Sue Lawrence
Sue Lawrence is the author of absorbing, popular historical thrillers that cast fascinating light on the perils and injustice that characterised women’s lives in Scotland through centuries past – whether born into penniless or powerful families: The Green Lady, The Unreliable Death of Lady Grange, Down to the Sea, The Night He Left and Fields of Blue Flax. She is also one of the UK’s leading cookery writers and broadcasters. Having trained as a journalist, she won BBC’s MasterChef in 1991 and became a food writer, Cookery Editor of the Sunday Times and a regular contributor to Scotland on Sunday and many leading magazines, and she appears frequently on BBC Radio 4’s Kitchen Cabinet. Born in Dundee, she was raised in Edinburgh, where she now lives. She has won two Guild of Food Writers Awards and a Glenfiddich Food and Drink Award and is the author of more than 20 books.
Down to the Sea
by Sue Lawrence
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When secrets from the past won’t stay hidden
When Rona and Craig buy a large Victorian house up from Edinburgh’s Newhaven district – once teeming with fishing boats – they plan to renovate and set it up as a luxury care home. But something is not quite right: disturbing sounds can be heard when the sea mists swirl; their unpredictable neighbour makes it clear that the house was not always a happy family home. And their ‘characterful’ historic pile has a gloomy cellar harbouring relics from days gone by.
Back in the 1890s, superstitious fishwives blame young Jessie for the deaths of their menfolk in a terrible storm, and she’s forced into the Newhaven Poorhouse. In those less enlightened times, life was often severe, cruel even, and Jessie is entirely at the mercy of a tyrant matron. But one inmate is not all she seems. Jessie begins to pick at the truth, uncovering the secrets and lies that pervade the poorhouse – and which will have profound and dangerous consequences in the future.
REVIEWS OF Down to the Sea
“Lawrence has produced a well woven story, the historic passages suitably Gothic in feel, the more contemporary passages tense, with an unpredictability of plot that sustains interest and keeps us on our toes.” The Literary Shed
“An eerie thriller … perfectly creepy and atmospheric … will help cement Lawrence as a skilled creator of historical mysteries.” Matthew Keeley, The Wee Review
"Fascinating… Lawrence’s skill of storytelling allows for the tension to really build throughout." Scottish Field
"Plenty of intrigue, there is much to enjoy here … tension … smart twists … particularly strong descriptions of food and scents … her cast of characters, most of them women, are all distinct individuals." Louise Fairbairn, Scotland on Sunday
"Exciting … With secret tunnels, hidden treasures, plenty of mystery, drama and danger." Portobello Book Blog
"Combines mystery, human interest and a beautifully crafted sense of place … a great read." Wardie newsletter
"Excellent… Intriguing… Full of fear and danger. This page-turning historical novel holds many twists and turns." Historical Novels Review
"Fast-paced and full of fear and intrigue… Creates a sense of unease in the reader that persists right through to the book's satisfying conclusion." Undiscovered Scotland
"A haunting, moving story." Kirsty Wark