Elizabeth Walter | Let A Sleeping Witch Lie

9781781727799

01/10/24

PB

256 pages

Edited by Nick Freeman

Books Council of Wales Book of the Month October 2024

“A fascinating and compelling blend of crime fiction, gothic terror and horror, with twists in the tale that whip round and catch you at the last moment. Sublime!” – Katherine Stansfield

‘Old ways die hard on the Welsh border…’

In these haunting tales, nothing is as it seems. A tormented voice calls from the barred windows of an empty room. A dusty museum exhibit possesses sinister powers. A glass of blackberry wine links the living with the sins of the dead.

Between 1965 and 1975, Elizabeth Walter published five collections of supernatural stories. But whilst the names of her contemporaries such as Robert Aickman are now widely recognised, Walter is relatively unknown to modern readers. Mixing folklore, history, and ancient traditions, these gothic stories draw on Walter’s Welsh heritage and the rich inspiration of South Wales and the border country.

Including the mysterious ritual of ‘The Sin-Eater’, the folk horror of ‘Dead Woman’ and the poignant ‘Come and Get Me’, Let a Sleeping Witch Lie is the perfect way to rediscover Elizabeth Walter’s chillingly remarkable talent.