World English language rights for Alex Clark’s debut gothic mystery DOVECOMBE have been sold to Nneoma Amadi-obi at Norton by Siân Ellis-Martin at Blake Friedmann Literary Agency. The book is set to publish in January 2027.

In DOVECOMBE, intense, repressed Dorrie is secretly in love with vivid, self-assured Alys. When Dorrie’s abusive marriage implodes, the two women flee to Alys’ remote family home, Dovecombe Manor. Hoping for a haven, Dorrie finds instead a ruin sunk deep in eerie woodland, haunted by an historic curse and held in limbo by a decade-old unsolved arson.

When suspicions about the fire focus on Alys, eroding Alys’s sanity, Dorrie sets out to protect the woman she loves. Her quest draws her into the sinful pasts of the manor and its secretive and vengeful occupants, including calculating matriarch Caroline, who will stop at nothing to restore Dovecombe and her family to their former grandeur. But in this bleak, wild landscape stalked by violence, pulsing with malice and dread, the most dangerous thing of all might be Dorrie…

Written in an evocative literary style, rich in atmosphere and sensory details, DOVECOMBE is a modern gothic for readers of Daphne du Maurier and Sarah Waters.

Alex Clark said ‘DOVECOMBE is a love letter to the Gothic, and I was lucky enough to find an agent and an editor who share that love. Nneoma’s editorial vision has made the book the best version of itself, and I could not be happier to be working with the fantastic team at WW Norton.’

Nneoma Amadi-obi said ‘DOVECOMBE is immersive storytelling, from the well-drawn characters, to the richly-imagined setting, to the arresting plot. I can't wait for readers to be introduced to DOVECOMBE and to characters that will stay with you long after reading.’

Sian Ellis-Martin said ‘DOVECOMBE’s opening lines had me immediately hooked and it was impossible to put the book down. Working with Alex is such a joy and I’m so pleased we’ve found the perfect home for DOVECOMBE in Norton. I’m excited for readers to meet Dorrie and Alys and to experience the spine-tingling tension and beauty of Alex’s writing.’

About Alex Clark

Alex Clark is a novelist, short story writer, poet, and connoisseur of all things Gothic. She is an undercover Northerner based in Cheltenham, where she lives with her husband and children. Her career has been varied, including stints as a cathedral stonemason, industrial archaeologist and gardener. Her short stories and poems have appeared in The Mechanics’ Institute Review Online, Shooter Literary Magazine, Prole, Litro Online, Lighthouse Journal, The North, and anthologies by The Fiction Desk. She’s read at the Cheltenham Literature Festival and received a mention in Salt Publishing’s Best British Short Stories 2019.