Carl Goodwin

Such an Odd Word to Use

Secrets don't hide, they echo

• Broschiertes Buch

Produktbeschreibung

This unsettling psychological thriller follows Mark as he spirals into a state of paranoia after moving to a secluded house. Constantly feeling watched, he's forced to question what is real. After years on the move, Mark believes he has finally found quiet: a secluded Clerkenwell house, once a music studio, tucked behind Georgian terraces. But small disturbances ripple - a glance held too long; a neighbour who seems to know too much; watchers hovering just out of frame - and a routine planning request appears to trigger a response too coordinated to be chance. Unease becomes vigilance. Guided, unexpectedly, by Lana - the observant child next door whose hand-drawn map records what adults miss - and emboldened by chess moves with hidden meanings, Mark begins to trace faint threads: a misplaced notebook, failing technology, curious Dickensian figures, and a house with a past that resists being archived. In a city of doorbell cameras and polite surveillance, the line between caution and obsession thins. Is he being targeted - or reading patterns into noise? Such an Odd Word to Use is a slow-burn psychological mystery - literary in tone, quietly propulsive - about neighbourliness, urban isolation and the stories we tell to feel safe. A novella for the digital age, where even silence may be scripted. For readers of Jonathan Lethem, Paul Auster, Tana French and Louise Candlish; for fans of Black Mirror and The Capture. 'An atmospheric novella... creating an unsettled feeling that lingers after the final page.' - LoveReading, Indie Books We Love 'Smart slow burn of a London mystery, with lively puzzles and literary heft.' - BookLife Reviews, Editor's Pick

Produktdetails

• Verlag: WHITEFOX PUBLISHING LIMITED
• Seitenzahl: 162
• Erscheinungstermin: 9. Oktober 2025
• Englisch
• Abmessung: 198mm x 129mm x 9mm
• Gewicht: 180g
• ISBN-13: 9781917523622
• ISBN-10: 1917523629
• Artikelnr.: 75433612

Autorenporträt

Carl Goodwin is a London-based author. With a background in data science and strategy, he writes quietly unsettling fiction exploring the intersections of psychology, systems, and the stories we tell ourselves.