Paperback: 288pp
Published: Lightning (September 2024)
ISBN: 9781785633775
Don’t open the box, warned the old man.
But Charlie can’t help himself...
‘Gripped me with an icy finger from the very first page’
Catherine Bruton
Fourteen-year-old London schoolboy Charlie has been looking forward to playing football with his mates in the Christmas holidays. Instead he is packed off to the wilds of the East Anglian coast to stay with an uncle he barely knows.
It's going to be a tough week. Uncle Patrick’s ramshackle house doesn’t have wi-fi, his daughter Ariel seems determined to be vile – and who are the mysterious children laughing after dark in the empty bedroom next to Charlie’s?
When Charlie finds an ancient brass box buried on the beach, he unleashes a chilling sequence of events. At least these bring him and his grumpy cousin together, as the pair battle to solve the mystery of the ‘box of souls’ and re-capture the violent ghostly presence wreaking havoc around the town.
A stirring spine-chiller, Ghost Tide is a spooky, unforgettable tale of restless spirits and youthful heroism.
Charlie pressed himself deeper into the shadows, pulling the brass box from his pocket and examining it once more. What if it really was valuable? Could he sell it and keep the money? He didn’t see why not. He’d found it fair and square.
All of a sudden, someone seized him by the wrist and demanded: ‘Where did you get that?’
Charlie gasped and looked up to see an old man holding him in a grip of surprising strength. His bright eyes blazed with a fierce intensity and it took Charlie a moment to realise that he must have been lurking nearby all along, obscured by the gloom of the shop. His hair was white and close-cropped while the beard beneath curled thickly about his cheeks and chin. His overcoat was expensive and he wore an immaculate red silk tie and white shirt. The whole effect was as if some sort of sinister Santa Claus had materialised from among the bric-à-brac.
‘Get off me or I’ll call the police,’ Charlie stammered.
Charlie pressed himself deeper into the shadows, pulling the brass box from his pocket and examining it once more. What if it really was valuable? Could he sell it and keep the money? He didn’t see why not. He’d found it fair and square.
All of a sudden, someone seized him by the wrist and demanded: ‘Where did you get that?’
Charlie gasped and looked up to see an old man holding him in a grip of surprising strength. His bright eyes blazed with a fierce intensity and it took Charlie a moment to realise that he must have been lurking nearby all along, obscured by the gloom of the shop. His hair was white and close-cropped while the beard beneath curled thickly about his cheeks and chin. His overcoat was expensive and he wore an immaculate red silk tie and white shirt. The whole effect was as if some sort of sinister Santa Claus had materialised from among the bric-à-brac.
‘Get off me or I’ll call the police,’ Charlie stammered.
The man blinked twice and released his grip.
‘Forgive me. I was forgetting myself.’ The voice was well-mannered and apologetic. ‘I did not mean to alarm you.’
Charlie took a pace back.
‘Tell me, young man, where did you get that box?’
‘I found it on the beach.’
The man looked Charlie up and down as if trying to decide whether he was telling the truth.
‘When did you find it?’
‘Yesterday. Buried in the sand. I didn’t steal it, if that’s what you’re thinking.’
The man seemed satisfied. ‘Oh, I’m sure you’re an honest lad. But listen.’ He leaned forward so close that Charlie could see the individual hairs in his beard. ‘If you have any sense, you’ll take this box out of this shop right now and throw it back into the sea where it belongs. Drown it. Deep water, mind you. The deepest you can find. And then forget all about it.’
‘Why?’
‘Because that box is dangerous. Extremely dangerous.’
The man stared at him intently, as if forcing his words into Charlie’s brain, then threw up his hands, palms outstretched. ‘But it’s up to you. You found it. It’s yours now. But remember this, young man: they call them the ghost tides round here. Big winter storms that unearth things that were buried long ago. Things that are best left undisturbed.’
‘I love, love, loved Jim Cockin’s spookily spellbinding gothic ghost story, which gripped me with an icy finger from the very first page and left me pale and breathless by the last. Perfect for fans of Penelope Lively and Malamander. A spectacular debut!’
Catherine Bruton
‘I was with Charlie every step of the way on this action-packed emotional rollercoaster of an adventure story. It grabs you from the first page and transports you to an exhilarating world of buried treasure, evil skulduggery and breathtaking discoveries’
Anne-Marie Conway
‘A gripping, thrilling and cosy read’
Phil Hickes, author of the Aveline Jones series
‘Bum-clenchingly exciting. I loved it’
Jules Button, Suffolk Sound
‘A really good read’
Brenner Woolley, BBC Radio Suffolk
‘The perfect book to give you the chills – a spooky story that’s just the right amount of scary for us kids’
‘From creepy laughs in empty bedrooms to buried secrets and unexpected alliances, this book will have you hooked till the last page’
‘Spine-tinglingly spooky. Atmospheric writing keeps the reader on the edge of their seat as the tension mounts. A compelling, chilling read’
‘A strikingly spine-chilling, mesmerising ghostly tale, guaranteed to bring shivers of delight and fright to young readers of 9+. I absolutely loved the coastal, wintery setting, the perfectly gauged building of tension, the ever-increasing danger as the children become more isolated and the revelation of secrets that made this a real page-turner’
‘Full of legend and history, the deliciously creepy Ghost Tide pulls readers into the overpowering swell of angry spirits and the heartbreak of losing someone you love. Not for the faint-hearted, it’s a fantastic addition to the current collection of middle grade ghost stories and will be a great read in the darker autumn months’
‘A story with ramshackle houses, mysterious children, restless spirits and heroic kids. A gorgeously gothic and spine-chilling spooktacular read’
‘A superbly atmospheric and creepy ghost story set on the Suffolk coast. The tension builds relentlessly throughout the book. Perfect for the Year 6 bookshelf. Highly recommended for fans of Aveline Jones’
Jon Biddle, Reading for Pleasure
‘This is a brilliant story. You will find yourself completely immersed. I couldn’t stop reading and lost several happy hours one dark and chilly evening’
Eerie new ghost story chooses Suffolk for spooky setting. The East Anglian Daily Times celebrates the publication of Ghost Tide.