The year is AD 62. As Roman forces struggle to maintain their control over Britannia, one weary soldier heads south to begin a long journey home. But when he arrives at the port of Rutupiae, Lucius Vibius Marcellus discovers a grisly scene: an entire patrol has been massacred on a beach by an unseen force, close to a mysterious site known as the Crow's Ford.

More than a thousand years before this stretch of coast becomes the town of Crowford, Marcellus and his freedman Demetrius find themselves drawn into a clash of civilisations. Local tribes warn of powerful priests who can conjure demons, while Marcellus believes that the Romans have a duty to civilise the local savages. And when he witnesses the abilities of a local man, Marcellus is forced to confront the awful truth that he's caught up in a battle between competing gods.

Something else is lurking in the shadows, however. A vast forest spreads out from the edge of the beach, creating a dangerous area where different beliefs come crashing together. Can Marcellus discover what really happened to the patrol? Can he save the settlement from an ancient power? And will he ever be able to resume his journey back to Rome – or will this remote province, at the edge of the known world, finally claim his soul?

The Horror of the Crow's Ford is another stand-alone book in the long-running Ghosts of Crowford series, about a spooky English town where the ghosts outnumber the living and nothing is ever quite what it seems.

First published: August 2026
Genre: Ghost / Horror
Series or Standalone: Anthology Series