A slow burning story that mixes horror and historical fiction. We go from a typical historical fiction set during WWII to a horror that keeps you on the edge.
Gripping and well plotted.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

5 Stars!

Catherine Cavendish has become a favorite of mine over the past couple of years. This is not surprising given that many of her books are published by the best dark fiction publisher right now: Flame Tree Press. Cavendish is a master of crafting horror that burns slowly but works its way into the reader’s soul. Dark Observation looked to be another terrifying tale by Cavendish and I was happy to have a review copy to sink my teeth into.



Violet was just an ordinary girl doing her duty for her country. As World War II raged through Europe, she served her home country of England in any way she could to help in the war effort. Then along came Sandrine, and everything changed. The mysterious woman who rented a room in the same home was a mystery to everyone. Violet and her roommate, Tilly, are determined to get to the bottom of the mystery surrounding the woman who seems to disappear just before the bombs begin to fall. The mystery deepens when the friends discover a strange book in the woman’s room that seems to be attached to the occult. Violet finds herself promoted to work in England’s war cabinet and the secret spy society that serves the Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, in making decisions that will shape the world. This is when the war comes close to home for Violet.



Violet’s entire world seemed to shift beneath her feet as she was drawn into a world of intrigue. Everything she thought she knew was called into question as even those closest to her began to question her sanity. There was a dark purpose to Sandrine’s actions and the shadowy group she is a part of begin to work their evil plan. The fate of the world may hang in the balance, but the fate of Violet and her future is clearly in their crosshairs. Violet must find a way to keep Sandrine from bringing her evil to the world if she is ever to find peace again.



Dark Observation is a mix of horror and historical fiction that Cavendish blends together masterfully. The events of WWII unfold throughout the story and Winston Churchill makes several appearances that bring the history home. This serves as a backdrop for the main story. Cavendish takes her time as she unfolds the story and the tension builds throughout. When the reader is first introduced to Sandrine, there is a sense of dread that is more unease than terror. It is clear there is much more to her than what she appears to be at first glance, but the true depth of her evil takes times to unravel. Cavendish knows how to build a story at a slow simmer and keeps the reader on the edge of the seat while never failing to entertain. Everything in the story is bleak and the reader knows it will get much worse. The only question is how much worse it can possibly get.



Cavendish is a master a slow horror: a terror that builds slowly throughout the story through the use of atmosphere and subtle nudges that build toward an explosive conclusion. Dark Observation pays off because when the explosion comes, the entire story quickly slips into place and the horror hits hard. This is not the simple story of one woman’s fight against the forces of evil but a generational horror that is both personal and world-shattering. Cavendish drives this home with a vengeance at the climax of the story and it left me a bit shaken. This is not a novel of non-stop action but I simply did not want to put it down. The mix of history and the strong characterization in the novel made it feel real. Cavendish is becoming one of my favorite authors and a strong contributor to Flame Tree’s roster of dark writers. Her fans are sure to relish this novel and it is a great jumping on point for those who have not read her work yet. Dark Observation is sure to be one of the best horror novels of the year.



I would like to thank Flame Tree Press and NetGalley for this review copy. Dark Observation is available now.

A wonderfully weird story where the convoluted aspects serve to beautifully enhance the character's confusion and add to the mystery. A constantly moving mix of mystery, the occult, and the undeniable horrors of war. The historic setting of the majority of the novel is done really well, too.

This is a difficult one for me to review - I enjoyed the premise which brought a twist to Churchills secret war rooms, however, I found this just lost steam towards the end. It’s a solid 3 of a novel, enjoyable but not something I’d come back to. If you’re looking for light gothic horror then this will tick that box!

Violet works in Churchill's secret War Rooms in 1941, and citizens are generally unaware of this work. Air raids are common, but she's not afraid of those. Instead, she has other problems: a mysterious man, a room only she can see, memories she can't trust, and a best friend who denies their shared past. Someone seems to be targeting her.

The oddities surrounding Vi start slowly, with a fellow boarder that is secretive and has books on the occult in her room. A man appearing at odd intervals, a neighborhood that no one remembers and the room people can't remember all adds to the disconcerting atmosphere of wartime London. With the fear of bombings every night, spies in the streets and the secretive nature of her work, Vi isn't sure where to turn. Her story is framed within that of her granddaughter Heather, who is also starting to notice similar strange events.

I like that some historical content inspired the novel. Churchill was interested in the occult, as were the Nazis, and some of what we know about them fits with this book. It's definitely creepy more than bloody and will make you think twice about what could have happened.

Dark Observation by Catherine Cavendish.
1941. In the dark days of war-torn London, Violet works in Churchill's subterranean top secret Cabinet War Rooms, where key decisions that will dictate Britain’s conduct of the war are made. Above, the people of London go about their daily business as best they can, unaware of the life that teems beneath their feet.
A good read. I liked the cover. But it wasn't what I thought it would be. 3*.

As a young woman living in London during World War II, Violet "Vi" Harrington suffers through various blitzes and assaults from fascist Germany. Lights out is a requirement after dark to limit the number of target opportunities. She's a typist, living in a house with several other women including her best friend Tilly Layton and the enigmatic Sandrine Maupas di Santiago. It is the latter who is some cause for mystery.

Sandrine is a woman with an unidentifiable accent who disappears before blitzes begin and doesn't come back until they are over. Her room is a source of strange sounds and lights, the latter of which get the household into some trouble with the night watchmen charged with enforcing the no-light mandates. She's a cagey woman, and the more events that align, the more suspicions Vi finds the strange woman raising. Can she be a spy for the Germans? Or is she something altogether different?

As Vi finds herself promoted from the typical typist pool to a select group of women who work with some of the most powerful men of the time, she also discovers she has been targeted both by Sandrine as well as her equally eerie associate Alex for sinister purposes. These people have access to seemingly occult abilities, and they are using them to insinuate themselves into high stations while also insulating their presences from discovery. However, Vi can see, interact with, and be manipulated by them. She discovers they are associated with secret societies, mysterious tattoos, and The Coming Race, a nineteenth century occult work from Lord Edward Bulwer-Lytton positing secret, subterranean superhuman creatures called the Vril. What is Sandrine's plan, and what role do she intend for Vi? Author Catherine Cavendish composes an intriguing historical horror mystery with her novel Dark Observation.

Wartime breeds secrecy, of course, and it heightens a populace's paranoia. Both of these qualities are at the heart of Vi's story and Dark Observation as a whole. The major forces of World War II had occult interests that have been exploited in horror and dark fantasy fiction before, but not in quite the same way Cavendish does in this novel. This is not a high octane thriller, though there are certainly a few sequences of speedy suspense, and nor is it a horror yarn drenched in creepy atmosphere, though there are a few sequences that take place in subterranean chambers where the lights wink out and sounds come to haunt our harried protagonist. This is more of a slice of life book that includes intrusive eerie elements, a work of psychological horror that manages to sidestep issues of madness while bringing to the forefront all those historically accurate horror stories about how easily women's mental states were cast in a lunatic light for the slightest socially unacceptable behaviors.

Dark Observation is well named, not only for the in-book reason that the term relates to one of Churchill's secret operations, but for the fact that the book thematically takes an impassioned look at the state of women's lives and issues as they have changed (or not) from the 1940s. This is a decidedly feminist narrative, one that offers an honest look at a dark time in history and sees how the threads from that period continue through to the present day.

From a structural perspective, Cavendish's novel is intriguing. The meat of the book (Vi's story) is bookended with modern day sequences, the first of which introduces the elderly Vi, her middle age daughter, and twenty-something granddaughter on a shopping excursion to London. There, old memories resurface and an impossible face from the past appears. However, much to Vi's dread, that impossible person is also visible to her relatives. Who is this mystery woman? Why it's Sandrine Maupas di Santiago. Her relations wonder: And who is she? Well, therein lies the meat of the book, which chronicles Vi's life and strange encounters during the 1940s. Once this sequence is completed, we return to the present day to learn why Vi's past resurfaced and what continuing intentions Sandrine and the Vril have for Vi's family …

These bookending sections are a tad too quick for my preference, almost rushed. I would have liked some more time to get to know granddaughter and narrator Heather but these sequences have the faster pace of a short story or novella instead of the more languid approach to Vi's life and times and the slow occult intrusions upon her situation normal.

While the story has a complete beginning, middle, and ending, the world Cavendish has evoked here is one that may well be ripe for returning to in another narrative. Perhaps it will revisit characters in this one (Tilly's story seems like an intriguing one to explore) or unrelated characters whose lives are touched by the sinister conspiracy operating behind the scenes here.

Historical fiction requires an attentiveness to the details while evoking their period of choice. If an author can also find some unexploited elements to add to the immersion, all the better. Cavendish adds several glimpses into the world women occupied during the London Blitzes, including both familiar elements (e.g., mandatory evening blackouts) and a few unfamiliar ones. I had not encountered the concept of MO or Mass Observation, which are essentially diaries anonymously documenting citizens lives and an unusual things they've observed. These play a role in the novel, of course, but the use of them at all will be novel for several readers.

As a trigger warning for those who would benefit from one, this novel does contain some nasty efforts at gaslighting as well as some sexual abuse material. Neither of these is gratuitous, both are germane to the plot. Still, these elements are strong components in the story and may put off a few readers who would prefer not to be surprised by such material.

Dark Observation is an intriguing blend of historical, espionage, and supernatural tales, offering a glimpse of a workgroup that doesn't seem to get much attention. Women played key roles in the machinery of WWII, and Vi's day-to-day story is as rife with possibilities for drama as the supernatural intrusions. Cavendish balances the interesting everyday with the often frustrating encounters with occult terror.
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A special thank you to NetGalley and Flame Tree Press who provided an advance review copy in exchange for an honest review.

I requested this one because it might be an upcoming title I would like to review on my Youtube Channel. However, after reading the first several chapters I have determined that this book does not suit my tastes. So I decided to DNF this one.