AN INSTANT CANADIAN BESTSELLER
The propulsive and powerful new novel from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Girl on the Train, now available in paperback.
"The best Paula Hawkins yet—by a tense and haunting mile." —Lee Child
Welcome to Eris: An island with only one house, one inhabitant, one way out. Unreachable from the Scottish mainland for twelve hours each day.
Once home to Vanessa: A famous artist whose notoriously unfaithful husband disappeared twenty years ago.
Now home to Grace: A solitary creature of the tides, content in her own isolation.
But when a shocking discovery is made in an art gallery far away in London, a visitor comes calling.
And the secrets of Eris threaten to emerge . . .
A masterful novel that is as page-turning as it is unsettling, The Blue Hour recalls the sophisticated suspense of Shirley Jackson and Patricia Highsmith, and cements Hawkins’s place among the very best of our most nuanced and stylish storytellers.
Character Driven
"This is the third book of hers I’ve read, and it leans more into psychological depth than fast-paced suspense — which I really enjoyed. The novel follows the aftermath of artist Vanessa Chapman’s death. Her remote island home is left to her friend and caretaker, Grace Haswell, while her artwork is curiously willed to Douglas, her former art dealer. The story unfolds through multiple perspectives, including Vanessa’s diary, Grace, and James Becker, whose long-standing fascination with Vanessa’s work draws him deeper into the mystery surrounding her life. Rather than relying on big twists, Hawkins builds tension through character exploration, grief, memory, and the lingering effects of long-buried secrets. The atmosphere is eerie and immersive, and the setting adds a haunting quality that stays with you. If you enjoy character-driven psychological fiction with a moody, slow-building intensity, The Blue Hour is a compelling read."
