Castle Barebane

Strong and independent Valla Montgomery abandons her New York career to search for her half-brother in Joan Aiken's gothic novel, Caste Barebane . To get away from her pretentious New York Fiance, Valla is only too pleased to have an excuse to travel to England. So when she discovers her half-brother and his wife have disappeared from their London home - leaving their young two children all alone - Valla rushes to their rescue. Between all the local clubs, music halls and lodging houses Valla has no luck, resolving to extend her search wherever it may take her. With her niece and nephew by her side Valla journeys to Scotland, ending up in a bleak castle perched on the edge of a cliff. In this Gothic setting the mystery surrounding her missing brother only gets darker, more sinister, and more terrifying . . . This unforgettable Gothic tale of love, loss, and human nature is brought to life by Joan Aiken's vivid story-telling and gripping plot.... 'Joan Aiken writes superbly, with a force, a colour and strength of imagination that one encounters all too rarely today. I loved every moment of it.' London Daily Telegraph Strong and independent Vahalla Montgomery, a heroine straight out of a Henry James novel, abandons her New York career as a journalist to search for her half-brother in Joan Aiken's gothic novel, Castle Barebane. Wishing to escape from her pretentious New York fiancé, Valla is happy to have an excuse to travel to England, only to discover that her half-brother and his wife have disappeared from their London home – leaving their young two children all alone. Finding Victorian London a gloomy and sinister place, haunted by a series of Ripper style murders, Valla takes the children up to Scotland to a bleak family property known as Castle Barebane. In this Gothic ruin, perched on the edge of a cliff, the mystery surrounding her missing brother only gets darker, and more terrifying . . . This unforgettable tale of love, loss, and human nature is brought to life by Joan Aiken's vivid story-telling and gripping plot. If you love Virginia Andrews or Nicola Cornick, Joan Aiken should certainly be your next read. Joan Aiken takes us from cosmopolitan New York to a bleak Scottish castle in her unforgettable Gothic novel about love, loss and tragedy.