Black Toad: A Gothic Thriller from Cornwall - Paperback via Bookvault

Black Toad: A Gothic Thriller from Cornwall
By Tom Herrington

A missing child. A village full of secrets. A pitch-black gothic thriller with bite, underlined by a heartbreaking environmental metaphor. 

Welcome to Trebrowagh—a remote Cornish village perched on the edge of Bodmin Moor, where secrets rot beneath the surface and silence is never what it seems.

When a mute boy vanishes without trace in 1991, the close-knit community retreats into denial. Decades later, forensic psychologist Dr Jack Greene returns to Trebrowagh to reopen the cold case—but finds himself entangled in a web of folklore, trauma, and twisted family ties.

Told across two timelines, Black Toad is a genre-defying thriller that blends gothic horror, dark humour, and psychological suspense. With shades of Rebecca, The Wicker Man, and The League of Gentlemen, this haunting debut is perfect for fans of Daphne du Maurier, Catriona Ward, and Jane Harper.

★ “Twisted, vivid, and wickedly funny.”
★ “Like a Ferrari crashing into a white van—and you laugh as you drive past.”
★ “A Cornish gothic with teeth.”