, cleverly plotted and compelling read that left me lost for words. Dark, disturbing, devastating. You'll want everyone you know to read this book just so you can talk about it!
Sam Carrington, author of BAD SISTER A haunting novel, beautifully conceived and written, that will have you in pieces from the beginning to the surprising and audacious end
Tim Lebbon, author of EDEN An extraordinary, disturbing, original and powerful book. A bloody marvel
Anna Mazzola, author of THE STORY KEEPER Astonishing - terrifying, tragic, mind-bending, heart-breaking and bleakly beautiful. Everything about it shines
Kate Griffin, author of KITTY PECK AND THE MUSIC HALL MURDERS Jaw-droppingly original, deeply disturbing and one hundred percent heartbreaking. Psychological horror at its very best
SJI Holliday, author of VIOLET Weird, glittering, inventive, and shot through with needles of warped, brilliant light, this book slipped under my skin from the first page
Emma Stonex, author of THE LAMPLIGHTERS Unusual, sad and ultimately redemptive, it's a book to surprise and delight
Rhiannon Ward, author of THE QUICKENING Terrific. An utterly mesmerising feat from a powerhouse writer who elevates the British horror genre
Irenosen Okojie, author of SPEAK GIGANTULAR Incredible. Just incredible. Throughout, I didn't know where to put my heart. A breathtaking, fiercely beautiful novel
Rio Youers, author of HALCYON Dark and creepy, sad and wonderfully strange. It kept me glued and guessing right up to the end. I loved every inch of it
Mike Mignola, creator of HELLBOY Exceptional. Uplifting, terrifying, beautiful, and mesmerisingly dark
James Brogan, author of HEKLA'S CHILDREN My mind is blown. What a brilliant, breathtaking, heart-breaking book
Paul Burston, author of THE CLOSER I GET A splendidly sinister sojourn that slapped me with an ending i didn't manage to predict no matter how many times I thought I had it figured out
Robert Scragg, author of WHAT FALLS BETWEEN THE CRACKS I wanted to savour every single brilliant sentence. Exquisitely and chillingly written - at points it literally made all the hairs on my arms stand up. What a read
Nikki Smith, author of ALL IN HER HEAD This book won't just stay with you, it'll knock you off your axis. An exquisite, heart crushing masterpiece. Worth all the buzz and then some
Victoria Selman, author of SNAKES AND LADDERS The kind of story that novels were made for. A thrilling yet tender vortex of a book that you'll want to share with every reader you know the second you finish
S.R. Masters, author of THE KILLER YOU KNOW I absolutely loved it. Genuinely disturbing - a relentless creeping dread of madness and murder that begins on the first page and keeps building to the last gasp
Peter McLean, author of PRIEST OF BONES This book was like an onion. Layer after layer after layer and then you're crying and somebody's got a knife. A brutal, twisty, puzzle box of a book. I stayed up way past my bedtime
T. Kingfisher, author of THE TWISTED ONES What an incredible read: complex and clever, dark but not without vital rays of hope. Beautifully written. Gothic thrills at their finest
Adam Christopher, author of EMPIRE STATE I finished The Last House on Needless Street in twenty-four hours and emerged out of it in some sort of a dreamlike fug. It's gripping, beautifully complex and vivid. I absolutely adored it
Liv Matthews, author of THE PRANK A brilliantly immersive story, with a great cast of characters. So good
Guy Morpuss, author of FIVE MINDS I absolutely LOVED this book and want everyone to read it
Sophie Flynn, author of ALL MY LIES I've read nothing like The Last House on Needless Street, and I don't think I'll read anything as good for a long time. Absolutely stunning
Christopher Hooley, author of DEATH, JUST GRINN AND BEAR IT Wonderful, long-awaited, Stephen King seal of approval-bearing, and impossible to review without spoilers
Janice Hallett, author of THE APPEAL I read this in 1.5 nail-biting days. Full of twists and turns, sorrow and humanity. It blew my socks off
Alice Ash, author of PARADISE BLOCK I read this book with one eye closed, I was so scared of what would happen next. And I loved it for that
V.L. Valentine, author of THE PLAGUE LETTERS What did I just read?! One perfect sentence after the other... this is a story I wish I knew how to write - and I'm thrilled that Ward pulled off this trick of a book
Rachel Howzell Hall, author of LAND OF SHADOWS Show Less