The Serpent Dance

‘ The Wicker Man meets Rebecca , with darkly beautiful surroundings and mysterious, brooding locals - this is the perfect summer holiday read , although it might unnerve you if you’re spending it in deepest, darkest Cornwall… I thoroughly enjoyed it!' - Fiona Leitch, bestselling author of the Jodie ‘Nosey’ Parker cozy crime series

‘ The Wicker Man meets Rebecca , with darkly beautiful surroundings and mysterious, brooding locals - this is the perfect summer holiday read , although it might unnerve you if you’re spending it in deepest, darkest Cornwall… I thoroughly enjoyed it!' - Fiona Leitch, bestselling author of the Jodie ‘Nosey’ Parker cozy crime series

‘Like the famed serpent dance itself, Sofia Slater’s story writhes its way to its climatic conclusion . Beguiling, well-written, with keen characterisation and moments of quiet humour, I recommend’ – Karen Taylor, author of Fairest Creatures

‘ Intriguing contemporary whodunnit ... author Slater creates a profoundly unsettling atmosphere ... mix of past and present, culture and calamity is quite charming ' - Crime Fiction Lover

' Steeped in the traditions of Cornwall … a novel with snippets of festivals and traditions, with tension and romance thrown in' - The Book Trail

‘The Gothic environment, at times evocative of some of the tales of Daphne du Maurier , is powerfully etched … A curious blend of romance and crime, folk horror and John Dickson Carr-like meticulous mystery and sleuthing makes for a hybrid novel with much to enjoy ’ - Crime Time

Praise for Auld Acquaintance

A strongly atmospheric book, with echoes of the conventions of the past, back beyond Christie ... Very well constructed, set, peopled and written' - Jeremy Black, The Critic

'Creepy and claustrophobic, it never loses its spell' - Geoffrey Wansell, Daily Mail

'Pretty much the perfect modern murder mystery' Ellery Lloyd, author of The Club

'A tense, moody and terrifically atmospheric book, with a vice-like grip' - SJ Watson

'Filled with deadly dancing around Cornish mid-summer bonfires' - The Bookseller

Sofia Slater was raised in the American West, and lived in France, Scotland and Oxford before settling in London. As well as writing fiction, she translates from French and Spanish. Her debut novel, Auld Acquaintance, was published in 2022 to great acclaim; The Serpent Dance is her second.