p.m. leckie

The darkest secrets are the most difficult to keep...

Having barely survived the tyranny of his upbringing, the once rich, but now destitute Wallis Thorn, is brought by fate to the village of his birth — only to find that his family home is now a second rate hotel. He has no choice but to call upon the very people he blames for his current state of poverty.
One by one, the Thorns return to the place which once seemed like a prison to them.
Rook, wayward and hot-tempered. Esme, bitter and spiteful. And the soon to be Reverend Cyrus. A young man who scarcely knows the people who share his surname.
But can a family, who once existed governed by fear and who are now predominantly motivated by resentment, put their differences aside and bring Stumbledirt back to its former glory?
P.M. Leckie blends traditional British comedy/farce with the drama of a gothic saga to create a tale which spans the lives of the dysfunctional Thorns — from birth, through boarding school and on to adulthood. With many twists and turns along the way, this sometimes dark, but often humorous story, will stay with the reader long after it’s put down.

"From start to finish, I was completely drawn into the bizarre world of the Thorn family." — Pip, Goodreads, 5 stars.

"...every page is peppered with the author’s sometimes cheeky, but always amusing, humour which personally had me giggling to myself." — Screaming Angel, Goodreads, 5 stars.

"P.M. Leckie’s debut novel was a definite page turner from the very start ... And the twists just keep on coming." — Kimi, Kimi Chan Experience, 5 stars.