Mysterious, magical, and a little bit deadly… Welcome to Unholy Island.
Esme Gray runs the guest house and tends to the ethereal wards that protect the island. She’s sheltering from a terrible past and will do anything to stay safely hidden.
Luke Taylor has been searching for his missing twin for months, but has begun to believe that his brother might be dead. With his hope in tatters, a tip off leads him to a remote tidal island in the North Sea. It’s further out than the famous Holy Island, and far stranger.
Visitors shouldn’t be able to stay for more than two nights, so when Luke breaks this rule, the close-knit community is sent into turmoil. The residents of Unholy Island have secrets and they intend to keep them.
When Luke stumbles across one of the islanders dead on the shore, he finds himself under suspicion, made worse by his own troubles washing up on the tide.
Esme is drawn to Luke, but she doesn’t trust her own instincts. That’s not ideal for a witch — especially when there is a killer on the loose and a storm is rolling in…
The Ward Witch is the first book in a brand new contemporary fantasy series from the bestselling author of magical fiction, Sarah Painter.
*The Ward Witch is set in the same world as the urban fantasy mystery books, Crow Investigations, but it is the start of a separate series and can be enjoyed independently.
Praise for the Crow Investigations Series:
'I'm a huge fan!'
Charlaine Harris, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Sookie Stackhouse novels
'My favourite new urban fantasy series, clever and twisty and deliciously magical, with a shivery sense of wonder that feels utterly grounded in its London setting. Perfect for fans of Ben Aaronovitch, Genevieve Cogman or Robert Galbraith!'
Stephanie Burgis, author of Snowspelled
Black water, dark skies, a reckoning like no other
A new threat has sailed in on the tide and is haunting the waterways of London.
DCI Fleet is struggling to control his gift and can no longer tell reality from illusion.
Meanwhile, Uncle Charlie is making trouble from his prison cell, proving how hard it is to keep a Crow caged.
Worst of all, the truce between London's four magical Families lies in ruins. If Lydia can't rebuild it, and fast, all will be lost.
London is Lydia Crow's roost… But for how long?
Don't miss the eighth instalment in the bestselling urban fantasy mystery series, Crow Investigations.
'I'm a huge fan!'
Charlaine Harris, award winning and bestselling author of mystery and fantasy
Get the Crow.
A man dies in a locked room, leaving a message written in blood and a lot of unanswered questions.
Lydia is still recovering from the fallout with her psychopathic cousin, but there are new threats to the Crows, and she must fight to maintain her position as leader of the Family.
Meanwhile, an actor has gone missing and Fleet is under pressure to find him fast. But there seems to be more to his tension than he is letting on…
Can Lydia solve the mysterious murder before she gets arrested for it?
Don't miss the seventh instalment in the bestselling urban fantasy mystery series, Crow Investigations.
There's a new Crow in town...
After the explosive events of The Copper Heart, Lydia must deal with a secret service operative with murder in his heart.
The mysterious Mr Smith has sent a professional assassin after Lydia and the bonds of blood are stretched to breaking point when it turns out to be someone very close to home.
Meanwhile, the head of the powerful Silver Family is demanding a favour and Lydia must comply or risk their fledgling alliance.
To be strong enough to beat the odds stacked against her Lydia must delve deep into Crow Family lore, but what she discovers is far from a fairy tale...
In a fight between two Crows, only one can win, but is Lydia willing to do what it takes to defeat her adversary?
Don't miss the exciting sixth instalment in the bestselling urban fantasy mystery series, Crow Investigations.
'My favourite new urban fantasy series, clever and twisty and deliciously magical, with a shivery sense of wonder that feels utterly grounded in its London setting. Perfect for fans of Ben Aaronovitch, Genevieve Cogman or Robert Galbraith!'
Stephanie Burgis, author of Snowspelled.
Heavy is the head that wears the crown... Don't miss The Copper Heart, the exciting fifth instalment in the bestselling urban fantasy mystery series, Crow Investigations.
Lydia has taken over as the leader of the Crow Family and is trying to keep the criminality to the bare minimum. DCI Fleet has told her he is 'all in' but there have to be limits and Lydia doesn't want to find out what they are. When the head of the Silver Family, Alejandro, drops down dead, Lydia needs to work out whether it was natural causes or murder. And fast. Lydia has made enemies of the Pearl King, Maria Silver, and her own uncle. Plus, her position at the top puts her in the sights of many more. Lydia has evaded death in the past, and is gaining greater mastery over her power every day, but now she isn't just worried about saving herself...
Tradition. Loyalty. Respect. Murder. Normal Family stuff... Don't miss the exciting fourth instalment in the bestselling urban fantasy mystery series, Crow Investigations.
Lydia is pulled into the Crow Family business by her shady Uncle Charlie. He has decided that Lydia needs to learn the truth about her infamous Family and to step into her role within it - whether she likes it or not. After Lydia's wrongful arrest, her relationship with DCI Fleet is decidedly rocky, but when a teenage girl goes missing from Highgate Woods she must put aside her emotions and work the case. Lydia is increasingly alarmed by Charlie's methods, but is trapped by loyalty. Then a direct attack on the Crows raises the tension between the Families to boiling point, and the mysterious Pearl Family step out of the shadows. Can Lydia restore balance to the magical Families of London without losing her soul?
Step back into the magical world of Pendleford with The Secrets of Ghosts. Don’t miss the magical, heart-warming story from the bestselling author of The Language of Spells!
On her twenty-first birthday Katie Harper has only one wish: to become a real Harper woman. Mystical powers are passed down her family generation after generation – some even call them witches – yet every spell Katie attempts goes disastrously wrong.
When her magic does appear, it’s in a form nobody expected and suddenly Katie is thrown into a dangerous new world with shadowy consequences. For the realm of the deceased is not as peaceful as she once thought. The dead are buried with their secrets and only Katie can help the ghosts of the past finally find peace.
If that is what they are looking for…
Praise for Sarah Painter
'The magic, the romance, the right amount of humour and drama, made this a perfectly well-rounded novel. I greatly look forward to Sarah’s next novel.' - Laura's Little Book Blog
'I would recommend this book as it is a real mix: it’s a love story and a thriller with a dash of magic thrown in for good measure.' - Laura's Book Review
'utterly enchanting’ - The Madwoman in the Attic
'an enjoyable, escapist read, light hearted romance and a bit of paranormal who dunnit.' - Jeannie Zelos
'I thoroughly enjoyed The Secret of Ghosts. It was just as magical and just as enjoyable as The Language of Spells and I am soooooo glad Sarah Painter decided to go back to Pendleford. … I really do love magical fiction and I think SarahPainter is one of the best at giving you a realistic look at magic and all that comes with it.' - Chick Lit Reviews
Don't miss the exciting third installment in the bestselling urban fantasy mystery series, The Crow Investigations.
A cursed Fox. A vengeful Silver. A whole lot of trouble... Lydia Crow has long suspected there is more beneath London than just trains but has never been keen to poke around in the dark. But when Paul Fox, powerful member of the Fox Family, blackmails her into taking a case, she has no choice. Investigating a suspicious death in a disused tunnel of the London Underground for her ex-boyfriend causes friction between her and DCI Fleet - and not the fun kind. Uncle Charlie is still pressuring her to work for the Family business, her ghostly flatmate is looking for answers about his own demise, and Maria Silver is out for blood. Preferably Lydia's.
"The Lydia Crow books are a firm favourite of mine, combining intriguing crime fiction with a hint of other-worldly mysticism." - KERRY BARRETT
The Silver Mark is the second installment in Crow Investigations, an exciting paranormal mystery series from bestselling author of magical fiction, Sarah Painter.
London is Lydia Crow's city so when a man is found hanged under Blackfriars Bridge, she takes it personally. Even when it seems as if the Silver Family might be involved, Lydia refuses to back down. The Silver Family, who run the finest law firm in London, have a gift for persuasion. In the Bad Old Days it was said they could make a man jump off a roof by convincing him he could fly. But that's all in the past... Isn't it? Everybody wants something from Lydia: Her Uncle wants her to join the Family Business, her ghostly flatmate wants her to test her power, DCI Fleet wants a relationship, and the Silver Family want her to keep her nose out. Trouble is, Lydia has never been much good at taking orders.
"My favourite new urban fantasy series, clever and twisty and deliciously magical." STEPHANIE BURGIS
The Lost Girls is a dark and twisty supernatural thriller, perfect for fans of Stephen King and Neil Gaiman.
Edinburgh student, Rose MacLeod, has been losing time for as long as she can remember. Days and weeks disappear, leaving terrifying gaps in her memory. Now she is seeing horrifying visions; waking nightmares of violence and death. Around the world young women like her are being killed and Rose has a ringside seat. Mal Fergusson was raised to hunt demons across Scotland. With his father dead and his brother in a coma, he no longer believes in the grand battle between good and evil. Instead, he scrapes a living as an investigator and hitman for the supernatural Mafia of Edinburgh. Tensions are rising in Scotland's capital and Mal must capture Rose to keep his demonic boss sweet - but is he really willing to harm an innocent to do so?
"A thrilling tale that compelled me throughout. A perfect read for all of Sarah's fans old and new, but also for fans of Helen Slavin, Anna McKerrow, Neil Gaiman, Ben Aaronovitch and Laura Laakso." - LISAREADSBOOKS
The Night Raven is the first book in Crow Investigations, an exciting new paranormal mystery series from bestselling author of magical fiction, Sarah Painter.
Lydia has always known she has no power, especially next to her infamous and more-than-slightly dodgy family. Which is why she carved her own life as a private investigator far away from London. When a professional snafu forces her home, the head of the family calls in a favour, and Lydia finds herself investigating the disappearance of her cousin, Maddie. Soon, Lydia is neck-deep in problems: her new flatmate is a homicidal ghost, the intriguing, but forbidden, DCI Fleet is acting in a distinctly unprofessional manner, and tensions between the old magical families are rising. For seventy-five years, a truce between the four families has held strong, but could the disappearance of Maddie Crow be the thing to break it?
"My favourite new urban fantasy series, clever and twisty and deliciously magical, with a shivery sense of wonder that feels utterly grounded in its London setting. Perfect for fans of Ben Aaronovitch, Genevieve Cogman or Robert Galbraith!" STEPHANIE BURGIS, AUTHOR OF MASKS AND SHADOWS
Munro House is the new start Stella needs. But it will also draw her back to a dark past...
Devastated by a broken engagement, Stella Jackson leaves her old life behind for a new start in rural Scotland. But when she arrives in the remote coastal village of Arisaig, nothing is what she expected.
At the edge of Arisaig sits Munro House; grand, imposing and said to be cursed by a string of tragic deaths. No less intriguing is its eccentric and handsome young owner, Jamie Munro, who hires Stella as his assistant while he pursues a seemingly impossible aim. Working through the great house's archives, Stella soon finds herself drawn in by a cache of increasingly erratic letters from a young Victorian woman about her husband, Dr James Lockhart, a man whose single-minded ambition has strange parallels with Jamie's.
Just as Stella begins developing feelings for Jamie, she discovers that the connection between the Lockharts and the Munros could have sinister repercussions for them both. She's finally found the life she wants to live - but is it all an illusion?
