Withered Hill by David Barnett

A year ago Sophie Wickham stumbled into the isolated Lancashire village of Withered Hill, naked, alone and with no memory of who she is.

Surrounded by a thick ring of woodland, its inhabitants seem to be of another world, drenched in pagan, folklorish traditions.

As Sophie struggles to regain the memories of her life from before, she quickly realises she is a prisoner after multiple failed escape attempts. But is it the locals who keep her trapped, with smiles on their faces, or something else, lurking in the woods?

In London, Sophie leads a chaotic life, with too many drunken nights, inappropriate men and boring temp jobs. But things take a turn as she starts to be targeted by strange messages warning her that someone, or something, is coming for her.

With no idea who to trust, or where to turn for help, the messages become more insistent and more intimidating, urging Sophie to make her way to a place called Withered Hill...

An utterly bewitching, dual timeline folk horror novel, with a truly devastating twist you have to read to believe.

'Eerie, erotic and engrossing, David Barnett's Withered Hill is a masterpiece of folkloric horror, one I suspect shall henceforth be mentioned in the same breath as The Wicker Man, as it well and truly deserves to be' Kealan Patrick Burke, Bram Stoker Award winning author of Sour Candy

'A bloody masterpiece ... Black Mirror meets The Wickerman' Mark Stay, author of The Witches of Woodville series

David Barnett is an author and journalist based in the north of England. His commercial fiction, written as David M Barnett, includes the bestseller Calling Major Tom. His journalism has been featured in the Guardian, Independent and Telegraph. His comic work includes Books of Magic, for DC's Sandman Universe, 2000 AD and Archie Comics.