Let a Sleeping Witch Lie
Waterstones Welsh Book of the Month October 2024
Books Council of Wales Book of the Month October 2024
“A fascinating and compelling blend of crime fiction, gothic terror and horror, with twists in the tale that whip round and catch you at the last moment. Sublime!” – Katherine Stansfield
‘Old ways die hard on the Welsh border…’
In these haunting tales, nothing is as it seems. A tormented voice calls from the barred windows of an empty room. A dusty museum exhibit possesses sinister powers. A glass of blackberry wine links the living with the sins of the dead.
Between 1965 and 1975, Elizabeth Walter published five collections of supernatural stories. But whilst the names of her contemporaries such as Robert Aickman are now widely recognised, Walter is relatively unknown to modern readers. Mixing folklore, history, and ancient traditions, these gothic stories draw on Walter’s Welsh heritage and the rich inspiration of South Wales and the border country.
Including the mysterious ritual of ‘The Sin-Eater’, the folk horror of ‘Dead Woman’ and the poignant ‘Come and Get Me’, Let a Sleeping Witch Lie is the perfect way to rediscover Elizabeth Walter’s chillingly remarkable talent.
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Elizabeth Walter
Elizabeth Walter (1927-2006) was a U.K. writer of short stories in the horror and fantasy genres.
She was brought up in the Welsh Border country (Herefordshire), and lived in London in later life though with periodic returns to the Wye Valley and the Black Mountains. An editor for a British publishing house, she edited Collins Crime Club titles for more than thirty years, from 1961-1993.
Several of her supernatural tales were inspired by travels in other countries, especially Germany.
She authored six short story collections and four novels. Three of her stories were filmed for television.
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