Look Out For … The Taxidermist’s Lover by Polly Hall

“With its gothic setting and lurid subject matter, Hall’s eerie prose is just right for those cold winter nights.”

Soon after Scarlett meets Henry, they fall into a passionate love affair. Henry is a taxidermist, and Scarlett becomes obsessed with his creations as Henry becomes influenced by Felix, his rival. A year later, Scarlett looks back on her intense relationship with Henry, trying to unravel her obsession with his taxidermy creatures.

Scarlett feels trapped in her isolated home on the Somerset moorland and reaches out to her brother Rhett, the only remaining family she has. He is her twin, and the only one that can help her make sense of the secrets they share. Soon Scarlett realizes the past has deep consequences.

Why we’re excited about this book:

Polly Hall is a newcomer to the horror fiction world. Hailing from England, The Taxidermist’s Lover is her debut novel. She also writes poetry and short fiction. With its gothic setting and lurid subject matter, Hall’s eerie prose is just right for those cold winter nights. Booklist says: “The menace increases slowly but relentlessly, permeating every corner, and the twists, plentiful but also well earned, pile up, resolving in a near-perfect horror ending . . . [A] lyrical debut, told with the confidence of a veteran.”, and Publishers Weekly says: “Rich, decadent prose . . . allusions to The Bride of Frankenstein nicely ground the ending in the gothic tradition.”

Forthcoming 8 December 2020 from Camcat Publishing, The Taxidermist’s Lover by Polly Hall is available for pre-order now.

BOB PASTORELLA