I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Newbourne Park by Jennifer Thorne Published by G.P. Putnam's Sons on September 29 2026
Genres: Adult, Horror
Pages: 368
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
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The nitty-gritty: A visceral tale of monsters both human and supernatural, Newbourne Park is a bloody, terrifying story of hunger and survival.
“You’ll soon come to wish we ate you too.”
When I finished Jennifer Thorne’s last book, Diavola, I knew it was going to be hard for the author to top herself. But with Newbourne Park, Thorne hits many of the same highs but in completely different ways. This book certainly cements her status as one of the best horror writers out there and is a must read for fans of the genre.
Martha Shaw is a twenty-six year old still reeling emotionally from the recent death of her mother. To take her mind off things, her brother Ian suggests she tag along with him, his girlfriend Lucy and their mutual friend Tommy on an illicit outing. Tommy works at a grand country estate called Newbourne Park, the home of Lady Olivia Lambert, and his plan is to sneak into the house while the owner and staff are gone for the weekend. Tommy has an access card, after all, and he promises the surveillance cameras will be turned off. The four of them can enjoy everything the estate has to offer without anyone finding out.
At first it’s an adventure, breaking in, drinking the expensive booze, swimming in the pool, even partaking in the drugs that Tommy brought with him. But then someone shows up. In fact, a caravan of cars arrives at dusk one evening, filled with an odd assortment of people. Martha and others run into the house to hide, hoping to leave out the back before they are noticed. Until Lucy looks out the window and sees something horrifying. Before they can stop her, Lucy runs from the house, but it’s too late. What follows is a bloodbath as Martha and her friends find themselves trying to survive an impossible terror.
To avoid spoilers, I won’t reveal the type of supernatural creature in the story, although there are some obvious clues on the cover. Thorne’s themes of hunger, especially set against the backdrop of class divide, worked perfectly for this type of story. Yes, the killings are bloody and shocking, but even more surprising are the complicitous townsfolk who live in the nearby village and know exactly what goes on at Newbourne Park. The secrets surrounding the estate and the way outsiders are given the cold shoulder felt like watching an episode of The Twilight Zone.
Thorne divides her story into three sections: what happens to Martha when she’s at Newbourne Park, how she ends up back there after her “condition” kicks in, and her final, brutal act of vengeance when she uncovers some horrible secrets going on at the estate. This three act structure keeps the story full of surprises, but most of all shows how Martha changes over the course of the book from a fairly innocent woman to a cruel, calculating one who must change in order to survive. Martha really is the star of the show here, with the story being told from her first person point of view, and while she isn’t your typical sympathetic heroine—she’s very hard to like, honestly—let’s just say I admired her, especially after everything she goes through. I also loved the way the story unfolds, with Martha listing each of her “sins” as chapter titles (Sin One: Trespassing, Sin Two: Covetousness, etc.)
The author explains in a short introduction (which may or may not appear in the finished book) that she is an American living in the UK and therefore excluded from class expectations, which makes her the perfect silent observer of class divide. This divide is shockingly wide here, especially for Martha, whose humble upbringing is a stark contrast to her well connected college friend Laura, for example, who treats Martha horribly (although don’t worry, Laura eventually gets what’s coming to her!). There are so many little nuances like this that bring extra depth to the story and also set the stage for Martha’s transformation (and yes, I do mean “transformation” in more ways than one!)
The horror itself is nicely done and integrated perfectly into the rest of the story. The menacing tone starts as soon as the four friends arrive at Newbourne Park, as Thorne drops little details that make the reader uncomfortable: a fenced off poison garden near the house; a ditch outside filled with animal bones; the vastness of the house where unsettling paintings loom over its inhabitants; even rumors of a ghost who haunts the property. Martha already knows the outcome of the events, and her frequent foreshadowing only makes the reader more nervous for what’s to come. I must also mention Jennifer Thorne’s absolutely stunning prose, and the way she tells her story reminded me a lot of The Secret History, another book I love.
There is much more to Newbourne Park, details and characters I haven’t talked about in this review, but hopefully I’ve made you curious enough to discover the rest for yourself.
Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.
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