Title: The Folly

Author: Gemma Amor

Genre: Horror /Thriller

Publisher: Datura Books

Publication Date: 12th November 2024

Rating: 4/5

Cover:

Summary:

Morgan always knew her father, Owen, never murdered her mother. She has spent the last six years campaigning for his release from prison. Finally, mid-pandemic, Owen is set free, but the debt-riddled pair can no longer afford (or bear) to live in the family home- a house last decorated by a dead woman’s blood. 

Salvation and the chance for a new start in life comes in the form of a tall, dark and notorious decorative granite tower on the Cornish coastline known only as ‘The Folly’. The structure is empty, prone to break-ins, and the owner needs a caretaker- food and bills included. It’s an offer too good to refuse. Morgan and Owen relocate, leaving everything of their former lives behind and hoping that a change of scene and the remote location will be good for them both. 

At first, the Folly is indeed idyllic, but soon enough that peace is shattered when a bald-headed stranger arrives. A stranger who acts like Morgan’s mother, talks like her mother, and wears her dead mother’s clothes. What does he want? Why won’t he leave them alone? Why does he keep mentioning the year 1976? And what secrets does the Folly tower hold?

Review:

I love a creepy location in a horror/thriller story and The Folly fits the bill perfectly. This is a fantastically evocative little book which can be read in one sitting, as I did, quite easily. The premise is really intriguing, focusing on a woman, Morgan, whose father has just been released from prison, where he had been incarcerated for the death of Morgan’s mother. Morgan believes he was wrongly convicted and tries to reconnect with him as they live together after his release. The story moves quickly to The Folly, a rather terrifying sounding tower near the coast which Morgan and her father move into as caretakers of the place. Things then take a rather sinister turn in the form of a stranger showing up with a bizarre connection/resemblance to Morgan’s deceased mother. The whole book has a brilliantly gothic atmosphere to it which I really enjoyed. There is an ominous feeling from the very start and it doesn’t let up throughout with trauma, grief and family playing key roles in the tale. I found it genuinely unnerving in a subtle but insistent manner which definitely got under my skin. It is a perfect read for these cold and chilling winter evenings and if you enjoy gothic suspense or evocative horror then I would absolutely recommend picking The Folly up. 

★★★★

Thanks to Datura Books for having me on the tour and sending me a copy of the book. My review is entirely my own honest opinion.