PINE

north of the Scottish mainland. She said: “I went back to visit my former neighbours at Halloween, the time of year when the book begins, to get a sense of the landscape and light – or lack of it.

“I researched witchcraft in Scotland, the history and practice of tarot and various new-age therapies, which all play a part in the novel. I listened to true crime podcasts, too.”

The book took four years,