In the Night Room

In the Night Room
Peter Straub

A dazzling chilller from the bestselling author of KOKO and LOST BOY LOST GIRL.Award-winning children's book author Willy Patrick seems to be having a breakdown. Figures from her past are coming to visit her, most frighteningly her dead daughter, Holly, who was murdered together with Willy’s first husband. Then Willy discovers her mysterious fiancé may well have been responsible for the deaths of her husband and daughter.After fleeing the house they are renovating she runs into Tim Underhill, also an author haunted by the deaths of loved ones. In fact, his long-deceased nine-year-old sister recently appeared to him on the way to his favourite diner, and he's been getting strange emails from people in his home town – none of whom are still alive. But what really spooks him is the realization that Willy seems to be the heroine of the book he is currently working on, in precisely the mortal peril he has invented for her…

In the Night Room

Peter Straub

For Gary K. Wolfe

I wanted to write, and just tell you that me and my spirit were fighting this morning. It is’nt known generally, and you must’nt tell anybody.

– EMILY DICKINSON,

letter to Emily Fowler, 1850

The consolation of imaginary things is not imaginary consolation.

– ROGER SCRUTON

Table of Contents

Cover Page (#u61ed2f04-37df-5322-957e-46b0e9d9ae9e)

Title Page (#uec0550bd-89b4-5e04-ab75-a99065f00c60)

Dedication (#ue0e60393-ee3b-5344-a1fe-6bb42b87a3c3)

Epigraph (#u3edb96c1-b44f-533f-bbc4-c00c87f758e9)

Part One WILLY’S LOSING HER MIND AGAIN/SO IS TIM (#uc267f10a-4b00-5d52-b842-1ff547cab9da)

1 (#u8a526361-6434-5156-9cea-50670736d7f7)

2 (#u4f6b058e-68f7-54b5-82f9-48add83039f1)

3 (#uaacf857a-f8f7-56df-8d1f-35ea6a39f481)

4 (#u7bfb7d52-9908-573a-9f2e-d4e8bfc99c41)

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6 (#u964e436d-a1c5-52a7-86de-95154d02efaf)

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Part Two TWO VOICES FROM A CLOUD (#litres_trial_promo)

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Part Three THE ROLE OF TOM HARTLAND (#litres_trial_promo)

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Part Four TIM UNDERHILL SAILS TO BYZANTIUM/SO DOES WILLY (#litres_trial_promo)

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Part Five THE WOMAN GLIMPSED AT THE WINDOW (#litres_trial_promo)

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Acknowledgments (#litres_trial_promo)

About the Author (#litres_trial_promo)

By Peter Straub (#litres_trial_promo)

Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)

About the Publisher (#litres_trial_promo)