The Last Handmaid: the chilling Gothic historical suspense, perfect for dark Halloween nights
Nov 2026 · Bloomsbury Publishing
Ebook
384
Pages
infoThis book will become available on November 5, 2026. You will not be charged until it is released.
About this ebook
A gothic historical suspense novel about Countess Erzsébet Báthory, the world's most prolific female serial killer, told through the eyes of the maid who served her.
Hungary, 1604. Catalina, an orphaned girl is sent to serve the infamous Countess Erzsébet Báthory at Csejte Castle. It is a place of shifting loyalties, where girls who displease the household vanish without a trace. Survival here depends on obedience and silence.
When Catalina is summoned to the Countess's private chambers, she is drawn into a dangerous relationship and becomes entangled in the Countess's obsession with strange 'medicines'. As more girls disappear, Catalina knows there is a cost to staying alive.
She must decide whether to try and escape her mistress' hunger, be consumed by it – or learn to feed it herself...
· Inspired by the life of the alleged most prolific female serial killer of all time.
· Perfect for fans of gothic suspense novels like Carmilla and Weyward.
· From award-winning author Clare Whitfield, praised as 'fast-paced and dark' by Elodie Harper and 'brave and bold' by Araminta Hall.
'An evocative and unsettling tale ... Chilling and thought-provoking' ANNA MAZZOLA, author of The Clockwork Girl
'Richly-drawn and atmospheric.... Whitfield is a masterful storyteller who shines a light on the darkest of themes' NIKKI MARMERY, author of Lilith
Hungary, 1604. Catalina, an orphaned girl is sent to serve the infamous Countess Erzsébet Báthory at Csejte Castle. It is a place of shifting loyalties, where girls who displease the household vanish without a trace. Survival here depends on obedience and silence.
When Catalina is summoned to the Countess's private chambers, she is drawn into a dangerous relationship and becomes entangled in the Countess's obsession with strange 'medicines'. As more girls disappear, Catalina knows there is a cost to staying alive.
She must decide whether to try and escape her mistress' hunger, be consumed by it – or learn to feed it herself...
· Inspired by the life of the alleged most prolific female serial killer of all time.
· Perfect for fans of gothic suspense novels like Carmilla and Weyward.
· From award-winning author Clare Whitfield, praised as 'fast-paced and dark' by Elodie Harper and 'brave and bold' by Araminta Hall.
'An evocative and unsettling tale ... Chilling and thought-provoking' ANNA MAZZOLA, author of The Clockwork Girl
'Richly-drawn and atmospheric.... Whitfield is a masterful storyteller who shines a light on the darkest of themes' NIKKI MARMERY, author of Lilith
A gothic historical suspense novel about Countess Erzsébet Báthory, the world's most prolific female serial killer, told through the eyes of the maid who served her.
Hungary, 1604. Catalina, an orphaned girl is sent to serve the infamous Countess Erzsébet Báthory at Csejte Castle. It is a place ...
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About the author
Clare Whitfield is a UK based writer. While studying for an MA in Creative & Critical Writing at the University of Winchester, her fiction appeared on Spelk, Commuter-Lit, Literary Orphans and in Matt Shaw's Masters of Horror anthology. Clare has published three crime fiction novels, People of Abandoned Character, which won the Goldsboro Glass Bell Award in 2021; The Gone and The Forgotten; and Poor Girls, which was shortlisted for the CWA Historical Dagger award.
Clare Whitfield is a UK based writer. While studying for an MA in Creative & Critical Writing at the University of Winchester, her fiction appeared on Spelk, Commuter-Lit, Literary Orphans and in Matt Shaw's Masters of Horror anthology. Clare has published three crime fiction novels, People of Ab...
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