The House of Footsteps

The House of Footsteps by Matthew West

It’s 1923 and at Thistlecrook House, a forbidding home on the Scottish border, the roaring twenties seem not to have arrived. But Simon Christie has – a young man who can’t believe his luck when he gets a job cataloguing the infamous art collection of the Mordrake family. Yet from the moment he gets off the train at the deserted village station he can’t shift a headache and a sense that there’s more to the House and its gruesome selection of pictures.
If you like books like The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins , then you will love this.
It has that dark , oppressive , foreboding feeling on every page , and you almost feel the walls closing in on Simon whilst he goes about his day.
Creepy , but I loved it.

I love anything gothic and so I devoured this and it did not disappoint. It is dark, disturbing and shrouded with foreshadowing. It was claustrophobic with dark and haunting imagery and my heart was in my throat with every page as I lived it alongside Simon. As soon as I was finished I wanted to read it again. I loved it.

Sweeping Gothic Tale…
1923 and Simon Christie simply cannot believe his luck when he secures a position cataloguing the somewhat gruesome art collection of the Mordrake family but Thistlecrook House is an enigma and from the moment of his arrival he is heavy with a sense of foreboding. A sweeping gothic tale with a genuine mystery at heart, wildly atmospheric and well drawn. A delicious read.

Wow what a book! It was creepy and scary in all the right places. You definitely don’t want to read this in the dark as it’s very atmospheric.

When I first started to read the house of footsteps it reminded me of the lady in black it felt similar in places and than It had a very different twist to the story. The story about Simon who work for art company who ask to visit a house and to look at the art work. This is a Gothic story and bit eerie in places.
Thank you netgalley for letting me read this book.

I was really sucked into this Gothic chiller which had me gripped from the start with its strange country house and grotesque art collection. I thought I had it all figured out but I never saw the twist at the end coming! I also found the setting very lifelike and easy to picture. Great stuff and a novel I will be definitely recommending to readers who love ghost stories and historical fiction.

Simon Christie was too young to serve in the Great War so he and his friends are cutting around Edinburgh after their studies finished. Unfortunately for Simon, his father decides it is time he found himself a job and Simon cannot help but agree. A degree in Art History sets him up nicely for a position with an auction house and Simon is ready to take on what the world can throw at him.

What he may not have expected was the opportunity to visit Thistlecrook House, home of the Mordrake family and to catalogue their collected artworks. It has long been rumoured the Mordrakes have a vast collection of art treasures – even a Da Vinci – so Simon boards a train from Edinburgh and sets off South. Thistlecrook House sits apart from a tiny village on the Scottish/English border and is not an easy place to access. Simon will spend his days assessing the art collection and will rely upon the hospitality of his host for food and accommodation.

His arrival at Mordrake House follows a disconcerting series of encounters in the nearby village. Mordrake House has has reputation and the locals are wary. It also appears his host is a widower following the tragic death of his wife, drowned in the lake in the grounds of his home. Steeled with this knowledge, Simon is respectful of his host’s odd behaviour and secluded lifestyle. For when he arrives at Mordrake house the vast home is almost empty of life bar his host, an ever-present butler (who does not take a shine to Simon) and a few members of staff.

Tension mounts as Simon spends more time in the strange house. The artwork he has to assess has a singular and disturbing theme, many pieces are shocking or distasteful to the young man and he feels the drain spending time with them. Some rooms have an overpowering impact upon him too a compromise has to be found for his workspace as the attic which houses many of the art is overwhelming. But not all spaces in the house are negative places. In a library Simon encounters the other resident in the house. A young woman who enjoys curling up to read her book while keeping out of the way of everyone else.

With an ally in the house we find Simon can chat through some of his concerns and soon his infactuation with his new friend will start to distract from the work he is meant to undertake. Not that Simon needs any more distraction, his nights are plagued by the sound of footsteps. A heavy-footed individual spends hours each night walking the corridors and rooms of Thistlecrook House. The noise is distracting, upsetting and inescapable for Simon. He is particularly alarmed when he sees the shadow of this unknown person walking past his door.

As the story develops the tension cranks up. Mathew West has done a fabulous job of keeping the story flowing, the chills mounting and Simon’s story appears to be one which puts him on a path towards a dangerous confrontation. I really enjoyed The House of Footsteps and felt it perfectly pitched to deliver the creepy vibes.

The House of Footsteps releases on February 3rd and I’d strongly recommend getting a pre-order in place.