Oakendale Abbey: Urban myth? Rural legend? ...or do the dead really walk behind the dusty shuttered windows of the old Abbey? Looming above skeletal trees, the decayed Abbey's immense size makes it a constant presence in the lives of those who live in its shadows. Horrifying legends are passed down from family to family keeping it a constant presence in their lives. Tales speak of ghastly crimes and terrifying visions: a ghostly woman with a bloodied throat peers through the Abbey's broken windows, spectral voices whisper in the shadowed hallways where walls drip with blood, and a recent visitor got as far as the front door of the Abbey... and was never seen again. This is to be Laura's home.Sent to live in the deserted Abbey with her servant, Laura begins to uncover unspeakable secrets which lead her on a terrifying journey of self discovery. Combining the best of 18th century sentimentality with a violently horrifying tale, Carver accentuates terrifying events and grotesque imagery in a manner rare for even the most extreme Gothic writers of her era.Written in 1797 and out of print for almost 200 years, Mrs Carver's classic Gothic novel accentuates horror with a vice like grip. Once it grasps you- it does not let go. What is the secret of the abbey?Those who know are as silent as the grave...