Something in the Walls

There’s something about folkloric horror and thrillers that always captures my immediate interest. Such was the case when I first heart about Something in the Walls by Daisy Pearce. Set in a small English town in 1989, it follows a recently graduated child psychologist, Mina, and her first patient, a teen girl named Alice who claims to be haunted by a witch. Is this girl right about her fears, or is something going wrong with her mentally? And what is up with the strange beliefs held by the people in this town?

Why I Chose This Book:

I love psychological horror and thrillers, and Something in the Walls promised exactly that. There are also themes of mental health, folklore, and history, all melding together to make it unclear what is going on with Alice. Schizophrenia or witchcraft? Crowd delusions or something more calculated and sinister?

What I Liked:

Psychology and discussions of mental afflictions. Mina might have little work experience, but she knows a lot about different disorders, their symptoms, and their causes. It was interesting to learn here.
Superstitions, witchcraft, and old-fashioned beliefs
Heat wave adding to the tensions
People in this town are… kind of weird, right?
Past traumas and regrets
Hauntings?
Real-world evils
Should Mina really be marrying Oscar?
Morally gray?

Audiobook

Ana Clements does a great job of narrating Something in the Walls. She gives Mina the exact kind of voice I would have envisioned for her, adding the right tones and accents to bring the characters’ personalities to the forefront. Her narration is engrossing and made for a wonderful listen.

Final Thoughts

Something in the Walls is a bewitching novel that makes the reader question everything. Is it supernatural or just real life, human issues? Witches or trickery? I enjoyed puzzling through the events that arose and the surprising turns this novel took. It didn’t end where I expected it to, but sometimes that’s exactly what I need from a book. I’m excited to read more from Daisy Pearce.

Special thanks to St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book!

Get the Book

You can buy Something in the Walls here – it’s available as a hardcover, ebook, and audiobook.

Something in the Walls by Daisy Pearce
Audiobook Narrator	Ana Clements
Audience	Adult
Genre	Thriller; Horror
Setting	England
Number of Pages	304
Format I Read	Audiobook & Ebook (NetGalley ARCs)
Original Publication Date	February 25, 2025
Publisher	Minotaur Books

Official Summary

A Library Reads Pick!

Most Anticipated by Goodreads, E! News, BookRiot, and more!

Unbearably tense, utterly propulsive, and studded with folklore and horror, Something in the Walls is perfect for anyone who loves Midsommar and The Haunting of Hill House.

Newly-minted child psychologist Mina has little experience. In a field where the first people called are experts, she’s been unable to get her feet wet. Instead she aimlessly spends her days stuck in the stifling heat wave sweeping across Britain, and anxiously contemplating her upcoming marriage to careful, precise researcher Oscar. The only reprieve from her small, close world is attending the local bereavement group to mourn her brother’s death from years ago. That is, until she meets journalist Sam Hunter at the grief group one day. And he has a proposition for her.

Alice Webber is a thirteen year old girl who claims she’s being haunted by a witch. Living with her family in their crowded home in the remote village of Banathel, Alice’s symptoms are increasingly disturbing, and money is tight. Taking this job will give Mina some experience; Sam will get the scoop of a lifetime; and Alice will get better, Mina is sure of it.

But instead of improving, Alice’s behavior becomes increasingly inexplicable and intense. The town of Banathel has a deep history of superstition and witchcraft. They believe there is evil in the world. They believe there are ways of…dealing with it. And they don’t expect outsiders to understand.

As Mina races to uncover the truth behind Alice’s condition, the dark cracks of Banathel begin to show. Mina is desperate to understand how deep their sinister traditions go–and how her own past may be the biggest threat of all.

“Unexpected, mesmerizing, and totally original…will keep you guessing until its wild end.” -#1 International Bestselling author Darby Kane

“Harrowing and moving…Pearce has written something magical. There are scenes in this book I’ll never forget.” -Kristi DeMeester, author of Such a Pretty Smile

About the Author

Daisy Pearce was born in Cornwall but currently lives in Sussex, UK. In 2015 she won the Chindi Authors Short Story Competition. Her short stories have previously been published in One Eyed Grey and performed at the Small Story Cabaret. She has also written about mental health issues for XOJane. She is the author of The Silence and The Missing. Specialist subjects include: ghosts, poltergeists and the perfect red lipstick.