Kindle
$2.99
Available instantly
Audible Logo Audiobook
$0.00
with membership trial
Hardcover
$34.29
Paperback
$18.13
Kindle Price: $2.99

Promotions apply when you purchase

These promotions will be applied to this item:

Some promotions may be combined; others are not eligible to be combined with other offers. For details, please see the Terms & Conditions associated with these promotions.

Read with our free app
You've subscribed to ! We will preorder your items within 24 hours of when they become available. When new books are released, we'll charge your default payment method for the lowest price available during the pre-order period.
Update your device or payment method, cancel individual pre-orders or your subscription at
Your Memberships & Subscriptions

Buy for others

Give as a gift or purchase for a team or group.
Learn more

Buying and sending eBooks to others

  1. Select quantity
  2. Buy and send eBooks
  3. Recipients can read on any device

These ebooks can only be redeemed by recipients in the US. Redemption links and eBooks cannot be resold.
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Amazon book clubs early access
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Amazon book clubs early access

Join or create book clubs

Choose books together

Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Explore Amazon Book Clubs

Follow the author

Alison Littlewood
Follow
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

The Hidden People Kindle Edition

by Alison Littlewood (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
3.8 3.8 out of 5 stars 657 ratings
See all formats and editions

A chilling Gothic mystery from the bestselling author of Richard & Judy Book Club hit The Cold Season, perfect for fans of Susan Hill, The Coffin Path and The Silent Companions - where superstition and myth bleed into real life with tragic consequences.

'The twist is brilliant' Daily Mail

'Intriguing and unsettling' Sunday Express

Pretty Lizzie Higgs is gone, burned to death on her own hearth - but was she really a changeling, as her husband insists?

Albie Mirralls met his cousin only once, in 1851, within the grand glass arches of the Crystal Palace, but unable to countenance the rumours that surround her murder, he leaves his young wife in London and travels to Halfoak, a village steeped in superstition.

Albie begins to look into Lizzie's death, but in this place where the old tales hold sway and the 'Hidden People' supposedly roam, answers are slippery and further tragedy is just a step away.

'A skilful blend of the supernatural and the psychological . . . If you enjoyed Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke and the Woman in Black by Susan Hill, this is one for you' Mature Times

Previous page
  1. Print length
    374 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Arcadia
  5. Publication date
    October 6, 2016
  6. File size
    3801 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  10. See all details
Next page

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The story is narrated in an excellent Victorian voice; Albie's determination to maintain standards of propriety and rationality in the face of the weird events are admirably described in the first person.... an excellent and engaging read, moving to an absorbing conclusion."―Historical Novel Society

"[Alison Littlewood's A Cold Season] was a career defining masterpiece that exuded chills and almost.... hurt, in a frightening way. Hands down one of the year's greatest novels, it was the perfect debut and the ideal introduction to a welcoming worldwide audience . . . [She] may have had the most impact on the genre this year."―Matt Molgaard, Horror Novel Review (for A Cold Season)


"[A Cold Season] builds a real sense of foreboding and dread, which creates a chilling reading experience for fans of demonic and religious horror."―Library Journal (for A Cold Season)


"meticulously imagined"―Seattle Review of Books

"beautifully atmospheric. It's not so much shock-and-awe jump-scare horror as a slow, creeping buildup of wrongness that she creates by subtly weaving together details"―SFRevu

"the story is utterly atmospheric, full of the kind of beautiful, exquisite detail that slowly creeps up on you. Littlewood also writes wonderfully and has a flair for bringing a historical setting to life."―The Bibliosanctum

Praise for Alison Littlewood

The Bookseller Editor's Choice

"Littlewood's fiction is set in a world where the possible and the improbable rub shoulders, and strange stuff creeps through the gaps in out of the way places. She is the real deal, a writer with a unique vision."―TTA Press (about Path of Needles)


"those wanting to observe how subtle psychological horror can be, how the deepest fears can be contained in the smallest of actions, and that the gothic novel is still incredibly powerful even in these modern times, this is the book for them."―Starburst Magazine

"Trails of corpses, not bread crumbs, lead to terror in this captivating, psychologically complex hybrid of magical realism and police procedural . . . Crisp pacing and assured prose lend authenticity to a self-referential thriller that questions our values and the stories that define us."
―Publishers Weekly (Starred Review, for Path of Needles)


"Expertly creates an atmosphere of unease."―Kirkus Reviews

"The perfect book to curl up with on a chilly fall day, The Hidden People will make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up."
―Booklist


"There's an amazing sense of place and time in this novel . . . Littlewood perfectly captures the literary style, attitudes, and class consciousness of Victorian England."
―Publishers Weekly


"incredibly well thought out and put together... fantastic characters and plot"―Roadside Reader

"The Hidden People deftly drops readers into a bygone world where wise women dabble in foretelling the future and sharing herbal concoctions; hobgoblins, changelings and fairies are evident, if you know how to look; and folktales and fantasies can pervade the mind, bringing on delusions and misconceptions that threaten to overwhelm even the most logically minded soul."―Shelf Awareness

"The story was compelling, the characters interesting and complex, and it was an evocative novel that's going to have a solid place of my bookshelves from now on. Definitely recommended for those who are looking for something beyond typical urban fantasy fare, for those who enjoy historical fiction, and also, for those like me who have a soft spot for genre-breaking fiction that leaves you hungry for more."―Bibliotropic

About the Author

Alison Littlewood is the author of A Cold Season, published by Jo Fletcher Books. The novel was selected for the Richard and Judy Book Club, where it was described as 'perfect reading for a dark winter's night.' Her second novel, Path of Needles, is a dark blend of fairy tales and crime fiction. Alison's short stories have been picked for the Best Horror of the Year and Mammoth Book of Best New Horror anthologies, as well as The Best British Fantasy 2013 and The Mammoth Book of Best British Crime 10. Alison lives in West Yorkshire, England, with her partner Fergus.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07TV4ZVD8
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Arcadia (October 6, 2016)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 6, 2016
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 3801 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 374 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.8 3.8 out of 5 stars 657 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Alison Littlewood

Alison Littlewood

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Alison Littlewood was raised in Penistone, South Yorkshire, and went on to attend the University of Northumbria at Newcastle (now Northumbria University). Originally she planned to study graphic design, but "missed the words too much" and switched to a joint English and History degree. She followed a career in marketing before developing her love of writing fiction.

She now lives in a house of creaking doors and crooked walls in South Yorkshire, with her partner Fergus. She loves exploring the hills and dales with her two hugely enthusiastic Dalmatians and has a penchant for books on folklore and weird history, Earl Grey tea and semicolons.

Alison’s short stories have been picked for several Best Of anthologies and gathered together in her collections Quieter Paths, Five Feathered Tales and The Flowering. She has won the Shirley Jackson Award for Short Fiction.

She also writes as A. J. Elwood.

Her website is at www.alisonlittlewood.co.uk.

Customer reviews

3.8 out of 5 stars
3.8 out of 5
657 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Floyd Brigdon
4.0 out of 5 stars This was very fun to read and I will definitely read more by ...
Reviewed in the United States on November 14, 2016
Verified Purchase
This is a very well written Gothic supernatural suspense story that will appeal especially to readers who are familiar with Celtic folklore.
Though some have complained about the pacing, I thought that the novel was perfectly paced and the characters very well drawn.
This was very fun to read and I will definitely read more by Mrs. Littlewood.
9 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Reader Rosie
5.0 out of 5 stars Atmospheric historical thriller
Reviewed in the United States on March 15, 2022
Verified Purchase
This author has perfect command of historical world building in this Victorian fantasy/mystery. She perfectly recreates the tone, cadence and vocabulary of mid-19th century British literature. The pastoral setting comes alive and I felt I could hear the trees and birds and the eerie fiddle music drifting through the window. The characters are sharply drawn. The main character, Albie, is a proper Victorian gentleman navigating some seriously odd circumstances, while trying to maintain decorum. The sexual repression of that era creates significant tension in this story. The book has a quite sedate pace, but I never felt it was too slow because it was so well written. I savored every minute.
7 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Lynn
3.0 out of 5 stars Could not get into this book
Reviewed in the United States on September 29, 2022
Verified Purchase
I did finish reading it finally, but I was not happy with it.
Helpful
 Report
Kindle Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars One of my favorite authors trying something new.
Reviewed in the United States on November 8, 2016
Verified Purchase
I applaud the choice to write this as if it were a 19th century piece, but sometimes it was a bit much. Overall I liked it, but the pace could have been a little faster.

I agree with previous posters that it did pick up, but it took me a while to get into it.
5 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
preno
2.0 out of 5 stars Boaring
Reviewed in the United States on March 17, 2022
Verified Purchase
Too wordy and boaring. Maybe a English major would like it. Could have been 100 pages shorter. Hard to follow the natives narrative.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
P. Wilber
5.0 out of 5 stars Strange yet compelling
Reviewed in the United States on December 8, 2016
Verified Purchase
If this is a first book;I want to see what the next book will be like. Pulls you into another time vividly.
2 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Santificado
3.0 out of 5 stars ... I was hoping it would be but a very intelligent and well crafted novel
Reviewed in the United States on December 6, 2017
Verified Purchase
Not what I was hoping it would be but a very intelligent and well crafted novel.
3 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Nija K Richmond
4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting Book
Reviewed in the United States on April 1, 2019
Verified Purchase
Kept my attention. Good read.
2 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report

Top reviews from other countries

L
5.0 out of 5 stars Favourite novel of the year so far
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 3, 2018
Verified Purchase
I can't even begin to say how much I loved this novel. It's a brilliant story - complex, engaging and gripping - and the writing itself is just beautiful. I lost myself in it entirely, and was so sad once I'd finished it! Didn't see the ending coming either, which makes a very welcome change.

Recommend this wholeheartedly to fans of dark, contemporary and/or literary fiction.
2 people found this helpful
 Report
DadTheTooth
4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyably different
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 14, 2022
Verified Purchase
A great tale, I have spent a lot of time walking Yorkshire and some of the places I have come across certainly have a magical feel. I enjoyed the very Victorian style of writing (not all will), sadly the ending just felt wrong to me -I’m not going to spoil it - make your own mind up. It’s a personal thing.
I am going to read more Alison Littlewood.
Report
fiona
3.0 out of 5 stars Not fast enough in pace
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 9, 2018
Verified Purchase
I only reached 40% and gave up, too slow to keep my imagination going and very 2D characters in my opinion. Definitely my usual type of tale but not a good read for me this time
Report
A. Linton
5.0 out of 5 stars Utterly charming
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 6, 2017
Verified Purchase
I really can't remember the last time I picked up a book by an author I never heard of and was blown away like this. I agree with the reviewer who compared this book to the writings of Thomas Hardy and (in my opinion) it would be worth reading for the way the author evokes the lost charm of rural England, before the industrial revolution took hold, even without its rich and atmospheric plot. It also reminds me strongly of that less known English author Jeffery Farnol (if you loved 'The Broad Highway' you will probably enjoy this). However this is in no way old-fashioned -Littlewood manages to bring a fresh contemporary slant to this subject material and I wasn't really sure what I was reading at first - was this a Victorian murder mystery in a superstitious rural setting or a fantasy novel about the 'little folk?', and even now I'm not completely sure. I would definitely recommend it to those who don't mind rich densely descriptive prose, a brooding atmosphere and a slow build up, rather than a novel packed with action from the start.
18 people found this helpful
 Report
Kaz
2.0 out of 5 stars Much ado about nothing.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 14, 2022
Verified Purchase
Only because I hate not to finish a book did I trudge on to the end of that one.
The premise is tenuous (all that for a cousin whom the main character only met once) and the whole story excessive to the point of being ridiculous rather than sublime. When his wife questions his motives and he gives his lame reasons, it feels like the author herself is anticipating the reader’s questions and trying to justify herself for writing this big drama about so little.
To create a somewhat Victorian atmosphere, the author compiles all the clichés you could imagine. There is no creativity, no real imagination here. The story drags on in a boring and unsurprising, even predictable, way. When an element of mystery crops up, the answer comes in the next few pages or couple of chapters, before another one starts. One mystery at a time, please! So there is no build-up, no tension, nothing keeping you on the edge of your seat. The main character is irritating in his stubbornness, and if the end is supposed to be a grand twist, well, it failed to impress me.
One person found this helpful
 Report
Report an issue

Does this item contain inappropriate content?
Report
Do you believe that this item violates a copyright?
Report
Does this item contain quality or formatting issues?
Report