Deirdre Sullivan handles darkness in a way that instills addictive dread, but also, somehow, hope. She is a natural successor to Angela Carter - and Perfectly Preventable Deaths, a tale of rural horror, family and peril, is the Irish Gothic we deserve. -- Sarah Maria Griffin, author of SPARE AND FOUND PARTS

This is the novel the recent Sabrina reboot wishes it could be - a thrilling, eerie exploration of sisterhood, first love and dark powers hiding out of sight. Perfectly Preventable Deaths lures you in with wit and compassion before hitting you with horror and twists worthy of Stephen King or Shirley Jackson. Nobody writes teenagers or witches like Deirdre Sullivan, and Perfectly Preventable Deaths is her best novel yet. - Dave Rudden, author of KNIGHTS OF THE BORROWED DARK

I am completely smitten with Madeline's voice and this witty, wise and weird depiction of a quiet, strange village where neither girls nor small creatures are safe from predators. Deirdre Sullivan has crafted a tale that is both achingly tender and unsettlingly creepy, a world where magic and love have tremendous power and devastating consequences. - Claire Hennessy, author of NOTHING TASTES AS GOOD

Sullivan has an eye for the uncanny, a taste for the macabre, and a gift for beautiful prose. Perfectly Preventable Deaths is her best book yet. - Louise O'Neill

This intoxicating, skilfully crafted novel laced with sisterhood, first love and witchcraft is sure to entice fans of Angela Carter or Melissa Albert's The Hazel Wood. - The Bookseller, Editor’s Choice

This book, this book. Deirdre's writing is a drug, her characters crackle and the magic is so tactile you can feel rough bark and leaves under your fingers. I swallowed this whole. - Moira Fowley-Doyle, author of SPELLBOOK OF THE LOST AND FOUND

READ NEXT Book Review: Midnight In Everwood by M.A. Kuzniar It's officially spooky season! Time to bring out the candles, cosy knitwear and pumpkins for carving. If you're a book lover, it also means filling your reading pile with suitably strange and scary books to keep you up all night. From ghostly tales and eerie short stories to creepy thrillers and an entertaining supernatural comedy, here are 12 books to get you in the All Hallows' Eve spirit. For a unique take on vampire lore: Certain Dark Things by Silvia Moreno-Garcia PIN IT Originally released in 2016 but published for the first time in the UK this year, Certain Dark Things is a gritty, vibrant and brilliantly original neo-noir vampire tale set in Mexico City. It centres on a lonely garbage collecting street kid and a jaded vampire as they try to make it out of the city alive with a trail of corpses, cops and crime bosses close behind. Silva Moreno-Garcia is a chameleon of an author, able to move between genres like a shapeshifter changing form, and this unusual and brutal bloodsucker tale is further proof that her writing is truly one of a kind. (7 September, Jo Fletcher Books) For a classic ghostly atmosphere: The Whistling by Rebecca Netley PIN IT When Elspeth takes the position of nanny to a family on a remote Scottish island, she's unnerved by the unwelcoming reception she receives. Her charge is a strange, secretive girl called Mary who hasn't spoken a word since the sudden death of her twin, which happened just days after their former nanny disappeared. But nobody wants to talk about what happened, and nobody can explain the eerie sounds that come at night either. With winter closing in, Elspeth finds herself trapped on this wild island of secrets, ghosts and superstitions. If you love haunted house ghost tales that are as psychological as they are supernatural, then you'll love Rebecca Netley's atmospheric debut. (14 October, Michael Joseph) For a book you can dip in and out of: When Things Get Dark - Edited by Ellen Datlow PIN IT Taking inspiration from the inimitable Shirley Jackson, 18 authors craft their own tales of horror and mystery in this absorbing anthology. Perfect to dip in and out of as the nights draw in, the collection features short stories by the likes of Joyce Carol Oats, Josh Malerman, Cassandra Khaw, Jeffrey Ford and more. The anthology veers from eerie and chilling to poignant and peculiar as it pays homage to Jackson's ability to weave haunting horror with emotive human tales. Special mention to Elizabeth Hand's For Sale By Owner and Paul Tremblay's The Party - which will leave you yearning for full length books. (21 September, Titan Books) For readers obsessed with true crime and unexplained mysteries: The Hollows by Mark Edwards PIN IT Monsters can come in all forms, as Mark Edwards' The Hollows can attest to. With his life veering off course, journalist Tom decides to take his teenage daughter on vacation so that they can reconnect. From the moment they arrive at Hollow Falls, a cabin resort deep in the woods of Maine, something feels off. Then Tom meets two true crime podcasters who inform him of a gruesome history that saw the resort shut down after a murder. The crime was never solved and the woods are overrun with tourists marking the twenty-year anniversary. There's something very wrong within Hollow Falls, and Tom and Frankie's trip soon turns into a nightmare. There's nothing eerier than dark, isolated woods and Edwards expertly utilises them here to create an uneasy atmosphere befitting Halloween. (8 July, Thomas & Mercer) For witchy YA vibes: Precious Catastrophe by Deirdre Sullivan PIN IT Deirdre Sullivan's Perfectly Preventable Deaths was a delightfully macabre gothic fantasy tale of witchcraft, love, sisterhood and sacrifice. The sequel, Precious Catastrophe, takes readers back to the isolated village of Ballyfran, which acts as a magnet for people who are not quite human. Sisters Catlin and Madeline are trying to move on with their lives after the events of the first book, which saw Maddy give up a part of her soul to save her sister. But with Catlin still haunted by what happened to her and Maddy trying to master the ancient magics, it's not long before they come up against another evil that's haunting their hometown. This book - with its witchy vibes and supernatural sister protagonists - was made to be read during spooky season when the dark makes anything and everything seem possible. - Culture Fly, Best Summer Reads

Sullivan's prose bewitches in a tale featuring dark magic, supernatural predators and a plot worthy of Angela Carter - Observer

I've wanted to read Perfectly Preventable Deaths by Deirdre Sullivan ever since I first heard about it, in a tweet about three witchy, Irish books coming out this year (including Other Words for Smoke by Sarah Maria Griffin and All the Bad Apples by Moïra Fowley Doyle). And it was so, so good! Madeleine and her twin sister, Catlin, are moving with their mum to their new step-dad Brian's hometown of Ballyfrann. A town that is known for missing girls, and found body part in the mountains. To the castle - an actual castle - Brian's father built, and where Brian's aunt Mamó also lives - a surly woman who constantly glares at them and doesn't seem to want them around. It's a small town where everyone seems to know everyone, but no-one really seems all that interested in getting to know them. Except for Lon, an older boy of 19 or 20, who has taken a keen interest in Catlin - who's interest is very much returned. It doesn't take long for Catlin to become infatuated with him, but Maddie has felt uneasy about him since they met. Maddie herself is feeling quite strange; there's some instinct in her that tells her things aren't right. She has a compulsion to gather things she believes will protect her family; salt, sage, berries. But she's also discovering her own sexuality when she meets fellow new-comer to Ballyfrann, Oona. As Catlin gets more and more entangled with the controlling Lon, Maddie's unease grows. But when the two stumble across the dead body of a fox in the woods that has clearly been sacrificed, and get Mamó for help, they realise there is definitely something strange about this town. Maddie discovers magic lives in the world, that Mamó is a witch and she might be, too. Mamó offers Maddie the opportunity to be her apprentice, but it would mean giving up on all her plans for the future, and embrace a part of herself that she's been made to feel ashamed of. But when Catlin's life is in danger, Maddie will do anything to try to save her. At it's heart, Perfectly Preventable Deaths is a story about twin sisters and their bond. I absolutely loved Maddie and Catlin, and their relationship. Catlin is confident and sure of herself, without being arrogant, which I don't really think we see much of in YA? She's an extrovert, while Maddie is an introvert, with pretty low self-esteem. They're a bit like chalk and cheese, but they love each other. They bounce off each other so well, and they're just so funny. I loved them! And their bond was just so beautiful. Until Lon gets his claws into Catlin, she becomes infatuated, and practically addicted to him, and everything else seems to fade. Maddie really struggles with the distance growing between them, especially as she doesn't trust or like Lon, and is certain that he's no good. It was heartbreaking, but it was just wonderful seeing how much Maddie cared about her sister, but wasn't quite sure what the right thing to do was. Perfectly Preventable Deaths is a slow burner of a novel. Not a huge deal happens at first, but that's mainly because Ballyfrann is a town full of secrets, and they're kept under lock and key for the most part. There's a pervasive sense of something not being quite right - a strangeness to the town - but for a fair while, you can't put your finger on it. A lot of the story is build-up and introspection, though it's far from boring, because there are hints throughout of something, but you just don't know what. There's the castle with it's strange secret passages, the fear and respect Brian's not-so-nice father inspired. How everyone seems to be wary of Lon, but won't say why, or do anything about it. Something is going on, and there's a definite atmosphere. And finding the sacrificed fox scares the crap out of Maddie and Catlin. Who would do that? Why would they do that? Who or what are they sacrificing it to? And, also, what happened to the missing girls, that only a few body parts were ever found? What is going on here? The more uneasy Maddie feels, the more she gathers and hides things around the house, to keep them safe - a compulsion her mum tries again and again to stamp out of her, because "this isn't normal behaviour." Mamó will only say so much, saying Maddie doesn't need to know more yet, but also refuses to answer some questions unless Maddie becomes her apprentice. But the pace is dialled right up for the last third of the novel, and oh my god, it was just brilliant! It's sinister and malevolent, and frankly, quite messed up. And I can't talk about it without spoiling it! I do wish that Maddie was at a particular place at a certain point in the book, because I would have liked to have seen what happened first hand, but mate, it blew my mind. Not all questions are answered, and you are left with even more - especially with the epilogue! I have thoughts and I have theories, and I need answers! Perfectly Preventable Deaths feels very much like a first book in a series, with all the build up, and all the left over questions, and I honestly can't see how this could be a standalone with that epilogue. I need to know what happens next, I need all my answers, and I need to know if my theories about the epilogue are correct, because if they are... well. I am just not ok, ok? I'm not. This story may have a conclusion, but there is so much more going on, and I think danger is practically next-year-or-so imminent! And I think Ballyfrann and it's history is seriously, possibly, really, really screwy, especially if people are perhaps purposely overlooking things, and... I am just extremely worried for Maddie, Catlin and their mum right now, and I think they need to get out of Ballyfrann pronto! I just need a sequel! But I can't find any info that says it is or not. As you can probably guess, I adored Perfectly Preventable Deaths, and highly recommend it! It's such a mysterious, magical thriller, and I am just hooked. Do not sleep on this one! Thank you to Hot Key Books for the proof. - Onceuponabookcase

Perfectly Preventable Deaths is wince-inducingly gruesome, with another properly evil villain waiting to do some unspeakable things to the unwary, but it's also frequently laugh-out-loud funny. Magic comes with a price but it's one that's worth paying nonetheless. - SciFi Now Published On: 2019-12-12

WITH the upcoming release of its sequel, Precious Catastrophe, now is the perfect time to enter the world of Catlin and Maddy, the teenage twin sisters haunted by death in a way that could be described as anything but ordinary. This is a thrilling and creepy tale filled with an insidious, evil sort of magic alongside the good, protective sort, both of which are explored with mystery and satisfying clarity. Despite all the extraordinary and supernatural occurrences that take place, this is a surprisingly down-to-earth novel, one unpretentious and unafraid to make jokes, for the suspense is built so well that light banter between sisters and between friends could not ruin it, and in fact only enhances the story. The world built around these quick-witted and uniquely charming sisters is all the right kinds of scary with enough questions to be answered and important relationships explored that it is also filled with substance and heart. All this and more is what makes it the perfect read for leaving summer, and incredibly fitting for autumn and the lead up to Hallowe'en. Since the loss of their father when they were two years old, inseparable twins Madeline and Catlin have dealt with death and all that is dangerous differently. Catlin sought out a more traditional route, saying quiet prayers before bed and collecting images or small statues of Mary, and grew to be extroverted, charismatic and loved by all. Madeline, whose perspective the story is told from, found her solace in the strange, gathering plants and objects to bring her peace, finding a growing need to scatter salt as a kind of protection from the darker elements of light, despite the dismay of their mother at this odd behaviour. The two, however, find a greater need for their methods of soothing upon moving away from the city and into a much smaller Irish town with little more than a hundred people where everything feels somehow off. Their new stepfather Brian's home, now theirs, is a real-life castle in the deeply haunting Ballyfrann, in the mountains of which, over the past century, four girls have been found dead, and Madeline can't stop herself from thinking of them. These unsolved cases lie beneath all that is good about the town and its seeming mundanity, a thread that if pulled on too much would reveal a whole world of secrets. As Catlin grows closer to a local boy and Madeline begins to feel left out and sometimes forgotten by her oldest and closest friend - the only person she has truly been able to rely on - things in Ballyfrann start to feel more and more off. Maddy's need to gather to protect herself and her family from monsters she can't see grows stronger along with more and more conversations with Brian's strange older relative Mamó. She is a mysterious woman who creates a kind of discomfort, but a different kind than the rest of the town, the kind that comes from truth rather than secrets, and there is an undeniable magic to her that plays a part in Maddy's coming to terms with all the strange things under the surface of her new home. This is a story full of humanity, of sisterhood and friendship, of the inherent pain and beauty of first loves and of grief, both of those close to you and for some inexplicable connection to strangers and the corpses of small animals that mean something deeper. Although it's more than 300 pages, I got through this book quickly and adored every tense, eerie moment. - The National Published On: 2021-09-26

Perfectly Preventable Deaths is a slow paced but totally engaging book. It has got it all; relatable main characters, witchcraft, mystery, suspense with a dash of romance. The author clearly knows her craft as she is fantastic at building an atmosphere that compels the reader to keep turning the page... Maddy and Caitlin are 16-year-old twins, who move to a small Irish town called Ballyfrann. This is a town where everyone knows everyone else, but also have their secrets. The town also has a disturbing, unsolved mystery, as for many years young girls have disappeared in the surrounding mountains. The girls, so close before coming to this town, now seem to be drifting apart. What will the consequences be as they go into these different directions? This sinister story is only suitable for the confident 14+ reader as some of its content is quite disturbing at times; *a needed trigger warning here, as there are scenes of disturbing animal abuse (not sure that these scenes needed so much detail, especially in a YA book) and mild gore that may linger in the mind*. The plot also contains scenes of a controlling, abusive relationship and confusion of sexuality, as one of the twins questions their feelings for a friend. This is not a book for the sensitive reader. However, in saying all of this it would be a good read for book clubs as there are so many areas for discussion and debate. I'm now interested in reading the next book, as I'm curious how the girls will cope in this sinister town. A perfect read for the Halloween months. 368 pages / Reviewed by Linda Brown, school librarian Suggested Reading Age 14+ - Reading Zone

This is a story full of humanity, of sisterhood and friendship, of the inherent pain and beauty of first loves and of grief, both of those close to you and for some inexplicable connection to strangers and the corpses of small animals that mean something deeper. Although it's more than 300 pages, I got through this book quickly and adored every tense, eerie moment. -- Gemma E McLaughlin - The National Published On: 2021-09-26

Deirdre Sullivan is a writer from Galway. Her 2016 novel Needlework was awarded a White Raven and the CBI Honour Award for fiction. Tangleweed and Brine, a collection of dark fairy-tale retellings, won an Irish Book Award in 2017, and her first book for Hot Key Books, Perfectly Preventable Deaths, was shortlisted for the Awards in 2019. Her most recent book is Savage Her Reply with Little Island Books, a companion title to Tangleweed and Brine. Deirdre loves reading, knitting, bodily autonomy and guinea-pigs.