Turbercolosis is one of the cause of death of plenty of artists and on the background of a masterpiece like Thomas Mann's The Magic Mountain.
This is one of the few hisotrical fiction I read that talks about it and found it interesting and compelling.
Well researched, it kept me reading.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher HQ for the digital ARC, it has not affected my honest review.

TW: terminal illness, tuberculosis, death, sanatoriums, drug abuse, pregnancy

In 1935, Agnes Templeton marries Christian Fairhaven, a doctor at the exclusive, luxurious sanatorium Hedone House in the hope that he can cure her mother of tuberculosis before it kills her. Hedone House is only for the creative elite, but Christian is willing to make an exception for Agnes’ mother, so long as her health remains manageable. Soon Agnes is pushed into a world of glamour and sickness she could never have imagined, surrounded by artists, musicians and actors who are all eager to gain access to Christian’s secret cure. Agnes meets her stepdaughter, Isobel, a quiet but wilful child who Christian seems to have little interest in despite the tragic death of her mother from the same disease he’s trying to cure. Isobel sees and hears everything but even she won’t speak about the patients who go into the infirmary on the bottom floor of the house or the graves tucked away in the garden. As Agnes begins to make friends with the guests, and Christian urges her to commit to their new life with a child, she starts to believe the whisperings about her husband’s beliefs and what he might be willing to do to keep his funding. Caught between the mysterious past of Hedone House and a future where she might be alone, Agnes has to decide if she can put her doubts aside and fall into the fairytale she thought she wanted or find out the truth.

This was a deeply atmospheric and tense book, starting with Agnes’ need to protect her mother after the death of her father and her decision to marry Christian, despite not knowing him that well. She is naive but also hopes for the best, even when things start to escalate into The Gothic atmosphere was really well written, Hedone House felt like a character itself there was so much detailed description, while the mystery around Christian’s work and the other patients was compelling. I found Isobel’s perspective to be one of my favourite parts, she’s so young and traumatised but at the same time she sees everything- even if she doesn’t fully understand it. The wider cast of characters were secretive and painfully ill, everything they said had double meanings and the way this author described their sickness was vivid and terrible. It’s a slow burn of a book, Agnes has to dig past the beautiful exterior of Hedone House to find out the truth, but I enjoyed this original and unnerving take on sanatoriums and a marriage.

This book had an interesting premise, but honestly I wasn’t into it that much. It wasn’t a bad book by any means, and I think someone else could really enjoy it. And while I did like parts of it, it didn’t capture me the way I wanted it to.

It was just okay.

Having lived through a pandemic myself now, the biggest thing I took away from it, was how oddly people treated infectious diseases back then. One thing that stuck out was the dinner party they held for the investors, where they showed off the patients. An infectious patient eating and drinking at the same table as the investors, is something you’d never see now. It was really interesting to see a glimpse of that history and compare it with modern times.

I enjoyed learning about Hedoné house and uncovering its dark secrets, and in some places it gets really, really dark. I think the author did it well, I just didn’t feel the urgency to read that I like in a thriller.

An interesting book but nothing special

Title: The House of Fever
Author: Polly Crosby
Genres: Historical Fiction | Women's Fiction
Pub Date: 15 Aug 2024
Pages: 336
ISBN: 9780008550714
Format Read: EPUB
Rating: ⭐️⭐️ (2 stars)

The year is 1935 (though at times things feel a bit closer to the Roaring 20s). Agnes has been living in poverty while caring for her mother, who is slowly dying of tuberculosis, a disease that already claimed her father's life. A chance meeting with (& shockingly speedy marriage to) a dashing widowed doctor - who just happens to specialise in treating TB at his luxury sanatorium - seems to signal a lucky turn. Agnes and her mother are swept off to Hedoné House, deep in the (apparently) very coniferous heart of Norfolk, where Agnes is to be stepmother to the doctor's daughter and mother to the doctor's future children, which he seems exceptionally keen to bring into being as soon as possible.

Agnes's primarily concern is getting top-notch care for her mother, but she can't quite help falling in lust with the doctor.

Of course, this is a mystery, so things are not at all as they seem...

I was keen to get reading based on the description, as this book seemed to tick all the boxes of a light-yet-engrossing summer read. I wasn't expecting the next great classic, but based on reviews, I was expecting a page-turner of a mystery.

Immediately I found myself wondering whether Agnes had grown up in a complete bubble. From the description of her earlier life, her family had been getting by until her father's death and her mother falling ill; as the debts started to pile up, Agnes sold what very few valuables they had left and absconded abroad with her mother to dodge rent arrears. She even apparently considered turning to prostitution as she couldn't find work that'd come close to paying for her mother's medical care, and briefly contemplated [TW] giving her mother an overdose of heroin to end her suffering. These are quite adult things, and Agnes is very much an adult, but these life experiences are at stark odds with her apparent naïveté.

At no point does Agnes question why a wealthy young widowed doctor, purportedly at the forefront of TB research with lots of wealthy investors & patients (whom he calls 'guests'), chooses to marry her. Agnes herself states a couple times towards the beginning of the book that it's a "marriage of convenience" for him - but honestly, how is that plausible? She's told that he struggled to find a new wife as so few people would be willing to live in a remote TB ward, but I find it historically quite implausible that there wouldn't be a few women of higher class with somewhat delicate circumstances which would make the match more than worth the risk. Agnes seems to take the explanation in complete stride.

It'd be perfectly believable that she'd have tons of questions and doubts but be willing to put them (and any concerns for her own safety) aside for her mother's sake, so I'm not certain why the author opted to instead portray her in a way that she comes across as, well, a bit dim. We've all read plenty of heroines who are naïve & out of their depth but who don't come across as lacking in intellect despite making dubious choices or assumptions. Agnes - whose POV we spend almost all our time in - just comes along as having not much going on in her head. That empty head is a really frustrating place to exist as the reader.

At no point do we get much depth in terms of Agnes as a person; yes, we get a bit about her motivations (her mother's health, her own future security & happiness) but not even a veneer of personality or interests. Does she love music, or a particular genre of book, or dream of being a circus performer? Who knows - she certainly doesn't seem to. It'd have been better, and at least less distracting, if she was at least portrayed as being rather shallow & vapid, but there isn't even enough about her to dislike. I kept getting the disconcerting visual of her sitting there, an outline of a person with no details filled in, now and then thumbing through a book of blank pages. The template was there, but all the details were utterly missing.

I've read books where I frankly hated the protagonist but loved the setting, or world, or plot, or other characters enough to still greatly enjoy the whole. This, unfortunately, didn't happen here. The descriptions of the setting are as superficial and repetitive as Agnes. Gilded buttons with hares? Check (about 70 times). Something being described as 'like molten [insert precious metal]'? Check. The sanatorium being likened to a hotel? Check, ad nauseam.

There's a lake, there's the big house, there's some pine forest. Moody weather? Any weather at all? No idea. The perception of more than four or five people being described as even existing, much less in one place at one time? Only a few brief moments. External affairs? Zilch.

Again, this could be salvaged with a thrumming mystery - but there isn't even a hint of 'something being amiss' (in Agnes's head), aka such giant glaring red flags that even she starts to feel a bit unsettled by anything other than the floral arrangements (no, really) - until nearly half-way through the book. You can just about waste 25% of a book on establishing a setting & characters, if you're chancy (though it's not really advisable), or if you're trying to Do Srs Literature (takes some chutzpah and either 100% works or totally tanks), but it just doesn't work in what's clearly meant to be a light-read mystery with some dashes of Gothic ennui.

I know others have found this a "can't put it down" sort of book, but for me it was very much a "at what point do we actually get to the point" slog instead. As to whether it was worth persisting - reader, that'll depend on your personal level of willingness to spend 30-40% of a novel waiting for the novel to start.

Thank you to HQ & NetGalley for providing access to this eARC for consideration of review.
All opinions are my own honest & unbiased feedback based on the copy provided.

#TheHouseofFever #NetGalley

Thank you NetGalley and HQ for this eCopy to review

The House of Fever is a captivating and suspenseful gothic historical mystery set in 1935 at Hedoné House, a luxurious sanatorium for the creative elite dedicated to groundbreaking tuberculosis treatment.

As the doctor’s new wife, Agnes Templeton has pledged her life to this extraordinary hospital where high society mingles with artists, poets, and musicians. No expense is spared, and champagne flows freely.

Yet, Hedoné harbors secrets that draw Agnes in, revealing truths she could never anticipate. Caught between a past she wants to escape and a future she may forever regret, Agnes navigates a world of intrigue and secrets

Can Agnes solve the mysteries of Hedoné before it’s too late?

The characters and setting are well depicted and I was drawn into the gothic mystery

I could not put this book down! The mystery and corruption all rapped up in shallow glamour and excess was so captivating meant that I had to keep turning pages to find out how it was all going to end.

The description of Hedoné and the characters is so rich that it was easy to envision while Agnes' growing unease made me feel so unsettled.

I loved the chapters from Iso's point of view, creating the impression that she really was a ghost haunting the house and patients. When the reveal was made I was genuinely shocked but these chapters made it make so much sense.

This is an intriguing mystery that keeps you guessing and makes you need to keep reading.

"Something is rotten here. Very rotten indeed." 


1935. Agnes Templeton arrives at Hedone House, a sanatorium that is to be her home after marrying the doctor who runs it. But this is not your average sanatorium. Picturesque and luxurious, there is no expense spared and the champagne flows as freely as the medication. It caters to the creative elite and specialises in groundbreaking treatment for tuberculosis. Before long, Agnes is hearing whispers about past patients, a possible cure and she discovers that the methods Dr Christian uses are as unusual as everything else about this place. And when shocking secrets uncover unforeseen truths, Agnes wonders if she can escape the house of fever before it's too late…


Atmospheric, eerie, claustrophobic and beguiling, The House of Fever is a gorgeously gothic, Du Maurier-esque tale from storytelling extraordinaire Polly Crosby. Her hauntingly beautiful prose, compelling characters and multi-layered plot held me in her thrall. Ms. Crosby became an auto-buy author for me when I read her sensational debut, The Illustrated Child. She’s got even better with each book and The House of Fever is without a doubt her best yet. It is more complex and twisty than her previous books and I have no idea how she did it. I didn’t see the revelations coming and was blown away at how intricately she had woven the threads. Emotionally resonant, affecting and deeply human, I felt all the feelings while reading this book. I was on the edge of my seat from beginning to end, totally consumed by this book to the point where I couldn’t even put it down while I ate. 


As someone with chronic illness I found it very relatable. Ms. Crosby writes with honesty and compassion, reminding us that these characters are more than their illness. They are people with fascinating personalities, with hopes, dreams and entire lives that are being snatched away by this disease. It made me feel seen and heard in a way that is rare for disabled people in the media and there were times it made me quite emotional. Ms. Crosby has talked about how she was inspired to write this book by her own experiences with chronic illness and I feel like that is evident in how well she writes this part of the story. 


“...all those names, all this death, threaded through with glitter and glamour, so intoxicating, so terribly, addictively compelling that you could do nothing but come back again and again.”


One of my favourite things about this book is the atmosphere of the sanatorium. Hedone House is a sanctuary and a place of acceptance where its guests can live some semblance of an ordinary life. Everyone has a body ravaged by the same sickness so there are no uncomfortable stares and they aren’t shunned for fear of infection. It gives them a chance to forget their uncertain futures and a hope that they might actually be cured. But, this utopia is brimming with secrets and has an undercurrent of something sinister that tells us all might not be as it seems at Hedone House. I love a good claustrophobic thriller; how a picturesque home or resort becomes terrifying when people begin to die and the only suspects are those surrounding you. No one is safe and you have no idea who to trust. And in this book the tension and fear are ramped up tenfold with the addition of debilitating chronic illness and people who are desperate for a cure. 


Evocative, dark, unnerving, poignant and totally mesmerising, The House of Fever is an absolute must-read and one of my top books this year.

Agnes and her mother are off to Hedone House in Norfolk. This is an exclusive and very private Sanatorium, for the rich and gifted elite of society. A place for them to rest and recuperation, with new treatments for Tuberculosis. Good food, Wine, Musical evenings, parties and expensive medications, anything to improve the quality of life when suffering from a life threatening disease.
Agnes married Dr. Christian after a whirlwind romance in Calais. He will treat her mother, who is gravely ill with TB free of charge if Agnes will be his wife and support him in his bid for Sponsorship and money, he hasn’t married her for her intellectual abilities.
It becomes that there are dark and hidden secrets within Hedone House. Some deaths are to be expected with Consumptive patients, but they create a sense of unease, and an unwelcome touch of reality.
The dangers of a Doctor who believes in any means possible to create a better future, and new chances in life sound admirable but give a horrifying glimpse of an alternative future.
A very unlikely murderer and a most innocent method used. I loved the Characters of Agnes and Isobel, Christian’s young daughter.
This book intrigued me for two reasons.
Firstly, as a retired Nurse, I love the history and dramas associated with new medical procedures and the gaining of knowledge to help people.
Secondly, my late Mother in law had to give up her Nurse training when she contracted TB. She was sent to a Sanatorium at Mundesley in Norfolk. The fact that I now live in Norfolk seems to square that circle very nicely.
The medical details are really well researched. I have heard of an artificial pneumothorax, that prevented lungs from collapsing, this was probably the only effective treatment until the event of Antibiotics and the BCG injection.
I have never heard of Gold injections for TB, only used them for Rheumatoid Arthritis. Cod Liver Oil, I remember that taste from the 1950’s, absolutely disgusting!
A five star read. Really loved this story. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers HQ Books for my advance copy, freely given in exchange for my honest review. I will post to Goodreads and Amazon UK upon publication.

1935 & Agnes is swept off her feet by a handsome doctor & they quickly marry. A few weeks later, Agnes & her mother make their way to Hedoné House, a luxurious sanatorium where her husband is the pioneer of a new treatment for tuberculosis. Agnes' father died of the disease several years before & her mother is now ill, & Agnes' new husband's treatment is perhaps the only hope. When they arrive they soon see that Hedoné is no ordinary hospital, it's where the rich & famous reside & no expense is spared on the comfort of the guests, but Agnes soon starts to feel as if there is something dreadfully wrong beneath the glittering façade.

I really enjoyed this one. It's a slow-paced read but that's entirely fitting for the plot where the rot beneath the surface is revealed bit by bit. It is very well-written & effortlessly keeps the reader's attention. The author deftly evokes the atmosphere so well with rich detail that I could picture the sanatorium in my mind. I also thought the characterisation was really good &, although she starts off a little standoffish to the reader, I soon became invested in Agnes' story. Definitely recommend this one if you like slow-burn historical fiction with a dark side. 4.5 stars (rounded up)

My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, HQ, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

House of Fever by Polly Crosby

On a trip abroad with her mother, Agnes Templeton meets a handsome young doctor called Christian Fairhaven. He seems completely besotted with her and a romance soon develops. Or is this a relationship of convenience? Dr Fairhaven needs a wife and a stepmother for his daughter Isobel, while Agnes needs an expert in tuberculosis for to look after her mother who is now dying from the disease. Christian is researching a new cure, something he’s working on at the institute he runs called Hedoné. He lives in a cottage alongside the institute, which is split into an infirmary for very unwell patients and ‘spa’ type accommodation for TB patients who can benefit from the fresher air and rest that the institute provides. When Agnes arrives she finds that not everything is as she imagined. The guests are more glamorous and wealthy than she expected, with their part of the building adjoined by a swimming pool, beautiful grounds and many places for parties. Their access to alcohol and gourmet food gives the place a feel of a luxury hotel. Agnes’s mother is taken into isolation, to be monitored closely and have a period of quarantine. Agnes is allowed to visit her mother’s room as she seems to be immune to TB having nursed both her father and mother through the disease without succumbing herself. As she adjusts to the contrasts of lavish dinners and the sound of partying with the very authoritarian Matron and strict quarantine restrictions, Agnes starts to notice things. Isobel seems to flit around largely unmonitored and doesn’t live with them in the cottage. The beautiful actress Juno Harrington holds court here and seems to have unfettered access to Christian, even in his office. There’s nothing Agnes can put her finger on, but she feels uneasy. She senses there are secrets at Hedoné and perhaps in her marriage too.

The book is largely narrated by Agnes, with small chapters every so often that seem to be narrated by a child. Through this we see the institute in two different ways; Agnes’s conflicting and unexpected impressions alongside those of a person who knows this place inside out and has explored every nook and cranny. I was very interested in the hare motif that repeats itself throughout the book as a symbol for the institute. It’s the keyring on which matron keeps her keys as well as the keys to the cottage, it’s on the signage and repeats throughout the building. I’m very interested in hares as a mystical symbol and a spirit animal, ever since my father found a leveret on the farm and let a four year old me touch it’s silky fur. For me it’s a symbol of huge leaps I have taken in life, some of which paid off and others that didn’t - something you have to accept if you are one of life’s ‘jump in with both feet’ people. I wondered if it had been chosen as a symbol of renewal, recovery and potentially the cure that Christian thinks he may be on the verge of discovering. However, it’s also a fertility symbol, having possible implications for his expectations of Agnes and their marriage. Agnes has jumped in to this marriage with a very short courtship away from the institute that dominates her husband’s life. There is a lot to learn about each other and where Agnes saw a competent and successful doctor, able to run an institute and bring up his daughter alone, the real picture is more complex. Isobel seems to be brought up by whoever is available, but spends a huge amount of time alone. Agnes wants to be a mother to her, but doesn’t want to impose and change what’s clearly a familiar routine. She hadn’t expected formal dinners with a new dress magically appearing each time. Who is choosing them? Christian courts investors for the institute, all drawn in by his claim of a cure. It starts to feel like the man she met and married was something of an illusion, one of the risks of taking ‘hare leaps’.

I thought the author placed doubts in the reader’s mind very slowly and strategically. I was immediately alert to a couple of characters: Juno Harrington who seems to run the social aspects of the institute and Matron, who at first gives off Mrs Danvers vibes and reprimands Agnes if she isn’t following the rules. I could see red flags popping up with Christian, who is clearly not as financially successful as the institute might suggest and the revelation that it is Juno Harrington’s family who are the largest investors answers one or two questions. Being very fond of fashion, I didn’t like the fact someone was choosing Agnes’s clothes, placing a new dress in her room as her only option for the evening. It showed a element of control that had my senses pinging straight away. Christian’s strange obsession with her colouring and complexion seemed odd too, constantly referring to her as his ‘English Rose’. When she finally sees a picture of Isobel’s mother, Agnes finds herself eerily similar. He’s also very quick to ask whether she could be pregnant. Agnes has been learning to enjoy their love-making and finds herself actively looking forward to it in their honeymoon period. Is his attention to her genuine or purely based on the potential outcome of having a child? He’s also very cagey about his claims of a potential cure and if the graveyard Agnes finds in the woods is a measure of his competence, it clearly isn’t working.

I wasn’t surprised when the idea of eugenics started to come up, especially considering the period the book is set. It started as a theory in the late 19th Century and was the catalyst for horrific crimes against people deemed genetically inferior. In the USA it was used as the justification for sterilising huge numbers of Native American and young African-American women, especially those living in poverty in the southern states. In the UK it became a way of herding out those who were degenerate, linking criminality to certain facial features. Obviously, the Holocaust was the single biggest crime against humanity based in eugenicist theory. Hitler’s obsession with creating an Aryan master race, was used as a justification for mass murder of those he deemed as ‘life unworthy of life’. This was mainly those of the Jewish faith, but also included Roma people, Catholics and people with disabilities. His program of sterilising those with disabilities and removing disabled children from their families started in the early 1930’s. In this novel it’s linked to Christian’s cure, something that increasingly seemed to involve Agnes’s particular traits - her immunity to tuberculosis and her English Rose colouring. I was becoming worried that the graveyard where Christian’s first wife is buried, alongside so many of his patients, might be the result of experimentation or simply weeding out those too far advanced for him to cure. I loved how these ideas unfolded. We only see what Agnes does so we might suspect, but only discover the truth as she does which brings an immediacy to the revelations.

I loved Agnes’s burgeoning relationship with Isobel who felt to me like an abandoned little soul, wandering the grounds and all the secret spaces within the institute, trying to to help sick people where she could and spending time at her mother’s grave. Christian seems to have no plan for her and doesn’t even discuss what his parenting strategy is, probably because he doesn’t have one. He leaves Agnes to get on with it and she does well, simply assuring Isobel that she is there for her and showing a willingness to share the memories she has of her mother and their life together. I think Agnes shows her more love than anyone else. Juno Harrington seems very interested in her but treats her almost as a little pet. I thought Sippy was interesting too, a nightclub singer and the institute’s only black patient. She is valued for her entertainment potential and her voice is incredible, but I didn’t feel she was included as part of the creative and bohemian crowd. She could be on display but not one of them, and I had the sense she was quite lonely day to day. Her friendship with Agnes is based on a real understanding and connection between the women. She’s also enough of a friend to warn Agnes that everything here is not as it seems. As the closing chapters began, secrets unravelled and the tension really did build. I loved how these women helped each other and how the most help came from a totally unexpected source. It is a timely reminder that people can surprise you, especially the ones you are most afraid of. One of the most interesting things for me was the subversion of the Romantic trope of the beautiful, frail and young artist wasting away from consumption. This quote from Byron sums it up beautifully:

‘I look pale. I should like to die of a consumption’. ‘Why?’ asked his [Byron’s] guest. ‘Because the ladies would all say, Look at that poor Byron, how interesting he looks in dying.’

The pale complexion, the fatigue and the ‘rosy’ cheeks of advanced TB were a Romantic staple in fiction, whereas the truth of dying from this disease was different according to gender, race and most particularly, social status. The reality is often saved in literature for those in dire poverty and terrible living conditions. This excerpt from Liberty Hall gives a more accurate picture of the disease:

‘Her body was bent forward on her knees; the joints of this body so thin, that it was almost deformed, were swelled and red and painful. She laboured and coughed for her breath; each time that she breathed she coughed up blood …’

Despite this, TB was a Romantic fashion and the figure of the beautiful, young woman slowly giving her soul up to God was a staple of 19th Century literature - just think of Dora in David Copperfield or Beth in Little Women. I felt like these two contrasting views of TB were embodied by the two sections of the institute; the free, bohemian and intellectual party-going patients and those locked down in the basement, having a very different experience of the same disease. One is an ideal and one is the truth, rather like Agnes’s expectations of her marriage and the strange reality. The visible parts of Hedoné are based on the Romantic ideal and the illusory cure, while the locked and hidden parts contain secrets and patients whose outlook is at best poor and with only matron to tend to them in their final hours. As the real horror starts to unfold, I was desperate for Agnes to escape and it was heart-warming that she would not leave Isobel behind, clearly having created a bond between them. Polly nails the historical background to her story and really emphasises the fate of women between two world wars. Agnes is of a social status where earning a living as a nightclub singer like Sippy or an actress like Juno isn’t possible. In fact she seems in that liminal space where becoming a governess or nurse like matron might be her only working options. I wanted her to be free though, to explore life and make the life she wants. I wasn’t sure right up to the final chapters whether that would be her fate. This is an entertaining and interesting novel from an author who understands the nuances of relationships and always creates fascinating characters you become attached to and root for.

Sinister, uncomfortable, and evocative, The House of Fever by Polly Crosby is a masterful blend of history and mystery that will keep you guessing until the very end.

Crosby masterfully creates a sinister and evocative atmosphere, pulling the reader into a world of opulence and mystery. The narrative keeps you in a shroud of artful confusion, where every turn reveals more about Hedoné’s secrets and Agnes’s own inner turmoil.

The characters are richly detailed, and the interplay between them adds depth to the unfolding drama. The story is both uncomfortable and compelling, with an ending that is as surprising as it is distressing. Crosby'sability to maintain a sense of unease and suspense throughout the novel is truly remarkable.

I was thoroughly engrossed by this tale of gothic mystery and psychological tension. The House of Fever is a gripping read that lingers long after the final page. If you enjoy stories that blend historical intrigue with a touch of the macabre, this book is an absolute must-read.

In the early twentieth century, tuberculosis was a disease that had reached epidemic proportions. There was no cure and, until after WW2, no reliable vaccine. Death from TB was prolonged and almost certain. It is no wonder that Agnes, the female protagonist in House of Fever, is prepared to do whatever it takes to try and cure her mother – including winning the heart of one of the world’s most pioneering TB doctors and eventually marrying him and moving both herself and her mother to his English sanatorium, Hedone House.

Widow Christian Fairhaven runs his establishment as more of a luxury hotel than a hospital – patients are called “guests” and, after quarantine periods have been observed, are able to recuperate in style, with access to the vast grounds, swimming pools, hearty meals and the occasional drug and alcohol-infused soiree. At first, Agnes feels encouraged by the sight of the progress being made by other guests, including the glamorous Juno Harrington – but the discovery of a secret pauper’s graveyard in the grounds, along with her step daughter Isobel’s increasingly erratic behaviour, makes her start to question whether or not all is as it seems with her husband’s unorthodox method of treatment.

As a fan of historical fiction that delves into the historic treatment of both physical and mental health, I devoured this book. Crosby builds tension slowly and deliberately, with her characters growing and changing along with the developments in the story. The writer does not shy away from full sensory descriptions of both death by illness and substance use, which may be triggers for some.

As well as the rich description and solid characterisation, I particularly enjoyed the little interludes where we followed Isobel around the forbidden corridors of Hedone and saw her interactions with the most unwell patients. Living through a global pandemic ourselves, any modern-day reader will not fail to be moved by the tenderness with which Isobel greets those who have been left alone and frightened towards the end of their days.

My only complaint about this novel is that it was over too soon – I wanted it to go on and on and look forward to reading more from this author in future.

An unusual story with twists, turns and secrets. I enjoyed the setting and characters, with the questions about the heroine’s marriage and the cure of TB. Keeps you guessing. I’m still a little unsure at the end what the jam was all about.

I absolutely loved "The House of Fever" by Polly Crosby (who is quickly becoming a firm favourite author of mine). Set in the 1930s against the backdrop of TB, we meet Agnes who marries Dr Christian abroad and then joins him (with her mother) at his sanatorium in the UK. Not just any sanatorium but one that caters for the rich and talented. A nice life if you can ignore the TB! I was getting "Rebecca" and "The Great Gatsby" vibes here - very decadent with some sinister undertones. Nice to read something historical which one can draw parallels with covid and some really good twists to keep the readers on their toes.

This historical fiction takes place in a luxurious sanatorium in 1935 where the gifted and rich spend their days being treated for tuberculosis. The doctors new wife Agnes arrives to live with him surprised by the glamorous lifestyles being led but with the hope that her own mother may be cured by groundbreaking methods. However this sanatorium is full of secrets both medical and personal and Agnes starts to notice irregularities in behaviour which makes her question all she knows.

The start of this book is a slow burn and there is a long and winding buildup to revelations which emerge at the half way point. Much of the scene setting and character descriptions feel drawn out, but in hindsight this is perhaps indicative of the lifestyle of the residents who live luxurious lives of leisure despite their illness. The second half however truly picks up pace and is quite nail biting at times; once Agnes is party to specific information the undertones and the sense of dread permeate the story and the pace switches up into a real race against time.

Lead character Agnes is smart and notices more than expected, a quiet heroine living amongst wealth and hedonism who sees truth in lies.

With an unexpected and punchy climax this book veers through twists, turns and cliffhangers and ultimately a delivers great and satisfying ending.

I loved the way Polly Crosby keeps up the sense of jeopardy and feeling of menace throughout the book. Well-written, and hugely descriptive, I found this book hard to put down. The setting is very well portrayed and the characters interesting. The sinister undercurrents continue right to the end, which came as a complete surprise. It is atmospheric, fascinating, and full of glamour which the reader soon understands hides the dark underbelly of the story. A good read.

I haven't read anything by this author until this book, I was really surprised! I love historical fiction and this one is well written and easy to follow. It has lots of secrets and mystery throughout the story. I didn't expect some of the twists! I find myself struggling to put it down. Christian is a walking red flag, very easy to see. And Agnes is very gullible until she starts empowering herself.

I really struggled to put this book down, reading three quarters of it in one sitting.

I love a historical novel and I confess I know little about TB which is what attracted me to it. There do seem to be some parallels with the Covid pandemic (and this book was born as a result of it, as mentioned in the comments) but it’s very subtle. This made it much more enjoyable.

I thought the characterisation and the overall plot of this book was great. I really didn’t see the plot twist or work out what was really going on. The ending was subtle too. Overall, I really, REALLY enjoyed this book. It was great to read something that I was happy to devote time to and be lost in.

Thanks to the author, publishers & NetGalley for access to this arc in return for an honest review.

An enjoyable and interesting historical read. This was an easy to read novel, some good characters and secrets to unravel. I did have some unanswered questions and the ending came along quite quickly and conveniently, but overall I enjoyed this one and would recommend. Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the advance copy.

"Agnes couldn't shake the feeling that there was something very wrong with this place. She had seen a horrifying glimpse of another reality tonight. But which version of Hedoné could she trust?"

Christian is a walking neon red flag.

Agnes tries her hardest to be colourblind.

The red on the flags is so bright it blinds you into thinking "he's probably an average man for that time period" for most of the first half of the book.


This book was a nice easy read, it is very well written, if a little slow paced at times. There's a lot of complexity to the characters in this story, which makes most of them relatable to the reader.

Overall a good book.