The Night Book

Secrets That Sleep by Day and Haunt by Night

Set against the eerie backdrop of England’s Lake District, The Night Book by Richard Madeley is a haunting psychological thriller where passion, deception, and danger ripple beneath the surface of a quiet community. The year is 1976, the summer is stifling, and the fells are parched and crackling with tension. In the secluded village of Trepasson, a seemingly perfect couple — journalist Tom and his alluring wife, Rowena — live a privileged life in an idyllic manor overlooking the lake. But perfection is rarely what it seems, and as the temperature rises, so too do the secrets long buried in the shadows.

One Summer, One Affair, One Dangerous Game

Rowena, elegant and charismatic, is hiding more than just a past — she’s nurturing desires that could unravel everything. When Tom uncovers a mysterious journal filled with disturbing entries, he finds himself caught in a chilling web of half-truths, obsession, and betrayal. As paranoia grows and the past reemerges with a vengeance, the line between truth and fiction blurs. Each entry in the journal — dubbed the "Night Book" — hints at a reckoning still to come. And as night falls over the fells, what was once a golden summer descends into a darkness from which no one may emerge unchanged.

A Gripping Descent into the Mind’s Shadows

The Night Book is a tense, slow-burning thriller infused with gothic atmosphere and psychological insight. Richard Madeley masterfully captures the intensity of hidden desires and the dangers of ignoring what festers behind closed doors. With its rich setting, layered characters, and sinister undertones, this novel evokes the spirit of classic domestic suspense while delivering a thoroughly modern tale of intrigue. It’s a story where every glance, every silence, and every lie matters — and where the truth is more frightening than any fiction.

Richard Madeley, a British broadcaster and author, brings a sharp observational eye and a journalist’s precision to his fiction. With The Night Book, he crafts a compelling and atmospheric psychological drama that explores the fine line between love and control, trust and illusion.