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The Night Hag
- Author
- Hester Musson
- Narrator
- Lesley Harcourt
- Publisher
- HarperCollins Publishers
- Publish Date
- 26 February 2026
- Run Time
- 11 hours 38 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
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What to expect
'Fans of Sarah Waters and Hilary Mantel will love this' LAURA SHEPPERSON
'Unsettling, claustrophobic and compelling' KATE RIORDAN
'Gripping frightening and wholly original' JODIE MATTHEWS
'A chillingly Gothic tale that is exquisitely written' TOBI COVENTRY
The thrilling new historical mystery from the acclaimed, bestselling author of The Beholders.
Scotland, 1886. Lil, a keen archaeologist, has arrived at Pitcarden to lead a dig on a Bronze Age burial mound. Having escaped the clutches of her mother, a famous medium, and committed herself to a life of rational enquiry, she is determined to unearth the treasures buried deep, despite growing protests from the nearby villagers.
But Lil is also privately plagued by nightmares which haunt her sleep and by memories of her former life. Caught in a fight between science and superstition, Lil confides in a mysterious doctor who she hopes might cure her night terrors once and for all. But who exactly is this doctor that Lil has trusted with her most intimate fears? And what secrets from her past might she be digging up, along with a long-lost hoard?
From the bestselling author of The Beholders comes this unputdownable historical mystery that will keep you guessing until the very end.
Critics Review
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‘The Night Hag by Hester Musson combines impeccable research with a supernatural backdrop to create a compelling story of archeology and spiritualism. Main character Lil is an unbeliever – but will you be by the end of the novel? Fans of Sarah Waters and Hilary Mantel will love The Night Hag’ Laura Shepperson
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'Unsettling, claustrophobic and thoroughly compelling, this beautifully plotted tale of 1880s Scotland is the perfect gothic companion for lightless winter evenings' Kate Riordan, author of The Heatwave and The Girl in the Photograph
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‘A transporting folktale of nightmares, ancient fears and forbidden discoveries. Gripping, frightening and wholly original, The Night Hag takes you on a journey of science, spiritualism and belief. It has everything I dream of in a novel, from standing stones to ancestral secrets. Musson writes from the earth up, digging deep into the pits of the landscape and small-town folklore’ Jodie Matthews, author of Meet Me at the Surface
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‘The Dig meets The Woman in Black. A chillingly gothic tale of unearthed treasures and unspoken truths that is so exquisitely written and captivating it will keep you reading long into the night’ Tobi Coventry, author of He’s the Devil
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PRAISE FOR THE BEHOLDERS:
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‘A page-turning epistolary novel which takes us on a weaving tale of intrigue, full of heart, that held me completely in its thrall until the very last line. Bravo!’ Susan Stokes-Chapman, number one bestselling author of Pandora
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‘A dark slice of the sort of gothic nineteenth-century readers were warned against. Uneasy, unsettling, and unputdownable’ Lianne Dillsworth, author of Theatre of Marvels
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‘An atmospheric historical thriller with layer upon layer of secrets and twists that kept me guessing right through to the novel’s exquisite ending. Simultaneously enthralling and unsettling, this book examines the darkness beneath the surface of Victorian society with deft and unflinching brushstrokes’ Katie Lumsden, author of The Secrets of Hartwood Hall
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Details
- Author
- Hester Musson
- Narrator
- Lesley Harcourt
- Duration
- 11 hours 38 minutes
- Release Date
- 26 February 2026
- ISBN
- 9780008565695
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- HarperCollins Publishers
- Genre
- Historical fiction, Historical crime and mysteries, Narrative theme: sense of place
Synopsis
'Fans of Sarah Waters and Hilary Mantel will love this' LAURA SHEPPERSON 'Unsettling, claustrophobic and compelling' KATE RIORDAN 'Gripping frightening and wholly original' JODIE MATTHEWS 'A chillingly Gothic tale that is exquisitely written' TOBI COVENTRY The thrilling new historical mystery from the acclaimed, bestselling author of The Beholders. Scotland, 1886. Lil, a keen archaeologist, has arrived at Pitcarden to lead a dig on a Bronze Age burial mound. Having escaped the clutches of her mother, a famous medium, and committed herself to a life of rational enquiry, she is determined to unearth the treasures buried deep, despite growing protests from the nearby villagers. But Lil is also privately plagued by nightmares which haunt her sleep and by memories of her former life. Caught in a fight between science and superstition, Lil confides in a mysterious doctor who she hopes might cure her night terrors once and for all. But who exactly is this doctor that Lil has trusted with her most intimate fears? And what secrets from her past might she be digging up, along with a long-lost hoard? From the bestselling author of The Beholders comes this unputdownable historical mystery that will keep you guessing until the very end.
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