A ghostly, gothic love story that opens as the animals of the natural history museum are evacuated to a sinister country house during the war – perfect for fans of Sarah Waters, Stacey Hall, and Jessie Burton.

Deeply gripping and darkly atmospheric, The Animals at Lockwood Manor is a tale of long-buried secrets and hidden desires by Jane Healey.

Winner of the HWA Debut Crown Award 2020

Some secrets are unspoken. Others are unspeakable . . .

August 1939. As the Second World War looms, thirty-year-old Hetty Cartwright is tasked with the evacuation and safekeeping of the natural history museum’s famous collection of mammals. But once she and her exhibits arrive at Lockwood Manor, Hetty soon realizes that she’s taken on more than she’d bargained for . . .

Protecting her priceless animals from the irascible Lord Lockwood and resentful servants is hard enough, but when a series of mysterious events occur, Hetty begins to suspect someone – or something – is stalking her through the darkened corridors of the gothic mansion.

As her fears build, Hetty finds herself falling under the spell of Lucy, Lord Lockwood’s beautiful but haunted daughter. But why is Lucy so traumatized? Does she know something she’s not telling? And is there any truth to local rumours of ghosts and curses?

'Atmospheric and disquieting . . . an ideal book club read' – A J Pearce, author of Dear Mrs Bird