A Slow and Secret Poison

by Carmella Lowkis

(Atria Books, February 20, 2026

If you like dark, twisty mysteries, you may enjoy Carmella Lowkis’s second novel, A SLOW AND SECRET POISON (February 20,2026, Atria Books). Following the success of her debut novel, SPITTING GOLD, young and energetic Carmella Lowkis has a gift for rich metaphore and building tension between disparate characters.  She talks with Authorlink about developing her latest book and how she found her agents (one in the UK and one in the US).

A Slow and Secret Poison is set in the early 1900s, when a young gardener at a lush English manor falls in love with her employer whose past is shrouded in deadly secrets…” (Entertainment Weekly) Spitting Gold.

1922, Wiltshire: When Vee Morgan accepts the job of gardener at a crumbling stately home in southwest England, she’s hoping it’s a fresh start.

But Harfold Manor is shadowed by its own grief and the memories of long-faded glory, its rooms haunted by the only surviving member of the family, Lady Arabella Lascy. Vee is fascinated by her enigmatic new employer, a woman obsessed with the curse she believes has killed her family one by one and is coming for her next. Her only hope for escape is a local folktale: the elusive dancing hare that gave her ancestor its blessing and the house its name.

But even as Vee falls deeper under the thrall of Harfold and Lady Arabella, her own dark past finally catches up to her in this lush and atmospheric novel.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Carmella Lowkis grew up in Wiltshire, UK, and has a degree in English literature and creative writing from the University of Warwick, where she was mentored by Sunday Times (London) bestselling author Sarah Moss. After graduating, she worked in libraries before moving into book marketing. Carmella lives in London with her girlfriend. You can follow her on X and Instagram @CarmellaLowkis. Spitting Gold is her first novel.

PREVIOUS PRAISE FOR CARMELLA LOWKIS:
“A twisty, Gothic thriller…that has serious Sarah Waters vibes.”
—Entertainment Weekly
“All is not what it seems in this lush and twist-filled tale…SPITTING GOLD is carefully plotted, fully characterized, and incredibly satisfying.”
—CrimeReads
“Magnificent debut…Lowkis skillfully orchestrates the contentious relationship between Sylvie and Charlotte, each of whom resort to subterfuges and schemes, and pulls off a series of surprising twists that completely change the shape of the story. It’s an auspicious first outing from a writer to watch.”
—Publishers Weekly, starred review
“This atmospheric tale has twists, schemes, and surprises that will keep the reader guessing until the last page.”
—Booklist
“Lowkis’ twisty debut plays with the conventions of the gothic novel in a tale that pits two ambitious sisters against each other… A deliciously convoluted tale of layered deceptions.”
—Kirkus Reviews