The Wrecker’s Girl: The gripping new break-out Cornish crime thriller from the No.1 Sunday Times bestselling author

by S. K. Tremayne

The first in a brand new crime thriller series from the No.1 Sunday Times bestselling author, that will transport you to the rugged Cornish coast, and keep you on the edge of your seat.An unexplained death

In stormy West Cornwall, a woman lies dead at the bottom of a waterfall. A year later, her children are possessed by strange visions.

A house full of secrets

Forensic psychologist Karenza Bray arrives to work with the children. She discovers a grand ancestral home, full of details that don’t quite make sense. The children sleepwalk into the sea, and claim to speak with dark spectres. An centuries-old mirror shows them impossible things.

A family with everything to hide

Someone knows the truth about what happened to Natalie Tyack. Her husband. The housekeeper. The neighbours. But the more Karenza tries to help, the deeper she steps into a mystery, into a haunting. This house has a history that has not been put to rest.

Will any of them escape sane, and unscathed?

Genres: Thriller, Crime

Kindle Edition

Expected publication February 12, 2026

Reviews

[Paula · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alkoi kiehtovastl, mutta jotenkin lopussa tuntui että lässähti..

[jennijohanna. · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5 ⭐

Helmet-lukuhaaste 2025: 20. Kirjasta tulisi mielestäsi hyvä elokuva tai sarja

Sopii myös Helmet-lukuhaasteen kohtiin 3, 4, 9, 17, 24, 39, 45, 47-48 (Malcolm / Rakkaushypoteesi)

[Carrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for a review.

I’ve read a few of S K Tremayne’s books before, and always enjoyed them, but this was an absolute WOW for me! And an outstanding start to what is set to be a paranormal/psychological thriller series, following neurodivergent forensic psychologist Karenza Bray.

In The Wrecker’s Girl, Karenza, who has retired from working with the worst criminals in prisons and turned freelance psychologist, is asked to help the two small children of a rich family.

As soon as Karenza arrives at the creepy, isolated Baldhu House, where the family has lived for hundreds of years, things feel very wrong. The mother, Natalie, was found dead by the waterfall on the property a year ago and since then, the young children have been terrified in the house, seeing dark figures and flapping birds and hearing unexplained noises from the cellar.

Karenza is determined to find a reason firmly rooted in science and logic. But having lost her own young daughter in a tragic accident, Karenza begins to wonder if something is going on at the castle that science cannot explain.

I loved the haunting, dramatic Cornish coastal setting, with the wild descriptions of nature and the constant feeling of the house and area being otherworldly and distinct.

Meanwhile the allusions to the ‘truth’ about Baldhu house, and the fact that the family could never contemplate selling it, add to the mystery of what is haunting the family.

My favourite aspect of the book was how Karenza used science and psychology to try to explain the apparent haunting of the family in the ancient house. It made it fascinating and really original.

It was also extremely creepy and, at times, genuinely scary! There were some brilliant and unexpected twists too. I can’t wait to get back into Karenza Bray’s world with the next book!

[Leanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

S. K. Tremayne’s The Wrecker’s Girl is the haunting first installment in a brand-new crime thriller series, set against the wild, storm-lashed beauty of Cornwall. It begins with an unexplained death: Natalie Tyack found at the bottom of a waterfall. A year later, her children are plagued by strange visions, sleepwalking into the sea, and speaking of dark spectres.

Forensic psychologist Karenza Bray arrives to help, only to find herself drawn into the secrets of a grand ancestral home where nothing feels quite right. A centuries-old mirror shows impossible things, and every member of the household seems to be hiding something. Tremayne masterfully layers gothic atmosphere with psychological suspense, creating a story that feels both eerie and deeply human.

The novel’s strength lies in its blend of setting and character. The Cornish coast is vividly alive—rugged, beautiful, and dangerous—while the family at the heart of the mystery is fractured, secretive, and compelling. As Karenza digs deeper, the line between haunting and reality blurs, leaving the reader questioning what is true and what is imagined.

The Wrecker’s Girl is unsettling, immersive, and elegantly written. It promises not only a gripping mystery but the beginning of a series that will explore the shadows of family, memory, and the landscapes that shape us.

With thanks to SK Tremayne, the publisher and netgalley for the ARC

[Tanja Kuismala-Kähäri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cornwallin jylhiin ja pahaenteisiin maisemiin sijoittuva kirja,jossa
30-v oikeuspsykologi Karenza Bay ottaa vastaan tehtävän auttaa Solomonia ja Gracea, joiden äiti on kuollut epämääräisissä olosuhteissa. Lapset ovat käyttäytyneet oudosti, ja heidän arvoitukselliset lausuntonsa viittaavat siihen, että he saattavat tietää jotain äitinsä kuolemasta. Poliisi ei ole innostunut tutkimaan tapausta vaan pitää sitä onnettomuutena.

Karenza asettuu perheen vanhaan kartanoon Länsi-Cornwallin syrjäiseen kolkkaan. Hän huomaa, että tapaus on paljon monimutkaisempi ja vaarallisempi kuin hän on osannut odottaa. Kirja on fekkariksi/ jännityskirjaksi aika hidastempoinen, mutta romantiiksn ja perhedraaman ystävänä pidin sen tunteellisuudesta. Myös kirjan hahmot ja heidän välinen kemia on rakennettu hyvin.

[Big Bertha · Rating 4 out of 5]

The spectacular Cornish coastline was the setting for this novel, its rugged beauty the backdrop for the Tyack families ancestral home the scene of a tragic death a year ago when two children lost their mother Natalie Tyack

Following disturbing incidents involving the children their father asked freelance psychologist Karenza to meet the children and the deeper she explores the more disturbing the novel became.

The scene setting and atmosphere gripped me from the opening pages. A well written thriller with good characters, dark secrets and a chilling storyline that held me in its grasp right through to its tense conclusion.

My thanks to HarperCollins UK and NetGalley for the early read, all opinions are my own.

[Martha Brindley · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first installment in a new series, set in Cornwall, has an original plotline and good characterisation. It is well written and full of atmosphere with some twists along the way, although I failed to empathise with Kerenza, the lead character and former forensic psychologist. I loved the Cornish setting and the descriptions of the landscape. A good mystery with family secrets at the core, it's just not for me but I am sure other readers will enjoy it. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

[Em · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. I liked the writing and the atmosphere. I really enjoyed the setting being in Cornwall. The plot was really good but I found that I struggled to like the characters and feel anything towards them which took me out. It also took a while for me to get into the plot but overall I enjoyed it.

[Heikki Eskelinen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ei huono, mutta ei oikein hyväkään. En tiedä mikä mätti suoranaisesti. Jotkin osiot vähän kömpelöitä ja vähän semmoista kummaa höttöä. Lupaava kirjailija kuitenkin. Kokeilen jatkossa muuta kirjaa, jospa se siitä.

[Elviira · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nyt ei kyllä ollut sitä taattua laatua, jota Tremaynelta odotin… Oli toki ihan hyvä kirja, mutta jännitystä olisi saanut olla paljon enemmän, merkittävät ja shokeeraavat juonenkäänteet puuttuivat aikalailla kokonaan, ja loppuratkaisu ei ollut oikeastaan erityisen yllättävä.

[Kaisa N · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tavallaan hyvä tarina mutta todella viimeistelemätön ja hätäisen oloinen.

[BooksAndFrogs (Mervi) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ihan ok, mutta hukkasi hyvät yliluonnolliset mahdollisuutensa liialliseen luennointiin.