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The Knocking: A Novel
In a house this haunted, both the living and the dead pose dangers to a female journalist in nineteenth-century New York in a chilling historical gothic by the author of
Who Is the Liar
.
It’s 1850 when intrepid journalist and women’s-rights advocate Edith Ann, “E. A.,” Howe arrives at the home of iconic newspaper founder Horace Greeley. Her assignment is to chronicle the uncanny gifts of Cathie Fox, an eleven-year-old medium in Horace’s charge. Mysterious knocking sounds follow Cathie as she channels the restless spirit of the Greeleys’ deceased son, Pickie—a ghostly consolation to Horace’s profoundly unwell and grieving wife. As her condition worsens, E. A. suspects foul play.
Something is very wrong in this house. Sharp-tongued housekeepers warn her to steer clear of the attic. Pickie’s alleged messages from beyond are more disturbing than comforting. And the seemingly guileless Cathie claims that the house is eating her alive. All the while Cathie’s beautiful English governess is awakening something restless in E. A.
As she wrestles with her own childhood terrors, E. A. must investigate the story of the spirit-knockings and reveal whether the greatest threats are coming from the living or the dead.
It’s 1850 when intrepid journalist and women’s-rights advocate Edith Ann, “E. A.,” Howe arrives at the home of iconic newspaper founder Horace Greeley. Her assignment is to chronicle the uncanny gifts of Cathie Fox, an eleven-year-old medium in Horace’s charge. Mysterious knocking sounds follow Cathie as she channels the restless spirit of the Greeleys’ deceased son, Pickie—a ghostly consolation to Horace’s profoundly unwell and grieving wife. As her condition worsens, E. A. suspects foul play.
Something is very wrong in this house. Sharp-tongued housekeepers warn her to steer clear of the attic. Pickie’s alleged messages from beyond are more disturbing than comforting. And the seemingly guileless Cathie claims that the house is eating her alive. All the while Cathie’s beautiful English governess is awakening something restless in E. A.
As she wrestles with her own childhood terrors, E. A. must investigate the story of the spirit-knockings and reveal whether the greatest threats are coming from the living or the dead.
288 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 14, 2026
About the author
Laura Lee Bahr
20 books168 followersLaura Lee Bahr is a multi-award winning author, perfomer and independent filmmaker.
The Knocking (2026), the first of a series, is a historical Gothic fiction, released this past July by Little A. Who is the Liar, (2025), a thriller that is told entirely from the point of view of a ten year-old, was also published by Little A.
Bahr's more experimental work includes Haunt (winner of the Wonderland Book Award for Best Novel of 2011), Long-Form Religious Porn, and the short story collection, Angel Meat (winner of the Wonderland Book Award for Best Collection 2017) are all published by Fungasm Press, an imprint of Eraserhead Press.
Bahr’s debut feature film as writer/director, Boned, stars Bai Ling and Josh Randall (Ozark, Ten Days in the Valley). Winner of “Best Micro-Budget Feature” at the Toronto Independent Film Festival, it is available on demand and streaming. Translations of her novels are popular in Spain, and Bahr received the William of Baskerville Award organized by the Spanish magazine Libros Prohibidos for her novel Long-Form Religious Porn in the category of Best Translated Novel in 2019.
Her experimental short film Strange Bird (director, co-writer) was selected as part of the premiere at the Boston Underground FIlm Festival and Final Girl Film Festival in Berlin, and her fiction piece “The Melting Memoir” was released as part of visionary director Nicolas Winding Refn’s streaming site byNWR.com.
She is also a performer with over two decades of experience creating independent cinema and black box theater.. She served as Vice-President of both Membership and Production at the Eclectic Company Theatre in Los Angeles, working as an actor, director, and producer for a decade’s worth of productions including directing Micheal van Duzer’s super-gay Posing Strap Pirates and co-writting and starring in the musical with a ‘black festering wonderful heart’ (LA Weekly) and ‘indisputably unlike anything else out there,’ (LA Times) Gothmas.
She has also worked for over a decade with neurodiverse students, teaching everything from acting to algebra.
Bahr believes that creativity is for all of us, and accessing our inner-path to authentic expression is key to compassion and humanity.
The Knocking (2026), the first of a series, is a historical Gothic fiction, released this past July by Little A. Who is the Liar, (2025), a thriller that is told entirely from the point of view of a ten year-old, was also published by Little A.
Bahr's more experimental work includes Haunt (winner of the Wonderland Book Award for Best Novel of 2011), Long-Form Religious Porn, and the short story collection, Angel Meat (winner of the Wonderland Book Award for Best Collection 2017) are all published by Fungasm Press, an imprint of Eraserhead Press.
Bahr’s debut feature film as writer/director, Boned, stars Bai Ling and Josh Randall (Ozark, Ten Days in the Valley). Winner of “Best Micro-Budget Feature” at the Toronto Independent Film Festival, it is available on demand and streaming. Translations of her novels are popular in Spain, and Bahr received the William of Baskerville Award organized by the Spanish magazine Libros Prohibidos for her novel Long-Form Religious Porn in the category of Best Translated Novel in 2019.
Her experimental short film Strange Bird (director, co-writer) was selected as part of the premiere at the Boston Underground FIlm Festival and Final Girl Film Festival in Berlin, and her fiction piece “The Melting Memoir” was released as part of visionary director Nicolas Winding Refn’s streaming site byNWR.com.
She is also a performer with over two decades of experience creating independent cinema and black box theater.. She served as Vice-President of both Membership and Production at the Eclectic Company Theatre in Los Angeles, working as an actor, director, and producer for a decade’s worth of productions including directing Micheal van Duzer’s super-gay Posing Strap Pirates and co-writting and starring in the musical with a ‘black festering wonderful heart’ (LA Weekly) and ‘indisputably unlike anything else out there,’ (LA Times) Gothmas.
She has also worked for over a decade with neurodiverse students, teaching everything from acting to algebra.
Bahr believes that creativity is for all of us, and accessing our inner-path to authentic expression is key to compassion and humanity.
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