The Hounding A Novel

In the sleepy village of Little Nettlebed in the 18th century, life appears quiet at first glance—but beneath the surface, something darker is simmering. The men are marked by violence and spend most of their time at the alehouse, while on the fringes of society lives the old farmer Mansfield with his five granddaughters. The girls lost their parents and grandmother at a young age and grow up in isolation. When strange and unsettling events begin to disturb the village—dead fish washing up on the riverbank, chickens brutally torn apart—the Mansfield sisters quickly become the focus of suspicion. The ferryman, Pete Darlington in particular, fuels the rumors, claiming that the girls can transform themselves into wild dogs. But what is really behind these incidents? Are the sisters truly a threat, or are they simply shy, withdrawn young women who have been turned into scapegoats by a fearful and ruthless community?