Small Fires: This year's most unsettling, hypnotic contemporary gothic thriller (Paperback) - Ronnie Turner

Suspected of murdering their parents, sisters Lily and Della flee to a strange, unnamed island in Scotland, and their arrival puts in motion a horrifying series of events...

Suspected of murdering their parents, sisters Lily and Della flee to a strange, unnamed island in Scotland, and their arrival puts in motion a horrifying series of events... Literary suspense meets folk horror in 2025's most original, mesmerising modern gothic masterpiece...

'A deeply unsettling and thought-provoking tale of survival and storytelling, mixing elements of gothic and folk horror with literary suspense. Beautifully woven and eerily atmospheric' Anna Mazzola

'Rarely will you meet a story as unsettling, nor one as bewitchingly told. With its roots snaking into folk horror, Small Fires plays with the contemporary gothic vibe reminiscent of Midsommar and The Wicker Man ... I challenge you to pick it up and when you do, to put it down' Janice Hallett

'Ronnie Turner has a way of weaving words into a spell - the darkest of spells. Mesmerising, sinister ... this modern folklore gothic will chill you to the bone' Essie Fox

'Crackles with menace and authenticity. Kept me up late and crept into my dreams' Sarah Hilary

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Evil runs through this cursed island
And these wicked sisters are about to make it burn...

When sisters Lily and Della Pedley are persecuted for the shocking murder of their parents, they flee from their home in Cornwall to a remote and unnamed island in Scotland - an island known for its strange happenings, but far away from the whispers and prying eyes of strangers.

Lily is terrified of what her sister will might do next, and she soon realises that they have arrived at a place where nothing is as it seems. A bitterness runs through the land like poison, and the stories told by the islanders seem to be far more than folklore.

Della settles in too easily, the island folk drawn to her strangeness, but Lily is plagued by odd and unsettling dreams, and as an annual festival draws nigh, she discovers that she has far more to fear than she could ever have imagined. Or does she...?

Chilling, atmospheric and utterly hypnotic, Small Fires is a contemporary gothic novel that examines possession, generational trauma, female rage, and the perilous bonds of family - an unsettling reminder that the stories we tell can be deadly...

Midsommar meets Midnight Mass in a folk horror, modern gothic masterpiece.

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'Clever, dark, and visceral ... a vivid tale that will stay with me for a very long time' Jo Jakeman

'A story that grips you by the throat, and slowly unravels. Haunting and lyrical, Turner weaves folklore and myth through the pages like a poisonous ribbon. A book that will linger, long after you finish reading' Rachel Greenlaw

'A furious female folk horror with a brilliant twist ... terrifyingly dark' Emily Barr

'A twisted, creepy and unsettling gothic tale set in one of the most sinister places I've ever encountered. I absolutely loved it' Roz Watkins


Praise for Ronnie Turner's So Pretty

'Like Stephen King on crack ... the most accomplished book I've read this year. Dark, gothic as hell, and genuinely scary' M W Craven

'Beautifully written and a real page-turner' C J Cooke

'Dark, lyrical and intriguing' Fiona Cummins

'Eerily atmospheric, with brilliant characterisation ... really gets under your skin' Culturefly

'An utterly chilling psychological horror of modern-day witchcraft, possession, murder and madness' Essie Fox

'Compelling and dark - draws you in from the very first page' Heather Darwent

'Twisted, toxic and deeply dark, this gives off Needful Things vibes - and that ending is just *perfect*' Lisa Hall

'This book sucks you in from the first spine-tingling chapter and weaves a dark, twisted and compelling sense of foreboding' Claire Allan

About the Author

Ronnie Turner grew up in Cornwall, the youngest in a large family. At an early age, she discovered a love of literature and dreamed of being a published author. Ronnie now lives in Dorset with her family and three dogs. In her spare time, she reviews books on her blog and enjoys long walks on the coast. Ronnie is a Waterstones Senior Bookseller.