The Deep

disease. That it festers the way a fine mold grows inside a milk bottle left too long in the sun-undetectable at first but soon sour and corrupting, until all the milk is spoiled.



Annie sits on a hard little stool in the needle room with her morning's labor puddled in her lap, but it is the letter tucked inside her pocket that brushes up against her thoughts unwillingly, a glowing ember burning through the linen of her dress. Annie recognized the handwriting before she even saw the name on the envelope. She has reread it now at least a dozen times. In the dark cover of night, when no one is looking, she kisses it like a crucifix.



As if drawn to the sin of Annie's thoughts, a nurse materializes at her shoulder. Annie wonders how long she has been standing there, studying Annie. This one is new. She doesn't know Annie yet-not well, anyway. They leave Annie to the late arrivals on staff, who haven't yet learned to be frightened of her.



"Anne, dear, Dr. Davenport would like to see you. I'm to escort you to his office."



Annie rises from her stool. None of the other women glance up from their sewing. The nurses never turn their backs to the patients of Morninggate, so Annie shuffles down the corridor, the nurse's presence like a hot poker at her back. If Annie could get a moment alone, she would get rid of the letter. Stash it behind the drapes, tuck it under the carpet runner. She mustn't let the doctor find it. Just thinking of it again sends a tingle of shame through her body.



But she is never alone at Morninggate.



In the dusty reflection of the hall windows they appear like two ghosts-Annie in her pale, dove-gray uniform, the nurse in her long cream skirt, apron, and wimple. Past a long series of closed doors, locked rooms, in which the afflicted mutter and wail.



What do they scream about? What torments them so? For some, it was gin. Others were sent here by husbands, fathers, even brothers who don't like the way their women think, don't like that they ar

fiction, the historical and the horrific, The Deep reveals a chilling truth in an unputdownable narrative full of unnerving moments and with a growing, inexorable sense of foreboding. Nerd Daily

A ghost story set against the backdrop of the sinking of the Titanic is a strong premise to set out with, from a writer who has good form with mixing horror with history after The Hunger .This creepy sounding tale is highly appealing. Den of Geek

A riveting, seductively menacing tale of love, loss, and betrayal set amid the glamour of the Titanic, filled with séances, sea witches, and second chances. Library Journal (starred review)

Painstakingly researched and meticulously plotted...Though readers will be aware of the inevitable tragedies awaiting, Katsu successfully injects suspense into both time lines, spinning a darkly captivating tale of hauntings, possessions, secrets, and class....Katsu s artful writing and calculated pacing keep the pages turning. This is an impressive, horror-tinged trip back in time. Publishers Weekly

Atmospheric prose and exquisite attention to detail distinguish Katsu's follow-up to The Hunger....A kaleidoscopic narrative adds color and depth. Kirkus Reviews

A slow-burning but satisfying and eerie yarn. Booklist

Even though you know what will happen these ships are gonna go down it does not diminish the eerie suspense one iota. BookPage

Alma Katsu returns with another masterly supernatural reimagining of a historical tragedy: the sinking of the Titanic and her sister ship, the Britannic. Eerie, haunting, and filled with suspense, The Deep is a whirlpool of a novel that pulls you in and doesn t let go. Danielle Trussoni, author of the Angelology series and The Ancestor
 
At once both tragic and chilling, The Deep perfectly blends psychological thriller and eerie gothic ghost story to create something truly haunting, drawing you down into its dark depths before finally letting you up for air. Set in the claustrophobic confines of two doomed ships in their final days, Katsu s excellently researched new novel establishes her as a unique voice in historical fiction. I can t wait to see what she does next. Sarah Pinborough, author of Behind Her Eyes

The way Alma Katsu weaves the true story of the Titanic and her sister ship, Britannic, with this dark, terrifying tale of possession and haunting is phenomenal. Part history, part drama, part love story, part creepy-as-heck ghost tale, with chills icier than the watery depths, The Deep is beautifully written, thoroughly absorbing, and totally terrifying. C.J. Tudor, author of The Chalk Man

Here's an incredibly ambitious setting, prose as ornate as the boat, mood as ghostly as gothic, and what must have been enough research to build a ship of her own. Yet, The Deep is thrilling, rich, frightening, unsettling, and, best of all, told from the heart. I'm going to have to read it again, because I'm not sure how she did it....The Deep is divine. I hear bugles blaring; the announcement of the arrival of a brilliant author. Josh Malerman, author of Bird Box, Unbury Carol, and Inspection

The Deep deftly mashes up spellbinding historical fiction, adroit commentary on class and gender, and a classic yet surprising ghost story. Annie s tale is truly haunting. Paul Tremblay, author of A Head Full of Ghosts and The Cabin at the End of the World

Blending choice elements of mystery and horror into an impeccably recreated history, Alma Katsu has created a rich, haunting, irresistible novel that succeeds in rewriting the past while making it feel more ominously present than ever. Louis Bayard, author of Courting Mr. Lincoln and Roosevelt s Beast
 
Alma Katsu is a fantastic writer, with a unique ability to blur the lines of history, horror, humanity, and tragedy. Think Diana Gabaldon by way of Charlaine Harris. As with her exceptional novel, The Hunger, in The Deep Katsu takes on an infamous tragedy and adds her own haunting twists. A marvelous new addition to Katsu s already impressive body of work. Michael Koryta, author of Those Who Wish Me Dead

Like The Hunger, The Deep is historical reimagining laced with magic and mystery. Alma Katsu adds a sweeping love story and a ghostly tale of revenge to the sinkings of RMS Titanic and HMHS Britannic to tell a tale that is haunting, thrilling, and utterly original. Dacre Stroker, co-author of Dracul 

Elegant and eerie. Alma Katsu really is something rather special. John Connolly, author of A Book of Bones