The Fortunes of Olivia Richmond

Louise Davidson

Paperback
12 September 2024
ISBN: 9781916678033
RRP: £8.99

Kindle
3 November 2023
RRP: £6.99

Hardback
3 November 2023
ISBN: 9781919618784 
RRP: £18.99

Audiobook
3 November 2023
RRP: £16.99

The cover of The Fortunes Of Olivia Richmond by Louise Davidson. It shows a silhouette of a woman standing in front of a misty lake. On the other side of the lake is a dark house with one window illuminated.

After a terrible tragedy, governess Julia Pearlie finds herself with no job, home, or references. When she’s offered a position as companion to Miss Olivia Richmond, her luck appears to be turning.

But Mistcoate House is full of secrets.

Paperback cover

Olivia has a sinister reputation. The locals call her the Mistcoate Witch because of her frighteningly accurate tarot readings, and her insistence that she can speak to the dead. Her father believes this to be girlish fantasy and wants Julia to put a stop to it.

Determined to prove herself and shake off the shadows of her own dark past, Julia sets to work to make Olivia a proper young lady. But it soon becomes clear that there is more to Olivia’s stories than her father would have Julia believe. For a start, Olivia seems to know an uncanny amount about the darkness that Julia desperately wanted to leave behind.

As the danger grows, and the winter chill wraps around the woods surrounding Mistcoate, Julia will have to fight to uncover the truth, escape her past – and save herself.

Original and engrossing, this chilling Victorian Gothic ghost story is an outstanding piece of storytelling, perfect for fans of Sarah Perry, Erin Morgenstern and Jessie Burton.

The cover of the hardback edition of The Fortunes Of Olivia Richmond by Louise Davidson. All red on a black background, it shows a large house with one window illuminated, and a winding path leading to the back of a woman wearing Victorian clothing.

Hardback cover

Hardback

Paperback

Kindle

Audiobook

Reviews of The Fortunes Of Olivia Richmond

  • “A captivating, immersive, dark tale of obsession, manipulation and fierce, fierce emotion that leaves you reeling. I thought it was magnificent. Gothic writing of the most compelling kind.”

    My Weekly

  • “The Fortunes of Olivia Richmond is a darkly gothic historical mystery in all the best traditions of the genre. Lyrical writing, a perfect setting, haunting characters and a village of broken people. I absolutely loved it. A standout book that I whole-heartedly recommend. Breathtaking.”

    Helen Fields, Sunday Times bestselling author of Perfect Remains and These Lost And Broken Things

  • “Gothic atmosphere feeds off excess: you simply can’t have too much of decaying mansions and sullen mists. Does Louise Davidson deliver? By the miasmic bucketload. One of the best horror novels out now.”

    The Daily Mail

  • “Make no mistake, The Fortunes of Olivia Richmond is a very modern novel, especially where it departs from the ponderous pacing of classic novels of the genre, to something closer to a page turner. It’s a quick and effortless read and, like the very best gothics, keeps you reading fervently to the very end, with plot twists and turns to keep you up late into the long autumn night.”

    Exquisite Living

  • “Dark and twisty... a haunting coming of age debut which explores the supernatural world of tarot and fortune telling alongside women in Victorian England.”

    SW Londoner

  • “This engaging novel cleverly mixes the psychic and the psychological, as we, along with Julia Pearlie, try to make sense of the disturbing goings-on at Mistcoate House. Peopled by vividly realised characters and with a strong period feel, it pays homage to 'sensational' nineteenth-century literature, keeping some of its secrets to the very end.”

    Sarah Burton, Amazon bestselling author of The Strange Adventures of H

  • “A brilliant new gothic novel… A haunting coming-of-age story that explores the supernatural world of tarot and fortune telling.”

    The Lady

  • “A dark and twisting Gothic mystery, The Fortunes Of Olivia Richmond is a coming-of-age story that explores the supernatural world of tarot and fortune telling, as well as giving an insight into what life was like for women during the late 1800s.”

    The Belfast Telegraph

  • “A haunting coming of age debut exploring the supernatural world of tarot and fortune telling alongside the lot of women in Victorian England.”

    The Gloss

  • “At once a riveting gothic read and a haunting coming of age tale set in Victorian Norfolk, The Fortunes of Olivia Richmond is as compelling as it is chilling. As the nights pull in, draw the curtains and prepare to be drawn in…”

    North Norfolk Living

  • “Magical – a perfect Halloween read.”

    Country and Town House

  • “Steeped in the Gothic tradition, this is a perfect fireside companion.”

    Best

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