The Dark Water...
Martha Armstrong has started over – new city, new home, new future.
Yet she’s troubled by her partner, Will’s, obsession with the paranormal and an unwelcome face from her past. Troubles which threaten the happiness she thought she had found.
Her friend Gabriel McKenzie, a psychic medium, is troubled too –
disturbed by ghosts he suddenly cannot see and haunted by one he can’t escape. Who is the strange intruder that leaves him mysterious messages in his apartment and watches him sleep at night?
So when a desperate call for help comes from Gabriel, Martha and Will make a decision to help him – a decision that takes them north, to the bleak Highland beauty of Dubhglas Castle and its lake, where mysterious occurrences are terrifying the staff. Could they be connected to Gabriel’s nocturnal visitor and, worse still, to the powerful spirit of the brutal Jack Ball?
Together, they uncover the secret that shattered Gabriel’s family and split
a young couple apart, fifty years before.
Is it always best to uncover the past, or are some secrets best left lying in the Dark Water?
Yet she’s troubled by her partner, Will’s, obsession with the paranormal and an unwelcome face from her past. Troubles which threaten the happiness she thought she had found.
Her friend Gabriel McKenzie, a psychic medium, is troubled too –
disturbed by ghosts he suddenly cannot see and haunted by one he can’t escape. Who is the strange intruder that leaves him mysterious messages in his apartment and watches him sleep at night?
So when a desperate call for help comes from Gabriel, Martha and Will make a decision to help him – a decision that takes them north, to the bleak Highland beauty of Dubhglas Castle and its lake, where mysterious occurrences are terrifying the staff. Could they be connected to Gabriel’s nocturnal visitor and, worse still, to the powerful spirit of the brutal Jack Ball?
Together, they uncover the secret that shattered Gabriel’s family and split
a young couple apart, fifty years before.
Is it always best to uncover the past, or are some secrets best left lying in the Dark Water?
April 14th, 2013
The Dark Water has reached No. 10 in the Tesco Book Chart within a week of its paperback release!
April 1st, 2013 - The Dark Water is out in paperback
There's no fooling about it - The Dark Water is now available in paperback!
The Dark Water coming soon in paperback...
This spring, in fact - here's a look at the new cover...
"Fast becoming one of my absolute favourite authors..."
Lisa Doyle-Redmond, Book blogger
'Brilliant', says the Irish Independent...Saturday, October 27th 2012
"Halloween -- a time of rustling sounds and diminishing daylight -- is the perfect time for Helen Moorhouse's second riveting ghost story to appear.
The Dark Water brings a welcome return of great characters from The Dead Summer, Moorhouse's spooky first novel.
Martha, has already survived a terrifying haunting with baby Ruby, thanks to the intervention of best friend Sue, who brought ghost-hunters Will and Gabriel to the rescue.
Now, Martha and Will are living together with little Ruby who has become an adorable toddler. Sue is still having no luck with men and Gabriel is working for a TV series about ghosts. But, there is trouble for the protagonists from it's spine-chilling first page. Gabriel has lost his gift of talking to ghosts and on top of that, he is being haunted.
With shattered nerves, he turns to his friends and their quest brings them to a draughty old castle in Scotland, where Gabriel spent his childhood summers.
There, an earlier story plays out concerning a miscarriage of justice. The castle was once owned by "Uncle Jack", a gangland crony of the Kray Twins, who died in suspicious circumstances along with Gabriel's little brother. But his malevolent presence seems to have returned, along with another couple of ghosts.
To make matters worse, Ruby's errant father arrives on the scene bringing his own form of evil and throwing Martha and her relationship with Will into chaos.
Once again, it is little Ruby who is targeted by the unseen force and in a showdown even more terrifying than The Dead Summer, Martha confronts the diabolical presence and once more helps to put the past to rest.
Sales of horror and ghost stories have seen a growth of over 31pc in Ireland during 2012 -- a year when Bram Stoker's centenary is being celebrated. (The Bram Stoker Halloween horror festival takes place 27-28 October).
Originally from Laois, and now living in Dublin, Moorhouse worked behind the scenes in radio for many years. Taking up the Irish baton with her ghost stories will likely boost sales further.
The Dark Water is a suspense-filled horror, so gripping it's impossible to put it down. Brilliant!"
Ann Dunne
Indo Review
Read the review here
The Dark Water brings a welcome return of great characters from The Dead Summer, Moorhouse's spooky first novel.
Martha, has already survived a terrifying haunting with baby Ruby, thanks to the intervention of best friend Sue, who brought ghost-hunters Will and Gabriel to the rescue.
Now, Martha and Will are living together with little Ruby who has become an adorable toddler. Sue is still having no luck with men and Gabriel is working for a TV series about ghosts. But, there is trouble for the protagonists from it's spine-chilling first page. Gabriel has lost his gift of talking to ghosts and on top of that, he is being haunted.
With shattered nerves, he turns to his friends and their quest brings them to a draughty old castle in Scotland, where Gabriel spent his childhood summers.
There, an earlier story plays out concerning a miscarriage of justice. The castle was once owned by "Uncle Jack", a gangland crony of the Kray Twins, who died in suspicious circumstances along with Gabriel's little brother. But his malevolent presence seems to have returned, along with another couple of ghosts.
To make matters worse, Ruby's errant father arrives on the scene bringing his own form of evil and throwing Martha and her relationship with Will into chaos.
Once again, it is little Ruby who is targeted by the unseen force and in a showdown even more terrifying than The Dead Summer, Martha confronts the diabolical presence and once more helps to put the past to rest.
Sales of horror and ghost stories have seen a growth of over 31pc in Ireland during 2012 -- a year when Bram Stoker's centenary is being celebrated. (The Bram Stoker Halloween horror festival takes place 27-28 October).
Originally from Laois, and now living in Dublin, Moorhouse worked behind the scenes in radio for many years. Taking up the Irish baton with her ghost stories will likely boost sales further.
The Dark Water is a suspense-filled horror, so gripping it's impossible to put it down. Brilliant!"
Ann Dunne
Indo Review
Read the review here
It's here!
Released September 26th 2012 - The Dark Water has arrived - available at all good bookshops and on ebook.
It starts like this....
"Silently, the intruder slipped into the apartment and stayed a while in the hallway, listening, contemplating his next move."
It starts like this....
"Silently, the intruder slipped into the apartment and stayed a while in the hallway, listening, contemplating his next move."
A little dark reading...
Editing is almost complete, all of the marketing is getting into shape and we're off to the printers soon!
It's official, The Dark Water is coming this autumn...
It's official, The Dark Water is coming this autumn...
The Dark Water
A sneak preview.....
"Another gust of wind lashing the raindrops against the window roused her from her thoughts and she shuddered. Best get going then. She also disliked being in the office alone late in the evening, once it had grown dark. She hurriedly opened the office door, pulling it shut behind her and locking it before hurtling down the dark stairs with its blown bulb. The offices overhead were vacant in the old and badly-kept building and the sounds of wood settling, the creaks and groans of the old structure reminded Martha too much of past experiences to stay around for long in the dark.
She turned right and made her way toward the castle. Her destination was a small coffee and cake shop hidden down one of the closes off the Royal Mile. She intended picking up a cheesecake, Will's favourite, and then making a run for it for the nearest taxi rank - she had no intention now of walking home in this weather. A gust of wind slowed her progress and she battled against it, holding tight to her hat and the strap of the backpack for ballast. She stepped closer to the buildings on her right as she approached the tiny archway entrance with its steps down to the cobbled close which was her destination.
The archway provided shelter for a moment and she held tight to the metal railings, knowing that the ancient steps were uneven and slippery. The wind howled down the Royal Mile behind her and her back was pelted with heavy rain. She knew she mustn't slip....
...So intent was Martha on staying upright and safe that she didn't see the figure step out in front of her as she reached the bottom step and stop dead there, waiting for her to notice. Even if she wanted to, by the time she looked up and registered the black shadow in the darkness of the archway, she couldn't have turned to run because it had reached out an arm and grabbed hers tightly in a vicelike grip. As Martha felt the fingers close around her, a chill ran through her entire body, her mind growing blank with a fear overload and she screamed, unconsciously, as loudly as she could...."
Available in paperback and for Kindle on Amazon
