Don't look too closely into the mirror.

It may look back...

The village of Harrowmere is plagued by strangeness: foggy boglands, eerie wraithlights and the legend of Grasping Jack. So how could local boy Dunn Caulkner have known that the darkest threat of all would come from a mirror?

Nobody questions the travelling salesman touting looking glasses. Nor do Dunn and his friends see any harm in a ritual said to reveal your true self. After all, what could be dangerous about a reflection?

The answer is everything...

Praise for Lykewise:

'This is everything I could ask for from a middle-grade horror... Sophisticated, spooky and smart' Jack Mackay, author of Gloam

'This eerie work of genius proves why Darren Simpson is the king of middle-grade horror!' Elle McNicoll, author of A Kind of Spark

'Perfect for fans of the Aveline Jones series, Lykewise will leave you thinking twice before you look in the mirror' Scope for Imagination



Darren Simpson is the critically acclaimed author of Scavengers, The Memory Thieves, Furthermoor and Thirst. His award-winning books have been translated into several languages and he's been nominated twice for the prestigious Carnegie Medal. He also once won a budgie at school. Darren lives with his wife and sons in Nottingham and loves long walks with headphones, playing the drums and reading in bed on rainy Sunday mornings.



This is everything I could ask for from a middle-grade horror... Sophisticated, spooky, and smart.



This eerie work of genius proves why Darren Simpson is the king of middle-grade horror!



Dripping with dread, LYKEWISE had me reminiscing about the old Hammer films I loved in my youth, and the occult tales of Dennis Wheatley. If you're in search of foggy, fen-bound frights, look no further



Perfect for fans of the Aveline Jones series, Lykewise will leave you thinking twice before you look in the mirror



The story was perfectly paced and packed with truly chilling moments that I won't forget in a hurry (I will never be saying those words between two mirrors). I loved the world building, and the darkness running through it, and how Darren never patronises his young readers. He is the master of folk-horror for middle-grade, without a doubt



And as the nights start to draw in, this chilling tale is the perfect read to curl up with. I've been a fan of Darren Simpson's writing since his debut and I know Lykewise is going to get its hooks into so many horror fans



Great, creepy, occasionally downright nasty, and perfect for budding horror fans. Darren Simpson is fast becoming the new king of middle-grade horror!



I can't imagine a better mid-grade chiller than Lykewise. The writing is elegant and beautifully judged, the atmosphere gloriously creepy. It's also thoughtful and clever, stimulating the mind as well as the hair follicles on the back of your neck



Deliciously dark with instances of stomach-churning grossness this is a horror story not to miss. Perfect for fans of Jack Mackay, the Red Eye series and Stranger Things



- Praise for Thirst



This creepy, compelling YA folk horror boasts a transporting sense of ritual and place



Thirst draws on folk horror, with its focus on the evil that men do in service of tradition and superstition, and combines it with quintessential coming-of-age quandaries... Creepy and thought-provoking



Gripping, gruesome, dark and dripping



What a story! Properly creepy Wicker Man vibes with seemingly effortless world building and characters you'll take to your heart. Loved it



A gripping tale infused with dark secrets and superstitions



This gruesomely imagined folk horror is the most brilliantly dark and dangerously fun book I've read all year. Darren's wonderful writing and inventive world-building drag you in and pull you under. It's so compelling you just have to go with the flow, and hope. There's no escaping the chilling horror.



Wow! This gloriously dark tale about an insatiable blood-thirsty river and the town held within its grip had me at the first chapter!