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Witch Bottle by Tom Fletcher.
My rating: 4 of 5 stars.

Witch Bottle is the story of Daniel, a man who is haunted by an event that took place in his childhood. He isn’t just haunted in a figurative sense, he is literally pursued by a shambling hooded figure that turns up regularly until Daniel places a witch bottle beneath his patio. For a while, that helps, but it isn’t the end of his problems.

The opening chapter was worrying for me, because I found it too unbelievable, and if I had been in a bookshop I probably would have put it back on the shelf. However, this was given to me as a gift, so I persevered, and I’m glad I did.

Fletcher’s writing style is clean and tight, very appealing, with a strong sense of place. I loved the ordinariness and familiarity of the northern setting, and the everyday events as Daniel goes about his business delivering milk for The Bean and magic remedies for Kathryn, his witch girlfriend. It’s clear that something isn’t quite right about the area, but the reader is kept guessing until near the end.

I recommend Witch Bottle. It does have a supernatural element that more grounded readers might find hard to swallow, but having said that, Fletcher is an excellent writer, and that kept me hooked.