By Alison Littlewood

Jo Fletcher Books, out now.

A story of murder, mystery, magic and deceit.

Mistletoe is the latest offering from Alison Littlewood – a deeply emotive ghost story set in rural Yorkshire, and I think it might be her best yet.

Grieving after the loss of her husband and son and eager to be in memory-free surroundings by rapidly approaching Christmas, Leah buys and moves into Maitland Farm, a rundown property in Yorkshire. She’s keen to bury herself in the work of restoring the property – a farm she surmises once belonged to her family – and so she sets to work; only to find her dreams beset by characters from a bygone age that seem to tell of something terrible having happened here, something that’s blighted the land and earned the farm a poor reputation locally.

Befriended by her nearest neighbours, Leah tries to ignore the signs that something’s wrong, tries to move on – but Maitland Farm has other ideas.

As always, the author vividly depicts the landscape of this novel and populates it with characters that speak to the heart – and setting a story of loss at what is normally a time for families to come together and celebrate only serves to accentuate Leah’s loneliness; her desperation to move past her overwhelming grief. As reality and her dreams (or are they?) become intertwined, Leah must struggle to retain her sense of self and lay what ghosts are here to rest. Before she finds herself as lost as her beloved family.

Verdict: A haunting tale of love, loss and betrayal. Highly recommended. 9/10

Marie O’Regan

Click here to order from Amazon.co.uk