Let Him In
by William Friend

“Daddy, there’s a man in our room…”

Alfie wakes one night to find his twin daughters at the foot of his bed, claiming there’s a shadowy figure in their bedroom. When no such thing can be found, he assumes the girls had a nightmare.

He isn’t surprised that they’re troubled. Grief has made its home at Hart House: nine months ago, the twins’ mother Pippa died unexpectedly, leaving Alfie to raise them alone. And now, when the girls mention a new imaginary friend, it seems like a harmless coping mechanism. But the situation quickly develops into something more insidious. The girls set an extra place for him at the table. They whisper to him. They say he’s going to take them away…

Alfie calls upon Julia—Pippa’s sister and a psychiatrist—to oust the malignant tenant from their lives. But as Alfie himself is haunted by visions and someone watches him at night, he begins to question the true character of the force that has poisoned his daughters’ minds, with dark and violent consequences.

Whatever this “friend” is, he doesn’t want to leave. Alfie will have to confront his own shameful secrets, the dark past of Hart House, and even the bounds of reality—or risk taking part in an unspeakable tragedy.

A horror debut perfect for readers of Catriona Ward’s The Last House on Needless Street and The Spite House by Johnny Compton, this emotional, hair-raising story will grip you from the first page, and won’t let you go.

5 out of 5 fairies

This was dark, chilling, and had me glancing over my shoulder as I read this late into the night. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but there’s just something so…off about everything happening in Hart House. Friend does a great job of evoking chills and emotions from the readers, drawing them into the lives of a family riddled with grief. The twins themselves add a bit to the eeriness factor at times. Overall, this is the perfect read for a chill autumn night, when you’re cozied up with a hot cup of tea.

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William Friend is a writer based in Hertfordshire. His debut novel, BLACK MAMBA, was published in the UK by Atlantic Books. It will be published in America on 3 October 2023, under the title LET HIM IN.