polly hall

A woman searching for her birth-parents unlocks the secrets of her horrific past, as she tries to stop the goblin within in this kaleidoscopic dark psychological horror about identity and belonging, with a dread-inducing climax you will never forget. Perfect for fans of Eric LaRocca, Daphne du Maurier and Catriona Ward.

Myrrh has a goblin inside her, a voice in her head that tells her all the things she’s done wrong, that berates her and drags her down. Desperately searching for her birth-parents across dilapidated seaside towns in the South coast of England, she finds herself silenced and cut off at every step.

Cayenne is trapped in a loveless marriage, the distance between her and her husband growing further and further each day. Longing for a child, she has visions promising her a baby.

As Myrrh’s frustrations grow, the goblin in her grows louder and louder, threatening to tear apart the few relationships she holds dear and destroy everything around her. When Cayenne finds her husband growing closer to his daughter - Cayenne’s stepdaughter - and pushing her further out of his life, she makes a decision that sends her into a terrible spiral.

The stories of these women will unlock a past filled with dark secrets and strange connections, all leading to an unforgettable, horrific climax.

Polly Hall’s debut, The Taxidermist’s Lover, received reviews from The New York Times, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, Foreword Reviews and was a Booklist Starred Review. It was a Gold Medal Winner in the Independent Publishers Book Awards, Bram Stoker Awards Finalist for Superior Achievement In A First Novel, and nominated for the Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Awards. She tweets @pollyhallwriter