Hanna Delaney’s latest supernatural horror novel: a love letter to Wilkie Collins and Shirley Jackson. Inspired by The Haunting Of Hill House and set in her home city of Liverpool, England.

The Spider is a Gothic horror murder mystery novel set in 19th century Liverpool.

Liverpool, 1892 Finding his fortune in Australia, John Bryant returns to his wife and child in England, moving them into number five, Percy Street. Anxious to start a new life, Frances Bryant finds herself in the clutches of a malevolent presence within the house, unable to escape it. When paranormal investigator Daniel Muldoon is called to investigate the case, he soon discovers the haunting of number five is just the beginning of the horror that will unfold. Lives hang in the balance, for some it is already too late. Muldoon must compete in a race against time to save those who remain caught in a spider's web. The Spider is a supernatural horror murder mystery set in 19th century Liverpool.

Liverpool, 1892

Finding his fortune in Australia, John Bryant returns to his wife and child in England, moving them into number five, Percy Street. Anxious to start a new life, Frances Bryant finds herself in the clutches of a malevolent presence within the house, unable to escape it.

When paranormal investigator Daniel Muldoon is called to investigate the case, he soon discovers the haunting of number five is just the beginning of the horror that will unfold.

Lives hang in the balance, for some it is already too late. Muldoon must compete in a race against time to save those who remain caught in a spider’s web.

The Spider is a Gothic Horror novel with elements of murder mystery and suspense. If you like authors such as Wilkie Collins and Shirley Jackson, this book is sure to be up your street.

Read the free sample of this book here.

Buy now

What readers are saying about this novel

The detective duo driving the investigation are well-crafted and genuinely likable, with a synergy that makes their partnership compelling. Their chemistry and wit balance the dark tone of the novel, and their teamwork keeps the plot moving smoothly. They’re a great pairing, and their camaraderie gives the reader a sense of stability amid the story’s supernatural elements. Muldoon is an interesting development of the classic detective in that he has a supernatural edge, and special abilities.
The story is set in 1892 (mostly) and at first seems like a normal, run-of-the-mill haunting story, though it's subtle and focuses a lot on the characters and their inner demons. But things quickly take a turn and just hurtled me headfirst into insanity. I love a good mystery, and the way this book was structured had my head spinning. Each new tidbit of information raised exciting new questions, and I found myself so delightfully confused as to what was really going on that the payoff was oh-so-satisfying in the end. I had so many 'OH MY GOD' moments during reading that my husband started asking me questions and I was updating him on the case and ruminating on all of the little details together. I am a sucker for deep character introspection, and Delaney brought each and every one of these characters to life inside my head. Despite the extensive cast, I didn't have any trouble keeping track of them because they all have such clear voices and personalities. I also spent a lot of time on the fence over whether I found certain characters likeable because of the choices they made, which made them even more interesting and realistic. Even some of the minor characters (Jessops comes to mind) had great personality even with such a short time, and it made the world feel fleshed-out and lived-in. I find a lot of mysteries seem to be wham-bam and follow a quick formula, but I loved the length of The Spider, taking turns to explore characters and enrich the experience. Playing with different moments in time and having sections of written letters allowed for plot to unravel in an interesting way that kept me questioning whether or not certain characters were reliable even in their own narrative. Overall, absolutely adored this book, and can't wait for more Muldoon!
When Frances Bryant and her family arrive at their new home at number five, Percy Street, she doesn’t feel welcome. Something lurks within the house, trying to catch her at every turn. What Frances discovers will force her to uncover the unforgivable, shattering the life she craves to pieces. What begins as an encounter with the paranormal soon reveals itself to be a tangled web of secrets that Inspector Daniel Muldoon must get to the bottom of. Many lives hang in the balance, with two already claimed. Muldoon must compete in a race against time to save those who are still caught in the spider’s web.

Gothic horror the old fashioned way. This was straight up gothic horror. Creepiness, paranormal and an actual murder mystery. It was delightfully unsettling.

I’m really looking forward to seeing where Muldoon goes from here and what else he investigates. I’d like to know more of his background and why he’s investigating this type of crime. You get a glimpse of what could be in my favourite bit of the book which is a really wonderful epilogue.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Alexandra Gilligan Cook- Goodreads.

Join 700+ subscribers

Stay in the loop with everything you need to know. Free fiction in your inbox every week, too.

Sign up

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *