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The Sixth Vector: When the Past Comes Back to Haunt Us
They opened a door they couldn't close.
A séance leads six undergraduate students to Pluckley, Britain's most haunted village, in an attempt to connect with the spirit of Sarah Sharp.
Their exorcism seems to set two spirits free, but Pluckley is not finished with them. Months later, the village vicar summons them back, as multiple new supernatural sightings have been reported.
While the group, known as The Sixth Vector, combs archives and confronts their own doubts, they also have to deal with wary locals.
Steeped in English folklore, John Broughton's THE SIXTH VECTOR is a tale of friendship, horror and mystery.
A séance leads six undergraduate students to Pluckley, Britain's most haunted village, in an attempt to connect with the spirit of Sarah Sharp.
Their exorcism seems to set two spirits free, but Pluckley is not finished with them. Months later, the village vicar summons them back, as multiple new supernatural sightings have been reported.
While the group, known as The Sixth Vector, combs archives and confronts their own doubts, they also have to deal with wary locals.
Steeped in English folklore, John Broughton's THE SIXTH VECTOR is a tale of friendship, horror and mystery.
229 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 15, 2026
About the author
John Broughton
123 books24 followersJohn Broughton was born in Cleethorpes in Lincolnshire, studied at the local grammar school and went on to take an honours degree in Medieval and Modern History at the University of Nottingham, where he also studied Archaeology.
John retired in January 2014 and chose the period that fascinates him most – the Anglo-Saxon period – as the setting for his first historical novel. Since then, he has had 28 novels published by Next Chapter Publishing. Most are historical novels, but he also writes murder mysteries, fantasy and sci-fi.
John retired in January 2014 and chose the period that fascinates him most – the Anglo-Saxon period – as the setting for his first historical novel. Since then, he has had 28 novels published by Next Chapter Publishing. Most are historical novels, but he also writes murder mysteries, fantasy and sci-fi.
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May 23, 2026
Six science-focused Nottingham University students with a fascination for the occult hold a séance and invoke Sarah Sharp whose spirit resides in Pluckley, the most haunted village in Britain. The group, with the cryptic name of The Sixth Vector, travel to the village hoping to comprehend her plight but their curiosity unleashes the powerful energies of numerous ghosts in various stages of unrest, causing physical and atmospheric changes that are completely unnerving. Each member has a visceral reaction: a churning stomach, the appearance of strange bruises, a quickening of the pulse. Was it “collective hysteria” or did they actually see the beings who were not wispy apparitions, but entities that move, speak, respond, warn?
“Do you know why people come to Pluckley?” the six are told, “They come to see the haunted places, the screaming woods, the old manor house, the crossroads where the highwayman died. But the stories aren’t happy and they never finish. No one moves on...”
The students want out, to go back to normalcy, but even when they do leave and return to their university lives, they are compelled to return, to complete their mission, to help the spirits heal and rest. But how will this be accomplished and what affect will it have on the villagers’ lives when “The dead are the only thing keeping the village alive. The lifeblood of the Village are the dead who will not leave.”
The award-winning Broughton’s writing is elegant and eloquent, with metaphors and descriptive prose throughout...”a pale and angular silhouette in a tweed jacket so patched it looked like a map of lost places.” It is written by an author who loves language, its rhythm and lyrical qualities, how it envelops the reader like a cozy warm blanket sewn of brilliant memories and passions. He constructs a story like someone who has seen and believes in ghosts and, moreover, feels their ethereal force.
The story comes to an unexpected conclusion but one that recognizes that “A ghost is emptiness that refuses to be ignored.” Now they will not be.
“Do you know why people come to Pluckley?” the six are told, “They come to see the haunted places, the screaming woods, the old manor house, the crossroads where the highwayman died. But the stories aren’t happy and they never finish. No one moves on...”
The students want out, to go back to normalcy, but even when they do leave and return to their university lives, they are compelled to return, to complete their mission, to help the spirits heal and rest. But how will this be accomplished and what affect will it have on the villagers’ lives when “The dead are the only thing keeping the village alive. The lifeblood of the Village are the dead who will not leave.”
The award-winning Broughton’s writing is elegant and eloquent, with metaphors and descriptive prose throughout...”a pale and angular silhouette in a tweed jacket so patched it looked like a map of lost places.” It is written by an author who loves language, its rhythm and lyrical qualities, how it envelops the reader like a cozy warm blanket sewn of brilliant memories and passions. He constructs a story like someone who has seen and believes in ghosts and, moreover, feels their ethereal force.
The story comes to an unexpected conclusion but one that recognizes that “A ghost is emptiness that refuses to be ignored.” Now they will not be.
Displaying 1 of 1 review