Greater Sins

By Gabrielle Griffiths

1915, the Cabrach, Aberdeenshire. An isolated Scottish community is disturbed by a strange discovery: a body in a peat bog, perfectly preserved. Two people haul the body from the ground: Lizzie, the wife of a wealthy local landowner, and Johnny, a nomadic singer and farm hand. At hearthside and inn, people whisper: what have we unearthed?

One unveiling brings others. For Lizzie, tenacious but trapped, the discovery reveals unanswered questions about her past while for Johnny, it threatens to uncover a history he’s trying to outrun.

As their stories entwine, a series of unsettling events befalls the isolated community: ruinous weather, a damaged soldier, strange occurrences that cannot be explained. Against the echoes of distant war, and with the boundaries blurring between right and wrong, everyone is looking for someone to blame…

Reviews of Greater Sins

Greater Sins is a glimmering debut. A muddy, pastoral fable written with an equal measure of beauty and morbidity. Completely enthralling. ― Lucy Rose, author of The Lamb

I absolutely raced through it! What a beautiful book. The prose is so lyrical and the structure so cleverly pulls the reader along. ― Hanna Thomas Uose, author of Who Wants to Live Forever

A striking debut, filled with folkloric mystery and yearning. Griffiths' prose is as elegant as it is perceptive. Read it, then read it again. ― Amy Twigg, author of Spoilt Creatures

GREATER SINS is a haunting and extraordinary debut, which will stay with me for a long time. Set during World War One and told in tender, sinuous prose, this is a simmering tale of outcasts and buried secrets, love and redemption. An incisive look at power and gender, Griffiths explores not just the darker impulses we share, but how we can find connection in unexpected places. This novel had me feeling silt between my toes and looking for ghosts in every shadow. ― Danielle Giles, author of MERE

Dripping with atmosphere, GREATER SINS is a hauntingly beautiful story, set in an isolated community. The writing is stunning; every phrase, every sentence is like poetry. And the characters – they’re complex, fascinating, and oh so relatable. A truly unforgettable read. ― Fiza Saeed McLynn, author of THE MIDNIGHT CAROUSEL