BOOK REVIEW: The Coffin Path by Katherine Clements

Maybe you've heard the tales about Scarcross Hall, the house on the old coffin path that winds from village to moor top. They say there's something up there, something evil.
Mercy Booth isn't frightened. The moors and Scarcross are her home and her life blood. But, beneath her certainty, small things are beginning to trouble her.
Three ancient coins missing from her father's study, the shadowy figure out by the gatepost, an unshakeable sense that someone is watching.
When a stranger appears seeking work, Mercy reluctantly takes him in. As their stories entwine, this man will change everything. She just can't see it yet.

Publisher: Headline

Pages: 372

The Coffin Path by Katherine Clements is an eerie read, perfect for curling up with on a dark Winter night. Set in the seventeenth century, the book follows Mercy and her father Bartram Booth who live in the isolated Scarcross Hall. They live a very solitary life on the moors tending to their sheep with some local shepherds to help. They don't get many visitors as there are many stories about Scarcross Hall. Many say the house is cursed after the previous family met a tragic end.
Mercy is already unsettled when Ellis Ferreby arrives at Scarcross Hall looking for work. He is a rather mysterious figure who seems drawn to Mercy. The two spend time together looking after the sheep and Mercy has someone to confide in about the strange events she has witnessed, mysterious animal deaths, her father's gold coins being taken and shadowy figures spotted lurking near the hall. Katherine Clements writes beautiful descriptions within this story, you quickly gain a sense of the isolation and desolation of Mercy's situation. I felt that in many ways she
was very sheltered living at Scarcross Hall yet she is particularly feisty and brave. Mercy is fully prepared to face whatever is coming her way- no matter how scared she is.
The Coffin Path is spooky and engaging, I felt as though the whole story was building towards a big reveal; I wanted Mercy to get to the truth and find out why Ellis was really at Scarcross Hall. If you like a good gothic tale then I would recommend The Coffin Path.

Many thanks to Headline for sending me a copy of this book to review, it is out now!