The Farmhouse
- Judith D Collins
- Mar 27
- 4 min read
Updated: Mar 31
By: Chelsea Conradt
ISBN: 978-1464229169
Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press
Publication Date: 06/17/2025
Format:Other
My Rating: 5 Stars (ARC)
Every woman who has lived on this farm has died. Emily just moved in.
When Emily Hauk's mother dies, it's time for her and her husband, Josh, to finally leave San Francisco. A farm in rural Nebraska is everything they want for a fresh start: clear skies, low costs, and distance from the grief back home.
They should have asked why the farm was for sale.
Three years ago, a teenage girl went missing from the farm. Soon after, the girl's mother mysteriously died. The deeper Emily digs, the more stories she finds of women with a connection to her new home who've met their own dark ends.
The farmhouse was meant to be Emily's fresh start, but with each passing day, her sanctuary slips further away. The barn seems to move throughout her property, as though chasing her. Her mother's favorite music drifts across the corn. She swears she saw blood in one of the farmhand's trucks. And the screams that wake her are not foxes, no matter how many times her husband says otherwise.
Despite Josh's skepticism, Emily feels the darkness that has seeped into the soil of her farm. And if she wants to claim this place as her own, she'll have to find the truth before whatever watches from the cornfield takes her too.
About the Author
Chelsea Conradt (she/her) writes twisty speculative thrillers. Her books are packed with both murder and kindness because we can be more than one thing.
When not writing stories that make you question what’s real, she is likely watching a baking show or a true-crime documentary. She is nothing if not on brand. Chelsea lives in Texas with her husband, son, and two big dogs. Find her online at chelseaconradt.com.
Connect with Chelsea:
Fun facts
Location: Chelsea resides in North Texas. Though, she grew up in Nebraska.
Publisher: Sourcebooks/Poisoned Pen Press
Agent: Cheyenne Faircloth at Handspun Literary
Professional Organizations: Horror Writers Association, Sisters in Crime, and International Thriller Writers.
Coffee order: Sugar-free vanilla latte with almond milk. Always hot.
Preferred Writing Tools: Freewrite Traveler, Scrivener, and Cognitive Surplus notebooks.
Praise
"An unputdownable novel. Emily's quickening spiral into paranoia feels both terrifying and relatable, a woman's cry to be heard, to be acknowledged, while those she trusts the most attempt to placate her into silence. A smart, chilling, ferociously feminist thriller."
―Kristen Simmons, Bram Stoker Award Nominee
"The Farmhouse twists together the threads of rustic dreams and pastoral nightmares, creating an atmospheric read that will haunt you long after the story is done. Conradt's thrilling debut is not to be missed."
―Lish McBride, author of Red in Tooth and Claw
"Conradt constructs a slowly escalating domestic narrative so claustrophobic that the reader will gasp for the openness of a rolling cornfield… and then immediately realize the cornfield might also be out to get them."
―Molly Harper, USA Today Bestseller
"Wholly gripping, chilling, and compulsively addictive...Conradt masterfully crafts a fast-paced, eerie thriller."
―Rachel Fikes, author of Keeper of Sorrows
"The Farmhouse will leave you looking over your shoulder for stalker barns. The story is a satisfyingly layered narrative that explores both the isolation of small towns and the loneliness one can feel within their closest relationships. I expect big things for Conradt."
―Jaye Wells, USA Today Bestselling Author of High Lonesome Sound
"A deviously twisty thriller that kept me turning the pages, eager to see what happened next." ―Kelley Armstrong, New York Times bestselling author
"Haunting and atmospheric, Chelsea Conradt's debut thriller led me on a chilling ride to a deadly crescendo. I did not see that end coming!"
―Nalini Singh, New York Times Bestselling Author
"A fresh start becomes the stuff of nightmares for a husband and wife on a rural Nebraskan farm in Chelsea Conradt's twisty debut. Whispering cornfields, a restless barn, and a truly terrifying number of teeth abound in this slippery slow burn of a haunted tale."
―Christa Carmen, award-winning author of The Daughters of Block Island
"The Farmhouse is a thought-provoking, action-packed thriller with a gripping plot. Conradt has a knack for building tension and creating fierce, unapologetic women who challenge societal expectations. A must-read for anyone who enjoys a thrilling journey that champions women’s strength and agency."
―Lisa M. Matlin, author of The Stranger Upstairs
"Conradt has crafted a superb thriller with tension so thick you feel like you might drown in it. Her characters are complex and compelling, the jump scares come right off the page, and you will find yourself wondering if you are going just as mad as our poor gaslit heroine. A triumphantly creepy novel that you'll want to keep in your freezer when you go to sleep, and will have you side-eying every barn you pass."
―Kate Wiley, author of The Killer's Daughter
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