Safe Return Doubtful

British Fiction – Published 2024

It is different to Hurley’s earlier work in that it is more accessible, conforming more to horror tropes than breaking new ground. As in most sets of short stories there is inconsistency in quality, though the best ones, four of the ten, were excellent. 

The stories are linked, but not with a strong enough connection to call it a novel. They are linked by location, the village of Barrowbeck on the Lancashire – Cumbria border, a fictional place with a haunted past and future. 

They are in chronological order. Though the first story is set in 2046, it is about how it all started. Lancashire’s rainfall has caused untold flooding, making the area not only unhabitable, but also unearthing the contents of the graveyard, from which some of the inhabitants tell their stories. Subsequent chapters are tales of the the uncanny, or the supernatural, and together they tell the history of the valley, both possessed and possessing.

Within them we get a Wicker Man style folk-horror, a cosmic horror, an MR James style gothic house, some magic realism.. 
Those I enjoyed the most were.. 
The Strangest Case (1792) in which a father is accused of killing his daughter who he believes had been possessed, 
After The Fair (1899) in which agirl visits a magical traveling fair confronted with protests from disbelievers,
Natural Remedies (1938) in which a woman offers a childless couple an opportunity, but with a cost
Autumn Pastoral (1995) in which an art dealer visits a gloomy house filled with rare paintings. 

As a criticism, Hurley chooses to spend less time on the subtleties of psychological horror, and more on the interaction between people and the inherent discomfort and distress that ensues; though overall there is more to commend this collection on than find fault.

An abridged, audio version is available on BBC Sounds at the moment, and is also, very well done.

My GoodReads score 4 / 5