Seahurst – S.A. Harris – What Do I Read Now?

I would like to extend my thanks to Helen Richardson, of Helen Richardson PR for inviting me to read and review this copy of Seahurst, the new novel by S.A. Harris. Published by Salt Publishing and available now.

S.A. Harris returns with a gripping contemporary ghost story set on the Suffolk coast.

Evie Meyer and her son Alfie flee from her abusive partner Seth in Toronto to spend New Year with her half-brother Luke at their late father’s summer home on the Suffolk Coast, only to find Seahurst abandoned and Luke missing.

As Evie searches for her brother, she is filled with a deepening dread that something is very wrong at Seahurst and that their father’s death may not have been suicide after all. Can Evie uncover Seahurst’s sinister secrets and keep Alfie safe before the souls of the dead claim yet another terrible revenge?

‘Seahurst is set on the Suffolk coast. The area is famous for its folklore. I was born in the county and spent my childhood on the beaches, running along narrow, sandy paths that thread through the dunes. The vast empty skies, mudflats and whispering reed beds have inspired writers over centuries. What better setting could there be for a contemporary haunted house ghost story?’

– S.A. HARRIS

Our Author – S.A. Harris

Sally Harris writes ghost stories and gothic fiction as S. A.Harris. Her first novel, Haverscroft was long listed for Not the Booker Prize, was one of Den Of Geek’s best books of 2019, a semi-finalist in the Book Bloggers Novel of the Year Award 2020, and a Halloween recommended read in Prima Magazine. Sally is a family law solicitor living with her husband and children in Norwich.

My Review – Seahurst

Having absolutely loved reading Sally’s first book, Haverscroft, I was delighted to be asked to review Seahurst.

I found the book to be full of intensity, which just made me more curious to finish it. The book begins with Evie and Alfie travelling from Canada to England, over the Christmas period. Evie is returning to visit her step brother Luke, who lives in Seahurst a house built by their father in the shadow of an old abbey. Located next to a cliff, overlooking the sea. The cliff claimed their father and Evie hasn’t been back since. Luke has been trying to get Evie to visit for years, she was always full of reasons not too, but now with her relationship with Seth having hit an all time low, she’s desperate to get back to England and Luke. Her old friends Lou and Will too, who she admits she’s not been in touch with as much as she would have liked over the years.

When they arrive Luke is no where to be found, but all the lights were on at Seahurst. Evie puts it all down to jet lag, Luke’s mysterious disseverance and catching up with old friends, but strange noises spook Alfie and Evie. She’s really worried about Luke, he was due to pick them up from the airport, then she finds out he’d made a solicitors appointment for them both too.

Evie reveals to Lou, her best friend growing up, and Will, Lou’s brother, that things are going too well in Canada. That she’s leaving Seth, he’s got control of her and Alfie and she wants out. Seth knows this and suddenly appears at Seahurst, and try to work his charm on them, but its too late. Evie isn’t leaving this time and gives Seth the perfect terms for him to go back without her.

Luke is found and the story takes a Depp turn of events. Seahurst holds secrets and when a storm hits, its take out of Evie’s hands.

Chilling and spooky, Seahurst will leave you feeling wary of the sea and the folklore tails she holds.