What do you think?
Rate this book
A Haunting at Venus Bay
A home. A disappearance. And a mystery that spans a century...
When Cass leaves London with a fractured heart, she plans to settle in Australia, specifically in the beautiful area of Victoria coastline where she spent so many happy holidays. Yet when she arrives, her house is not quite what she'd envisaged - doing a place up is one challenge, living with things that go bump in the night is quite another.
Years earlier, Minna and her mother have escaped war-torn Europe to join the fairgrounds. There, Minna meets Albert, a man clearly who wants a wife who will also be a full-time worker on the farm near Venus Bay. Albert has no interest in Minna, nor tolerance of her desire to become a writer. When he, and then Minna, both disappear, the mystery of what has happened to them stays buried, seemingly forever...
It will take Cass, and the discovery of a hidden book, to unravel the secrets of a childhood and a marriage, and a story that will also help her live again.
Two women, decades apart, and a house that brings them together.
What readers love about Julie
'Such a wonderful story. Set across two timelines, two hundred years apart - I loved the way things wove together beautifully' ( The Heirloom ) ★★★★★
'Beautifully written...A story which kept me hooked, with mysteries to uncover' ( The Keepsake ) ★★★★★
'A truly delightful story with fastidious attention to detail...the plot twists and redirects expectations in what makes a thrilling read' ( The Secrets of Bridgewater Bay ) ★★★★★
When Cass leaves London with a fractured heart, she plans to settle in Australia, specifically in the beautiful area of Victoria coastline where she spent so many happy holidays. Yet when she arrives, her house is not quite what she'd envisaged - doing a place up is one challenge, living with things that go bump in the night is quite another.
Years earlier, Minna and her mother have escaped war-torn Europe to join the fairgrounds. There, Minna meets Albert, a man clearly who wants a wife who will also be a full-time worker on the farm near Venus Bay. Albert has no interest in Minna, nor tolerance of her desire to become a writer. When he, and then Minna, both disappear, the mystery of what has happened to them stays buried, seemingly forever...
It will take Cass, and the discovery of a hidden book, to unravel the secrets of a childhood and a marriage, and a story that will also help her live again.
Two women, decades apart, and a house that brings them together.
What readers love about Julie
'Such a wonderful story. Set across two timelines, two hundred years apart - I loved the way things wove together beautifully' ( The Heirloom ) ★★★★★
'Beautifully written...A story which kept me hooked, with mysteries to uncover' ( The Keepsake ) ★★★★★
'A truly delightful story with fastidious attention to detail...the plot twists and redirects expectations in what makes a thrilling read' ( The Secrets of Bridgewater Bay ) ★★★★★
- GenresHistorical Fiction
313 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 8, 2026
5 people are currently reading
140 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
January 7, 2026
2025 Cass Shaw has decided that it is time to leave London and her heartbreak of a broken relationship behind and move to Australia, her brother Liam and his family live in Melbourne and she has purchased a house sight unseen on the coast of Victoria, a place that she spent many a holiday in her teenage years, as an interior designer Cass has plans to make this old house into a beautiful beachside home, but when she arrives and spends her first night there Cass is already having second thoughts there are so many strange things happening, but Cass is determined to make this place her home.
1953 Minna Topp and her mother had arrived in Australia from Germany after the war and have been travelling the East Coast of Australia from one fairground to another, when Minna meets wood-chopper Albert Adams she is soon whisked away from her mother and the life she knows to become Albert’s wife on a dairy farm near Venus Bay, it is not long before Minna realises that Albert just wanted a worker for the farm not a true wife and her life is nothing like she expected it to be.
Cass meets the local police officer Josh and they are becoming friends and soon she learns that both Albert and Minna disappeared twenty years apart never to be found and with a strange mirror in the house that seems to have shadows following her and a kewpie doll that moves by itself Cass wants to know more and while clearing the house she finds an exercise book that seems to have Minna’s story in it and the story unfolds.
This is a fabulous duel time story, the characters are fabulous and the setting just right for the atmospheric story, MS. Brooks pulled me into the story from the start and I felt like I was on the coast with all of the characters, no fault of the author but the formatting was terrible, but I loved the story and I do highly recommend this one.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my copy to read and review.
1953 Minna Topp and her mother had arrived in Australia from Germany after the war and have been travelling the East Coast of Australia from one fairground to another, when Minna meets wood-chopper Albert Adams she is soon whisked away from her mother and the life she knows to become Albert’s wife on a dairy farm near Venus Bay, it is not long before Minna realises that Albert just wanted a worker for the farm not a true wife and her life is nothing like she expected it to be.
Cass meets the local police officer Josh and they are becoming friends and soon she learns that both Albert and Minna disappeared twenty years apart never to be found and with a strange mirror in the house that seems to have shadows following her and a kewpie doll that moves by itself Cass wants to know more and while clearing the house she finds an exercise book that seems to have Minna’s story in it and the story unfolds.
This is a fabulous duel time story, the characters are fabulous and the setting just right for the atmospheric story, MS. Brooks pulled me into the story from the start and I felt like I was on the coast with all of the characters, no fault of the author but the formatting was terrible, but I loved the story and I do highly recommend this one.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my copy to read and review.
January 17, 2026
I received a free copy of, A Haunting at Venus Bay, by Julie Brooks, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Cass left London for Australia. This book goes from present time with Cass, to The 1950's and 60's to the early 2000's with Minna. I really like Minna's story, it was so interesting.
February 11, 2026
⭐️5 Stars⭐️
A Haunting at Venus Bay by Julie Brooks is an addictive and atmospheric dual timeline story that brings together two women who lived decades apart.
Interior designer Cass, forty years old has arrived from London and plans to settle in Australia after a broken relationship. She has bought a home on the coast of Victoria, a town she knows from spending holidays there in her teenage years and Melbourne is where she still has family. When she arrives at her newly purchased home (unseen) she is surprised, the house, the peaceful rufuge she had imagined looks to have been abandoned for a long time and needs a lot of work.
As Cass moves in she finds a lot of strange and unsettling things happening in the house which includes a creepy kewpie doll. Cass makes a discovery in the house that unravels the secrets of a young woman.
1953 - Minna Topp and her mother, Madame Zora travel around the East Coast of Australia from one fairground to the next. When Minna meets Albert a farmer who participates in the woodchopping competition it’s not long before she becomes his wife on a dairy farm close to Venus Bay. Married life is not what she expected it to be, her husband seems to have little interest in her expect for her capacity as a full time worker on the farm.
A thoroughly intriguing, haunting and mysterious tale, I loved the mystery and the paranormal happenings were really creepy. I also loved the renovating themes and the beautiful coastal scenery throughout.
Publication Date 06 January 2026
Publisher Hachette Australia
Thank you so much to the lovely Julie Brooks for a copy of the book.
A Haunting at Venus Bay by Julie Brooks is an addictive and atmospheric dual timeline story that brings together two women who lived decades apart.
Interior designer Cass, forty years old has arrived from London and plans to settle in Australia after a broken relationship. She has bought a home on the coast of Victoria, a town she knows from spending holidays there in her teenage years and Melbourne is where she still has family. When she arrives at her newly purchased home (unseen) she is surprised, the house, the peaceful rufuge she had imagined looks to have been abandoned for a long time and needs a lot of work.
As Cass moves in she finds a lot of strange and unsettling things happening in the house which includes a creepy kewpie doll. Cass makes a discovery in the house that unravels the secrets of a young woman.
1953 - Minna Topp and her mother, Madame Zora travel around the East Coast of Australia from one fairground to the next. When Minna meets Albert a farmer who participates in the woodchopping competition it’s not long before she becomes his wife on a dairy farm close to Venus Bay. Married life is not what she expected it to be, her husband seems to have little interest in her expect for her capacity as a full time worker on the farm.
A thoroughly intriguing, haunting and mysterious tale, I loved the mystery and the paranormal happenings were really creepy. I also loved the renovating themes and the beautiful coastal scenery throughout.
Publication Date 06 January 2026
Publisher Hachette Australia
Thank you so much to the lovely Julie Brooks for a copy of the book.
February 1, 2026
Having loved Julie Brooks’ previous books I was excited to dive into her latest atmospheric tale. A Haunting at Venus Bay is a gripping dual-timeline mystery set on the rugged Victorian coast of Australia.
In the present day, we follow Cass, who flees a broken heart in London to renovate an old house in Venus Bay. However, she soon realises she’s not alone; the house is full of "things that go bump in the night" and a shadow-filled mirror that seems to follow her. In the 1950s, we meet Minna, a young woman who escaped war-torn Europe only to find herself trapped in a harsh marriage on a remote dairy farm. When she and her husband mysteriously disappear, their secret stays buried for decades. It is not until Cass discovers a hidden book that the threads of Minna’s past and Cass’s present begin to intertwine.
Julie is so good with the "haunted setting” - the coastal scrub and the isolation of Venus Bay feel so real you can almost smell the salt air. This is a story about secrets, survival, and the way the past refuses to stay buried. If you enjoy historical mysteries with a touch of the supernatural, this is a must-read!
In the present day, we follow Cass, who flees a broken heart in London to renovate an old house in Venus Bay. However, she soon realises she’s not alone; the house is full of "things that go bump in the night" and a shadow-filled mirror that seems to follow her. In the 1950s, we meet Minna, a young woman who escaped war-torn Europe only to find herself trapped in a harsh marriage on a remote dairy farm. When she and her husband mysteriously disappear, their secret stays buried for decades. It is not until Cass discovers a hidden book that the threads of Minna’s past and Cass’s present begin to intertwine.
Julie is so good with the "haunted setting” - the coastal scrub and the isolation of Venus Bay feel so real you can almost smell the salt air. This is a story about secrets, survival, and the way the past refuses to stay buried. If you enjoy historical mysteries with a touch of the supernatural, this is a must-read!
January 14, 2026
What a find! Loved this book. Told through the eyes of two women, with an unlikely connection. An easy read for my holiday, but characters are really likeable & the story intriguing.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Fantastic book! I don't normally pick up things set in Australia (don't know why) but I guess I need to widen my reads because I loved this!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Buying a house unseen was not something Cass had envisioned doing, but needing to leave London and her heartache, and with her brother Liam and his family living in Australia, plus the holidays she'd loved as a child, Venus Bay on coastal Victoria was her choice. But the arrival at her "new" home gave her a shock. Abandoned for around twenty years, falling down with the old furniture inside in a big state of disrepair, Cass wondered if she'd bitten off more than she could chew.
Fifty plus years prior, Minna and her mother, Madam Zora, were travelling with the shows up and down the Victorian coastline. They'd moved to Australia at the end of the war, and their home was a caravan. When Minna met Albert at one of the shows, and he continued to return wherever they travelled, Minna, a naive young woman, thought Albert loved her. They married, and she was expected to work on his farm, milking the cows, collecting eggs and many other tasks. Albert wasn't a kind man but loved fishing, supplementing their food with the many fish he caught.
The eerie sounds in the dark of night; the kewpie doll which seemed to move of its own accord; the ancient but creepy mirror - these were a few of the things which had Cass wondering. But when she discovered an old note book, long ago hidden, she began to learn some things about the past, and the old house that was part of it...
A Haunting at Venus Bay is another wonderful story by Aussie author Julie Brooks which I thoroughly enjoyed. The formatting was dreadful, but no fault of the author. The scenery of the beautiful coastline around Venus Bay; the writing that wove magical pictures so I felt I was there; the characters played their parts brilliantly. An exceptional story which I highly recommend.
With thanks to NetGalley & the publisher for my digital ARC to read and review.
Fifty plus years prior, Minna and her mother, Madam Zora, were travelling with the shows up and down the Victorian coastline. They'd moved to Australia at the end of the war, and their home was a caravan. When Minna met Albert at one of the shows, and he continued to return wherever they travelled, Minna, a naive young woman, thought Albert loved her. They married, and she was expected to work on his farm, milking the cows, collecting eggs and many other tasks. Albert wasn't a kind man but loved fishing, supplementing their food with the many fish he caught.
The eerie sounds in the dark of night; the kewpie doll which seemed to move of its own accord; the ancient but creepy mirror - these were a few of the things which had Cass wondering. But when she discovered an old note book, long ago hidden, she began to learn some things about the past, and the old house that was part of it...
A Haunting at Venus Bay is another wonderful story by Aussie author Julie Brooks which I thoroughly enjoyed. The formatting was dreadful, but no fault of the author. The scenery of the beautiful coastline around Venus Bay; the writing that wove magical pictures so I felt I was there; the characters played their parts brilliantly. An exceptional story which I highly recommend.
With thanks to NetGalley & the publisher for my digital ARC to read and review.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Julie Brooks has crafted a beautifully atmospheric story that lingers long after you close the book. A Haunting at Venus Bay is more than a mystery—it’s a tale of healing, memory, and the way places hold onto the lives that came before.
Cass arrives on the windswept Victoria coastline hoping to mend her fractured heart, but the house she chooses is not the peaceful refuge she imagined. Shadows, secrets, and echoes of the past seep into its walls, drawing her into a century-old disappearance. Decades earlier, Minna’s dreams of becoming a writer were stifled by a husband who wanted obedience, not ambition. When both Albert and Minna vanish, their story is buried—until Cass discovers a hidden book that begins to unravel the truth.
What makes this novel so compelling is the way Brooks weaves two timelines together with tenderness and suspense. Cass’s journey of self-discovery mirrors Minna’s struggle for freedom, and the house itself becomes a bridge between them. The writing is rich with atmosphere—the misty coastline, the creaking house, the sense of lives overlapping across time.
It’s a story about resilience, about women finding their voices, and about the quiet power of uncovering the past to heal the present. Warm, haunting, and deeply moving, A Haunting at Venus Bay is the kind of book that feels like stepping into a memory, both unsettling and comforting at once.
With thanks to Julie Brooks, the publisher and netgalley for the ARC
Cass arrives on the windswept Victoria coastline hoping to mend her fractured heart, but the house she chooses is not the peaceful refuge she imagined. Shadows, secrets, and echoes of the past seep into its walls, drawing her into a century-old disappearance. Decades earlier, Minna’s dreams of becoming a writer were stifled by a husband who wanted obedience, not ambition. When both Albert and Minna vanish, their story is buried—until Cass discovers a hidden book that begins to unravel the truth.
What makes this novel so compelling is the way Brooks weaves two timelines together with tenderness and suspense. Cass’s journey of self-discovery mirrors Minna’s struggle for freedom, and the house itself becomes a bridge between them. The writing is rich with atmosphere—the misty coastline, the creaking house, the sense of lives overlapping across time.
It’s a story about resilience, about women finding their voices, and about the quiet power of uncovering the past to heal the present. Warm, haunting, and deeply moving, A Haunting at Venus Bay is the kind of book that feels like stepping into a memory, both unsettling and comforting at once.
With thanks to Julie Brooks, the publisher and netgalley for the ARC
February 8, 2026
I really enjoyed A Haunting at Venus Bay, a quietly eerie, immersive story told across two timelines.
In the 1950s, Minna marries a farmhand and quickly realises she’s signed up for a life of back-breaking work rather than love. Her story is tense and unsettling, especially as it builds towards a moment on the water that changes everything.
In the present day, Cass moves from London to Australia and buys a dilapidated house with a distinctly uncomfortable atmosphere. There’s an eerie doll, strange moments that don’t quite make sense, and the growing realisation that the house once belonged to Minna, who vanished years earlier. As Cass forms a relationship with Josh, the local police sergeant, the past begins to surface.
Great pacing, strong characters, and a real sense of creeping unease throughout.
Also… I’ve never read a book where my name is a character before, and that was oddly thrilling 👀📖
✨️✨️✨️Out on 2 July 2026✨️✨️✨️
With thanks to @headlinebooks @juliebrooks_books
And @netgalley for early access to this book.
In the 1950s, Minna marries a farmhand and quickly realises she’s signed up for a life of back-breaking work rather than love. Her story is tense and unsettling, especially as it builds towards a moment on the water that changes everything.
In the present day, Cass moves from London to Australia and buys a dilapidated house with a distinctly uncomfortable atmosphere. There’s an eerie doll, strange moments that don’t quite make sense, and the growing realisation that the house once belonged to Minna, who vanished years earlier. As Cass forms a relationship with Josh, the local police sergeant, the past begins to surface.
Great pacing, strong characters, and a real sense of creeping unease throughout.
Also… I’ve never read a book where my name is a character before, and that was oddly thrilling 👀📖
✨️✨️✨️Out on 2 July 2026✨️✨️✨️
With thanks to @headlinebooks @juliebrooks_books
And @netgalley for early access to this book.
February 9, 2026
Thank you NetGalley for an ARC. This review represents my honest opinion.
When Cass arrives in Venus Bay, Victoria (Australia) she finds that the cottage she bought sight unseen after the end of her relationship is in worse shape than she thought. After a few strange comments from neighbours and unpleasant experiences within the house, it becomes clear that there might be a bit more than her active imagination going on.
This story skilfully weaves between Cass's experiences at present time (2025) and the past of Minna, the previous inhabitant. The author writes compelling backstories of disappointment, grief, loss and haunting (literally and figuratively) grief.
I give this 4.5 out of 5 stars.
When Cass arrives in Venus Bay, Victoria (Australia) she finds that the cottage she bought sight unseen after the end of her relationship is in worse shape than she thought. After a few strange comments from neighbours and unpleasant experiences within the house, it becomes clear that there might be a bit more than her active imagination going on.
This story skilfully weaves between Cass's experiences at present time (2025) and the past of Minna, the previous inhabitant. The author writes compelling backstories of disappointment, grief, loss and haunting (literally and figuratively) grief.
I give this 4.5 out of 5 stars.
February 14, 2026
Set in Venus Bay, South Gippsland in Victoria, this is a mesmerising, atmospheric and compelling dual timeline story. Cass (Cassandra) in 2025 tells their story in the first person, whereas Minna, a German refugee’s story is told in the third person, beginning in 1953. They are both haunted by their traumatic past, particularly Minna, and seemingly haunted by ghosts and unexplained happenings. Minna’s story is particularly harrowing, especially when she disappears without trace at the age of seventy, but through Cass, all those years later, her story is finally told. Cass also finds peace and a chance to live life to the full. Well written and thought provoking.
January 17, 2026
I've visited the area where the book is set and loved the way the author describes the setting. The atmosphere gets more unsettling as the story progresses, and the main character investigates a mystery from the past. Couldn't put it down.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews