The Short Straw

'An outstanding thriller. Just make sure you read it with ALL the lights on.' Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'All the wows!!!' Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

One sister went out into the dark for help. Will she come back?

Returning from a difficult visit to their father, three sisters find themselves lost in a storm. Together, they seek safety in an abandoned manor house, a place where they spent a troubled childhood clinging to each other for support, before one day fleeing with their parents in the dead of night.

As the storm intensifies, the sisters draw straws to decide who should go outside to get help. But as they separate, they realise they might not be alone. . . Why did the family leave so suddenly all those years ago? Who else is hiding in the house? And will the sisters survive the night?

Read what everyone is saying about The Short Straw:

'An intensely readable and gripping page-turner. By turns tense, shocking and moving, and with an atmosphere you could cut with a knife' ALEX MICHAELIDES

'An addictive read that takes place over one unforgettable night where one family's secrets rise to the surface - Patricia Highsmith meets Shirley Jackson' GILLIAN MCALLISTER

'Deliciously creepy, and a fascinating study of the complex, often toxic, relationships within families' SHARON BOLTON

'Utterly gripping and unputdownable' JANE FALLON

'Having three sisters, I could relate to the sibling dynamics . . . It's twisty, gothic, and with a heartbreakingly shocking reveal' LISA HALL

'Holly creates such exquisite tension that you really can't put her books down . . . I felt the sense of place, the weather, the cold in that house in my bones' EMMA CURTIS

'Gripping, creepy and drenched in atmosphere' CATHERINE RYAN HOWARD

'This irresistible slow-burn thriller is as much a study of family dynamics as it is a creepy & suspense-filled spine-tingler' FIONA CUMMINS


Genre: Mystery

"Deliciously creepy, and a fascinating study of the complex, often toxic, relationships within families." - Sharon Bolton

"Three sisters find themselves stranded at the gothic manor house that dominated their troubled childhoods. This irresistible slow-burn thriller is as much a study of family dynamics as it is a creepy & suspense-filled spine-tingler." - Fiona Cummins

"Holly creates such exquisite tension that you really can't put her books down . . . I felt the sense of place, the weather, the cold in that house in my bones." - Emma Curtis

"Utterly gripping and unputdownable." - Jane Fallon

"A spectacularly dark, eerie, and haunting mystery. Should come with a 'do not read before bed' warning as you'll be spooked long after you finish turning the pages." - Sophie Flynn

"A highly enjoyable, many-layered mystery with a masterfully handled sense of foreboding...Ending was by turns terrifying, suspenseful, and heart-breaking." - Melanie Golding

"Having three sisters, I could relate to the sibling dynamics . . . It's twisty, gothic, and with a heartbreakingly shocking reveal." - Lisa Hall

"Gripping, creepy and drenched in atmosphere." - Catherine Ryan Howard

"An addictive read that takes place over one unforgettable night where one family's secrets rise to the surface - Patricia Highsmith meets Shirley Jackson." - Gillian McAllister

"The Short Straw is an intensely readable and gripping page turner. By turns tense, shocking and moving, and with an atmosphere you could cut with a knife." - Alex Michaelides

"Dark and twisty, The Short Straw is a slow burn thriller that will prey on your most primal fears." - Laure Van Rensburg