"An artful, gothic-tinged mystery...an intoxicating air of melancholy and foreboding throughout...It’s an immersive, chilling treat for suspense fans." — Publishers Weekly
"Emily Critchley has written a gripping gothic mystery that evokes the elegance of Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby." — Sulari Gentill, USA Today bestselling author of The Woman in the Library
"From the moment I picked up The Undoing of Violet Claybourne and sank into its deliciously horrible atmosphere of decadent dread, I couldn't put it down. Dark, chilling and tightly plotted, this is the perfect read for a winter's night." — Sarah Clegg, author of Woman’s Lore
"With shades of Sarah Waters and The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox, this is a riveting story about sisters, secrets and the lengths people will go to fit in with others. I raced through it because I struggled to put it down!" — Caroline Bishop, author of The Lost Chapter and The Other Daughter
"The Undoing of Violet Claybourne is gothic fiction at its darkest and finest. ‘Beware!’ The reader wants to shout the warning to the girl of modest means who becomes enthralled with the wealthy and privileged sisters that will turn her world upside down, who take until there’s nothing left, and who inhabit a world where both injustice and justice are brutal and swift. Fans of Shirley Jackson will find this novel mesmerizing." — Erika Robuck, National bestselling author of The Last Twelve Miles and The Invisible Woman
"A moving tale of class, duplicity and the irreversible consequences of betraying a friendship. I devoured this wonderful book." — Jo Leevers, author of Tell Me How This Ends
"This sprawling atmospheric mystery follows Gillian Larking and the enigmatic Claybourne sisters at their prestigious estate where on the surface everything is prim and proper but underneath simmers long-standing secrets and the darkest of undertones—part gothic mystery, part psychological suspense, The Undoing of Violet Claybourne will settle deep into your bones and stay there long after the last page." — Ashley Tate, bestselling author of Twenty-Seven Minutes
"In a story reminiscent of Atonement, Emily Critchley's The Undoing of Violet Claybourne is as moving as it is gripping. It's a tale of agency, regret, and heart-deep betrayal. It absolutely wrecked me. I loved it!" — Chelsea Iversen, author of The Witches at the End of the World
"A fabulously unsettling tale, The Undoing of Violet Claybourne is a Gothic saga sweeping across themes of class, privilege, intergenerational trauma, and the post-war friction of high society facing a different world. Satisfying, harrowing, ending with a delicious sting in the tale, this is the perfect companion as the nights draw in." — Kate Collins, author of A Good House for Children
"Emily Critchley is a master of the unexpected. The gasp out loud moments, the twists and turns in The Undoing of Violet Claybourne captivated me to the very end." — Jill Johnson, author of The Woman in the Garden
"Enthralling...a sweeping gothic saga...combines elements of literary fiction, gothic thriller, and historical fiction with unexpected chilling thrills and betrayals along the way. It’s an imaginative, singular story." — Library Journal, STARRED review
"A powerful, thought-provoking, heart-wrenching message about belonging, choices, lies, guilt, and family secrets. A riveting must-read." — Booklist, STARRED review
"A gripping read. The prologue sets the tone nicely, and the reader feels the suspense climb. The Claybourne family harbors many secrets, all of which produce a neatly constructed conclusion when the story moves back to the modern day. With echoes of the novel Atonement, Critchley does an excellent job of portraying an upper-class English family’s decaying grandeur. This is a solid page-turner. I flew through the pages." — Historical Novel Society
"An expertly written, engaging narrative, a journey into that place and time in the 20th century and the psychology of social pressure that is well worth taking, a tale that will resonate long after the final page has been turned." — The New York Journal of Books
★ 01/31/2025
Critchley's (One Puzzling Afternoon) enthralling, bleak novel is a sweeping gothic saga that packs a punch of family trauma. Naive Gillian Larkin and quirky Violet Claybourne meet at boarding school in 1938 and swiftly form a friendship. When Violet invites Gillian to her family home, Thornleigh Hall, to spend the holidays, Gillian is delighted to experience an upper-class family's Christmas. Violet is innocently imaginative, but her sisters are calculated socialites seasoned in tactics for easily manipulating situations to their favor. Seeking the older Claybourne sisters' approval, Gillian is persuaded to gaslight Violet, her dearest friend, in tragic ways. This dark and violent tale combines elements of literary fiction, gothic thriller, and historical fiction with unexpected chilling thrills and betrayals along the way. It's an imaginative, singular story with devastating circumstances as characters attempt to dig themselves out of the ramifications for unforgivable acts. VERDICT Readers will not be disappointed as they follow Gillian's nail-biting experience with the Claybourne sisters, questioning choices that lead to a guttural, gobsmacking, and unforgettable ending.—Sarah-Ruth Tasko
This is the ideal audiobook for those who enjoy literate, dark family dramas with a gothic vibe. The crisp, posh English voice of Nathalie Buscombe introduces a quartet of young women whose lives are ruined by a freak shooting accident and the destructive aftermath that follows. Lonely, middle-class Gillian longs to be a part of the social elite, who are represented by the Claybourne family. The novel explores misguided ambition, snobbery, manipulation, and betrayal. Buscombe gives Emmeline, the glamorous, arrogant oldest Claybourne sister, a cold, authoritative voice. Youngest sister Violet sounds skittish and excitable. While the story is driven by events in 1938, it concludes 60 years later. The steadying voice of Buscombe leads listeners through the psychological turmoil. D.L.G. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2025, Portland, Maine
