Published By: Harvill
Pages: 400
Released On: 09/07/2026
Centuries of tradition are coming to an end at St Cordula’s school. Deputy Head, Fiona Fox, is about to preside over a controversial move to save it from ruin. But it’s not easy to change things at a school this old.
Legend has it that the ghost of fifteenth-century nun, Sister Matilda, will keep St Cordula’s safe. But only as long as the words ‘GOD FORGIVE ME’, scrawled by Matilda on a chapel staircase wall before she fell to her death, are repainted every year. The words have only been allowed to fade once, in 2002. But then, fits of vertigo spread through the pupils, and a second girl fell to her death on the night stairs. Only three people know the truth of what happened on the night of the tragedy.
Now the vertigo is back, and Fiona must stem the outbreak before it threatens St Cordula’s future, or worse, another girl loses her life. But when one of her pupils begins a dangerous investigation into the past, old secrets start to twist into new scandals…
*****
Thanks to NetGalley and Harvill for the advanced copy of this title in return for an honest review.
I’ve only read one Erin Kelly book – He Said She Said – but I do own others, and this sounded really promising.
The book I have read of hers was a thriller and whilst this is too in a way, and I do know it’s set in modern times, it felt more historical and gothic. This ancient feeling like you were being led into this sacred historical age. It was completely different to what I was expecting.
You need your wits about you. It flits, not only between times, but also by character POV. So you’ve really got to keep on top of it otherwise you won’t know when you are and who with.
It’s a story that is about 95% female led, which was interesting. Most fiction books will have more of an even split, but being set in a single-sex school, this was obviously very heavy on females. There are a lot of characters and they could have easily merged together but they’re very distinct. You can see so many familiar things in these girls and women, they all have relatable parts and that helps draw you in.
I’ve seen some complaints about the LGBTQ representation in this book, in very negative terms, by LGBTQ readers. Now, I will say right now that I will not belittle any of their opinions. But as a cis-gendered, heterosexual reader, the problems were not as obvious for me as they might have been for others. Having said that, I did feel some of the relationships between the girls were forced. They could have worked but they felt stereotypical and not really needed. For me, it didn’t impact on my enjoyment of the story but I can completely understand why it might do for others.
The characters – children and teachers – were interesting to read. They’re not all goodies or baddies – although some definitely lean more into one than the other. None of them are perfect by any means. And some are more likeable and nicer to read about. But I felt there were elements in all of them that most, female, readers could recognise, especially if you have experience in boarding schools of religious education.
I think it needs a detailed map, that would make the setting a bit easier to follow.
I’m not sure how I feel about the tone. It is a thriller, yes, but it feels like a gothic, historical one. There’s flashbacks but only to the late 1990s/early 2000s, and that’s not historical in my books. The setting, the dialogue, the characters, everything felt old. It was so historical and archaic and I loved that but then there were mobile phones, and it jarred. It never comfortably fit into one tone or another for me.
There is a twist, but I’d read about it before I got to it, so I can’t say 100% whether it’s obvious or not because I already know about it. But on reflection, I don’t think it’s an obvious one. I was certainly quite surprised by it, but I wish it had come in a bit earlier.
This is only my second of her books but I do own others and she is definitely an interesting author for slightly unique thrillers, even if this one wasn’t quite as heart racing or tense as I was hoping.
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