Don’t Say His Name

'Twas the night before Christmas, when lights and ornaments adorn the trees and families reunite to celebrate the holidays, including our protagonist, Detective Stayer, who takes a job in the coastal town of Thoorgala, NSW, to reconnect with his estranged sister, Ruby. But, immediately, he is called to investigate the strange murder of a woman found on the beach. There are no bruises on her body, no blunt force trauma or poisons coming up on the autopsy report. The only clue is a symbol carved onto her hand, a symbol everyone in the town recognises as the mark of Tall Harry, a terrifying urban legend who sucks the soul out of his victims. As more bodies are found with this peculiar symbol, and more women go missing, including Ruby, Detective Stayer begins to question his reality, wondering if he ever really knew his sister at all.

Rachel Givney has concocted the perfect potion, weaving together a small-town murder mystery, folklore and witchcraft, and a mystifying blend of what’s real and what’s not. Detective Stayer, a sceptical cop, makes the perfect counterpart to his companion, Sister Catherine Kelley, a superstitious nun whose knowledge of folkloric and urban legends comes in handy as they try to uncover Tall Harry – and whether he is a man in a mask or the real (supernatural) thing.

Urban legends have always spooked me, maybe because they are inherently tied to modernity – there’s a possibility of their reality being closer to mine than any ancient myth or fairytale. This novel had me on the edge of my seat, compelled and too chilled to the bone to look away. We’ve all heard of Bloody Mary and Slenderman. Now it’s time to introduce yourself to the horror that is Tall Harry. This book will cast a spell over you from the first page to the very last.