The Silver Locket

by Holly Atkins, Chris Hall

It is 1989 and thirty-year-old Laura Peterson unexpectedly inherits a house in rural Lancashire. Leaving behind her ambitious boyfriend Greg, she seizes the opportunity to take a break from the busy but unrewarding life she has in bureaucratic Brussels.Laura’s discovery of an old silver locket hidden in the attic prompts her to find out more about the former inhabitants of the house. But the locket is more than just a pretty trinket. Under its influence Laura's dreams are haunted by the young girl who once wore the locket and her waking hours troubled by a sinister old woman in a brown coat who seems to be following her.A series of disturbing incidents disrupt Laura's efforts to restore the gardens to their former early 20th century glory. Then one night violent storm brings an ancient oak tree crashing to the ground, revealing a tiny human skeleton, tangled in its roots. Convinced that her dreams and the discovery of the bones are connected, Laura delves deeper into the secrets of the past, unleashing a wave of powerful and frightening events which threaten both Laura and those around her.This second edition of ‘The Silver Locket, released in January 2020, has been subject to a light edit and the correction of typos and formatting issues.

159 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2012

About the author

This author also writes under the pen name Chris Hall.

Reviews

[Chris Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my debut novel, written under pen name, Holly Atkins.

Just to say, that in response to readers' feedback, I have re-edited and updated the text of this novel to remove the few typos which are such an irritation to read. I've also translated the couple of lines of spoken French, which I appreciate not everyone will otherwise understand.

I hope future readers enjoy this second edition.

Chris Hall, author
January 2020

[Ellie Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really cosy read with a touch of spookiness and mystery, and some gripping twists.

[Emily Stone · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was excited to read this book because the mystery of the locket really sucked me in. It begins with Laura who inherited a home from a relative that she didn’t know she had. Enlisting the help of a local gardener she brings the grounds back to their former glory and eventually learns he is the grandson of the original gardener for the property. While repairing the property and closing the estate, she finds an old locket hidden in the floor of an upstairs room and wonders about the person who put it there. She begins to have dreams about a young girl, her family and their housekeeper. After some research she discovered that the family she had been dreaming of, existed and had sold the home to her relative. She continues to have dreams that portrayed a secret that had been hidden for decades. I felt she described her characters well and a sense of despair and foreboding was tangled up in the excitement of a forbidden love. The book is well written and I enjoyed it so much that I read it in a day.

[Saadiya Nadeem · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great reading

I really enjoyed reading this fascinating story. Totally gripping and absorbing read. I would recommend it to anyone. A great ending

[Chris Nelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful mystery

The Silver Locket is a beautifully told story of mystery, romance and the past which sucks the reader into the lives of each character as they are revealed to us. Chris Hall (aka Holly Atkins) writes with a style which is as fluent as it is mesmerising and it is easy to become a part of the story as it unfolds as if the reader were a first hand witness. In fact Chris writes as if she herself has lived the lives of her characters, which makes them all the more accessible and believable.

What makes this story all the more wonderful, though, is knowing that this is Chris’s debut novel - her skill and literary dexterity are clear to see, and it is no surprise that she has gone on to write more superb novels.

There are twists and turns aplenty throughout this story which kept me guessing right up until the closing pages, none of which I have any intention of revealing!

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys tucking into a good mystery with a small slice of romance and history on the side.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a nice little tale with romance, mystery, and the ghosts of the past. It shows how the history of a single place such as a home or a town is filled with secrets and the ghosts of the past, such as in the names and dates on tombstones, or in those items that once belonged to those long gone, and how those memories are tied in with all of the people who came before us. It also makes one wonder whether some secrets and memories are best left in the past rather than being brought to light. I would've liked to see more in some areas, such as the relationship between Tom and Laura, and perhaps some more exploration of other previous occupants in Laura's house. Nevertheless, I did enjoy this story.