The Lantern House

The Lantern House by Rowan Harrow On the edge of the Northumberland marshes stands Lantern House, a place where silence lingers and the past refuses to let go. Present day. Archivist Clara inherits the crumbling estate of her estranged aunt. Among the soot-stained journals and locked cabinets, she uncovers accounts of strange lantern processions crossing the marsh at night — and a boy who vanished during the wartime blackouts. The deeper Clara reads, the more she realises the house is not empty. It is waiting. 1940s. Young Margaret grows up under blackout curtains and whispered rules. Her friend Peter is last seen carrying a lantern into the fog, and the village closes its doors against the truth. Margaret learns that light can keep you safe — but only if you never step beyond the wall. As Clara and Margaret's stories converge across time, Lantern House begins to stir with footsteps, whistles, and the marks of soot on its doors. To uncover what happened to Peter — and what the house demands still — Clara must decide how much of herself she is willing to surrender to memory, to silence, and to the light. The Lantern House is an atmospheric gothic mystery of family secrets, haunting landscapes, and the rules we keep to survive. Perfect for readers of Laura Purcell, Shirley Jackson, and Sarah Waters.