Launching Too Near The Dead!

Last night saw the online launch event for Too Near The Dead, which appeared on Facebook Live. I was interviewed by the inimitable Lalla Merlin, and also read from chapter one. I've been quite surprised at the reactions to the reading - eg. my oldest friend messaged me afterwards with "omg how horrible!" 😁 I guess because I have written the story, I forget how other people will experience it! 

Anyway, for anyone who wasn't able to attend or who couldn't access the launch for technical reasons, you can watch a recording of it on YouTube, here: book launch on YouTube

The very first review of the book was by the Bookwitch and you can read it on her blog here: https://bookwitch.wordpress.com/2021/06/30/too-near-the-dead/

This morning Scot Lit Daily also posted a review on Instagram:

"It’s absolutely no secret that I’m a massive fan of ghost stories (handle gives it away if nothing else) but take a ghost story and make it Scottish and that’s *chef’s kiss* - especially when it’s as gorgeously written and evocative as Too Near The Dead by Helen Grant.

BLURB || For Fen Munro and her fiance James, it is a dream come true: an escape from London to a beautiful house in the stunning Perthshire countryside.

Barr Dubh house is modern, a building with no past at all. But someone walks the grounds, always dressed in lavender. Under a lichenous stone in an abandoned graveyard, a hideous secret lies buried. And at night, Fen is tormented by horrifying dreams. Someone wants Fen's happiness, and nothing is going to stop them - not even death...

REVIEW || Now, I don’t know what the inspiration was behind the book but it immediately brought to mind one of my favourite Scottish hauntings: Ballechin House. Because it has that same haunting on the site of a former already haunted house kind of vibe, which is very much My Thing. I was on board immediately.

What kept me on board was characters that felt so real. I grew to really care what happened to them. I loved the sense of isolation and at times this book truly creeped me out. It’s very Scottish and very gothic and that’s a gorgeous combination for a ghost story if ever there was one.

It had all the tropes I love - small town with a secret, secrets between the main characters, and best of all - THE LIBRARY SCENE - where the main character finds out the story behind their haunt. But it all felt fresh with little expert touches here and there to make it feel brand new.

I loved it. This is a fast paced, easy to sink into book that will be perfect for a rainy Saturday or October evening. I tend to reread my favourite ghost stories over and over again - this one will definitely be getting added to the rota."

It's lovely to get reviews like these. I'm not going to post every single one that comes in, but I wanted to share a little bit of book love today. 💖