Stephen King on Daphne du Maurier + British Book Bargains

September 30, 2025

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“Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again.”

Few first lines are more famous—but Stephen King argues Daphne du Maurier’s gift for the uncanny goes far beyond Rebecca. In a new essay for The Guardian, he praises her mastery of atmosphere and her ability to turn the ordinary into something deeply unsettling.

From husbands haunted by apple trees to wives revealed as vultures through supernatural lenses, Du Maurier’s short stories show her at her most chilling. King calls her “a master storyteller—a diabolical one, at that,” and says her restraint is what makes the horrors linger.

You can read King’s full piece HERE, and explore the stories yourself in the new collection After Midnight: Thirteen Chilling Tales for the Dark Hours, introduced by King. Personally, I’m getting the audiobook version and saving the stories for dark and rainy nights this autumn—the perfect match for a cozy couch and warm mug of spiced apple cider.

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British eBooks on Sale: September 30th

As always, a short disclaimer on the sale listings - the overwhelming majority of our readers are US-based, so sale availability may vary outside of the US (it’s up to the publisher/author if they wish to coordinate sales internationally). Deals can disappear at any time, but all e-books were $2.99 or less at time of writing.

  • The Last Remains by Elly Griffiths - When a missing student’s bones surface in Norfolk, Ruth Galloway and DCI Nelson must untangle an old archaeology group’s secrets and race to clear Cathbad’s name before it’s too late.

  • A Long Shadow by HL Marsay - In York, DCI John Shadow and Sergeant Jimmy Chang investigate the linked deaths of a missing girl from decades ago and a homeless teen, uncovering a web of secrets among locals who knew them both. *Most ebooks in this series are currently on sale

  • The Body in Seven Dials by HL Marsay - In 1914 London, trailblazing suffragette Dorothy Peto helps form the Women’s Police Volunteers, but when she discovers the murdered body of a Belgian refugee during a Zeppelin raid, she defies skeptics to investigate suspects ranging from aristocrats to gangsters. *The entire series is currently on sale

  • The Wyndham Case by Jill Paton Walsh - When a Cambridge student is found dead in the locked library of St Agatha’s College, nurse Imogen Quy suspects foul play—especially after another student turns up drowned in a fountain.

  • The Last Dance of the Debutante by Julia Kelly - In 1958, as the last debutantes are presented to Queen Elizabeth II, three young women navigate glittering London ballrooms, hidden ambitions, and devastating secrets that could shatter their families and futures.

  • The Stranger in Her House by John Marrs - In a sweltering village summer, a charming stranger insinuates himself into Gwen’s life, leaving her daughter Connie fighting to expose the dangerous secrets he’s hiding.

  • Falling For You by Portia Macintosh - In the seaside town of Marram Bay, single mum Lily Holmes tries to rebuild her life with a new deli and her son by her side, but small-town drama, past secrets, and a handsome cider farmer next door soon complicate her fresh start.

  • The Company by JM Varese - In 1870 London, heiress Lucy Braithwhite uncovers sinister secrets behind her family’s famed wallpaper company as ghostly visions and a dangerous new partner threaten to destroy everything she holds dear.

  • The French Gardener by Santa Montefiore - When Miranda and David Claybourne move into a country house with a neglected garden, an enigmatic Frenchman appears and begins to heal the fractures in their family—until a diary in the garden cottage reveals his mysterious past.

A Few Print Book Deals…

Print books aren’t sold as cheaply as ebooks (and Amazon has recently announced plans to take larger fees on books priced under $9.99, causing many publishers/authors to increase prices), so for these we look for books priced at $10-12 or less at time of writing.

  • The Running Grave by Robert Galbraith (aka JK Rowling) - Detectives Cormoran Strike and Robin Ellacott take on a case in Norfolk, where Robin goes undercover to infiltrate a sinister cult and rescue a young man trapped inside.

  • The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner - In eighteenth-century London, a secret apothecary sells poisons to women seeking revenge, while in present-day London a historian uncovers clues linking her life to the apothecary’s deadly legacy.

  • 1984 by George Orwell - In a totalitarian world where Big Brother is always watching, Winston Smith secretly rebels against the Party as he rewrites history for the Ministry of Truth.

  • Near Miss by Traude Ailinger - When fashion writer Amy Thornton narrowly avoids being hit by a car in Edinburgh, her curiosity pulls her into a deadly case that leaves two people dead and makes her an unlikely partner to a skeptical detective.

  • Statistically Speaking by Debbie Johnson - When history teacher Gemma Jones’s carefully ordered life collides with the possibility of meeting the daughter she gave up for adoption eighteen years ago, she must face old secrets, new friendships, and the surprising odds of love and self-discovery.

“There are many women whose lives would be immeasurably improved by widowhood, but one should not always point that out.”

Alexander McCall Smith, Espresso Tales

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