Title: The Short Straw

Author: Holly Seddon

Genre: Thriller

Publisher: Orion

Publication Date: 14th September 2023

Rating: 4/5

Cover:

Book Summary:

Three troubled sisters find themselves lost in a storm at night, and seek safety at Moirthwaite Manor, where their mother once worked. They are shocked to find the isolated mansion that loomed so large through their childhoods has long been abandoned. Drawing straws to decide who should get help, one sister heads back into the darkness. With the siblings separated, the deadly secrets hidden in the house finally make themselves known and we learn the unspeakable truth that will tear the family apart.

Review:

I love a good thriller that takes place over just a few hours – it makes everything feel more intense and propulsive – plus it drives the reader to tear through the book in pretty much real time. The Short Straw is a fabulous example of just that kind of book, with its super creepy haunted house setting and the dark stormy night that it unfolds over. I read it in one sitting, intrigued to find out the secrets at the heart of the family in question and of the unnerving, looming, Moirthwaite Manor which was a dominant presence in the life of their deceased mother. The story follows three sisters, and being one of three sisters myself (the eldest) the family dynamics certainly felt realistic and relatable. There is frustration, jealousy, guilt, protectiveness and resentment simmering between them ominously. The narrative is split into their three points of view as the night plays out, with an occasional flashback interlude from their mother, giving a spooky insight into the secrets of the Manor and her part in them. I found The Short Straw a really enjoyable, fast and atmospheric story which kept me up reading well into the night. I would absolutely recommend it to anyone who enjoys well-written thrillers full of secrets, complex family relationships and the far reaching effects of trauma.

✶✶✶✶

Huge thanks to Tracy Fenton of Compulsive Readers for my place on the blog tour and the publisher for the copy of the book. My review is entirely my own honest opinion.

Buy the book:

Waterstones | Blackwell’s | Amazon