There Came A-Tapping
A gripping thriller that will keep you up all night
Published on 23. October 2025
Book
Paperback/Softback
336 pages
978-1-4087-1906-0 (ISBN)
Description
'Beautifully written . . . This dark tale never loses its grip. Best not to read it at night' DAILY MAIL
'A brilliant, creepy, wonderfully written mystery that will keep you turning the pages until you have to get up and put all the lights on because you're scared out of your wits' STEVE CAVANAGH
'Atmospheric, creepy . . . kept me guessing right till the end. I loved it' ANDREA MARA
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Since losing her parents in a car crash as a teen, Allie has struggled to cope. Meeting Rory finally made things easier. She's come to rely on him for almost everything, so when he disappears while filming a documentary in the West of Ireland, she fears she'll come undone. Again.
Tap...
When a couple arrive at the Dublin apartment she and Rory share, claiming to be the new tenants, Allie is distraught. Why did Rory let out their home without telling her? And - where is he?
Tap-tap...
She seeks refuge at the run-down and reputedly haunted Raven Cottage in the Slieve Bloom mountains, where she and Rory were planning to move one day. Allie slowly starts to build a life for herself - and begins to believe that she might manage to make it alone.
Tap-tap-tap...
But then Rory's car is found submerged at the end of a pier, nowhere near where he was supposed to be - and the body in the driver's seat isn't his. Alison starts to revisit her memories of their time together, and begins to question if she can trust them...
A gripping, haunting thriller that will give you chills - perfect for fans of Tana French, Erin Kelly and Jane Casey.
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'Scary and thrilling in equal nature, I was obsessed with finishing this book. A must read' JO SPAIN
'A rural community full of secrets, a satisfyingly baffling mystery and a plot that races along to a perfect conclusion' JANE CASEY
'Hauntingly atmospheric . . . will keep you up all night!' SAM BLAKE
'Devoured this in two sittings. A hugely atmospheric mystery with a creeping sense of dread' BRIAN MCGILLOWAY
'Had me gripped from the start' AMANDA JENNINGS
'A brilliant, creepy, wonderfully written mystery that will keep you turning the pages until you have to get up and put all the lights on because you're scared out of your wits' STEVE CAVANAGH
'Atmospheric, creepy . . . kept me guessing right till the end. I loved it' ANDREA MARA
------------
Since losing her parents in a car crash as a teen, Allie has struggled to cope. Meeting Rory finally made things easier. She's come to rely on him for almost everything, so when he disappears while filming a documentary in the West of Ireland, she fears she'll come undone. Again.
Tap...
When a couple arrive at the Dublin apartment she and Rory share, claiming to be the new tenants, Allie is distraught. Why did Rory let out their home without telling her? And - where is he?
Tap-tap...
She seeks refuge at the run-down and reputedly haunted Raven Cottage in the Slieve Bloom mountains, where she and Rory were planning to move one day. Allie slowly starts to build a life for herself - and begins to believe that she might manage to make it alone.
Tap-tap-tap...
But then Rory's car is found submerged at the end of a pier, nowhere near where he was supposed to be - and the body in the driver's seat isn't his. Alison starts to revisit her memories of their time together, and begins to question if she can trust them...
A gripping, haunting thriller that will give you chills - perfect for fans of Tana French, Erin Kelly and Jane Casey.
------------
'Scary and thrilling in equal nature, I was obsessed with finishing this book. A must read' JO SPAIN
'A rural community full of secrets, a satisfyingly baffling mystery and a plot that races along to a perfect conclusion' JANE CASEY
'Hauntingly atmospheric . . . will keep you up all night!' SAM BLAKE
'Devoured this in two sittings. A hugely atmospheric mystery with a creeping sense of dread' BRIAN MCGILLOWAY
'Had me gripped from the start' AMANDA JENNINGS
Reviews / Votes
Beautifully written . . . This dark tale never loses its grip - part mystery, part ghost story - with the terrified Allie at its heart. Best not to read it at night * Daily Mail * A very accomplished novel * The Critic * A brilliant, creepy, wonderfully written mystery that will keep you turning the pages until you have to get up and put all the lights on because you're scared out of your wits -- Steve Cavanagh, Sunday Times bestselling author An atmospheric, creepy, tense thriller - intriguing, haunting, and kept me guessing right till the end. I loved it. A sure-fire hit! -- Andrea Mara, author of Sunday Times and Irish Times bestseller NO ONE SAW A THING There Came A-Tapping is Andrea Carter at her best: a vulnerable protagonist who makes agonising choices, a rural community full of secrets, a satisfyingly baffling mystery and a plot that races along to a perfect conclusion -- Jane Casey, No. 1 Irish bestseller A STRANGER IN THE FAMILY A sublime new standalone from a gifted writer. Scary and thrilling in equal nature, I was obsessed with finishing this book. A must read -- Jo Spain, author of THE CONFESSION Authentic, original, hauntingly atmospheric, and in parts just plain terrifying, There Came A-Tapping will keep you up all night! A brilliantly woven thriller, I couldn't put it down -- Sam Blake, No. 1 bestselling author of REMEMBER MY NAME Devoured this in two sittings. Wonderful evocation of a small village community and a hugely atmospheric mystery with a creeping sense of dread which builds to a satisfying, surprising conclusion. Not to be missed -- Brian McGilloway, author of THE ONE YOU LEAST SUSPECT Had me gripped from the start. Packed with atmosphere and an eerie claustrophobia, this story set in a small rural community is full of tension and a ratcheting sense of peril. I was fully invested in the story, and could picture every detail of Raven Cottage so perfectly I could have been there. Loved this! -- Amanda Jennings, author of THE CLIFF HOUSE An engaging read with a seemingly vulnerable but in the end surprisingly resilient character at its heart. Thoroughly enjoyable * Irish Independent * An involving, pacy novel, full of intrigue. There Came-A-Tapping is an intelligent, modern exploration of the shocking history of misogyny and gender-based violence in Ireland -- Sarah Gilmartin, author of SERVICEMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Little, Brown Book Group
Dimensions
Height: 197 mm
Width: 128 mm
Thickness: 24 mm
Weight
234 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4087-1906-0 (9781408719060)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
03/2025
Constable
€6.49
Available for download
Person
Andrea Carter grew up in Ballyfin, Co. Laois. She graduated in Law from Trinity College, Dublin, qualified as a solicitor and moved to the Inishowen peninsula. Having practised law for twenty years, more recently as a barrister, she now writes full time. She was shortlisted for the Irish Book Awards in 2019 and her first three books have been optioned for television. She lives in Dublin with her husband and dog.