Shot through with gallows humour and speaking in the voice of a trusted best friend, this self-deprecating horror novel explores medical trauma through Irish folklore, asking 'Can a sick woman ever be trusted?'
Brigid that's the Irish Breej, not 'Bridge-id', though it's not like she'd correct you has had a rough go of it. Her mother abused her when she was little, her best friend (and secret crush) is too busy chasing some blonde to answer Brigid's calls, and she lost her job thanks to chronic pelvic pain with no identifiable cause. As a self-doubting, disabled adult, she's certain that everything that has happened to her is her fault.
Now her mother has gone missing and Brigid's only option is to move back into her childhood home in the idyllic Midwestern town of St. Charles, Illinois. Soon the uncanny begins: A particular crow that once harassed her reappears, following her everywhere. A painting of Jesus keeps coming back, no matter how many times she throws it away. Frozen body parts show up in places rubber band balls and door stoppers ought to be. Every night the same nightmare repeats: her real mother is dead and decaying in the closet, and the identical mother who raised her is not her mother. But it's all in Brigid's head. It's all her fault. It must be. What other explanation could there be?
After all, since when can a sick woman be trusted?
About the Author :
Grace Daly (she/her) is a disabled author who lives near Chicago with her pets. She spends most of her free time with her dog, who is a very good boy. Her fantasy novella, The Star of Kilnaely, is forthcoming in 2026. The Scald-Crow is her first novel.
Review :
“A searing, urgent, and beautiful story. An absolute standout of 2025 and an astounding debut, this one will haunt your dreams...and your nightmares.”—Gwendolyn Kiste, four-time Bram Stoker Award-winning author of The Haunting of Velkwood and Reluctant Immortals
“I absolutely love the narrator of The Scald-Crow. Her self-deprecation, her pain, her humour—it all feels so real that you almost believe, as the book is leaving your system, that you can pick up the phone and call her.” —Ainslie Hogarth, author of Motherthing and Normal Women
"Daly’s strong debut uses a classic haunted house story to probe themes of chronic illness, religious trauma, and queer desire...Daly’s description of female pain and how it is treated (or ignored) by doctors is unflinching and refreshing...The ghostly imagery of the haunting is wonderfully eerie, complete with several effective jump scares. It’s a memorable first outing." —Publishers Weekly
“Grace Daly absolutely nails internal character struggle as her protagonist, Brigid, is terrorized by an unseen force and doubting her own experiences while reckoning with a lifetime of trauma. Daly has penned an unflinching debut that is equal parts funny, chilling, delightful, and heartbreaking. Put this at the top of your TBR! You will recoil, you will laugh. You will laugh while recoiling. And Brigid will warm your cold, cold heart.” —Lauren Bolger, author of Kill Radio and The Barre Incidents
“Artful and clever, this often-funny meditation on chronic pain, mortality and trauma is exactly the cure for what ails you. Grace Daly has arrived, and The Scald-Crow is a triumph.” —Robert P. Ottone, author of The Vile Thing We Created and the Bram Stoker Award-winning novel The Triangle
“On one hand, The Scald-Crow is a prime example of what horror fiction does best: taking on timely, relevant real-world horrors via monstrous intermediaries. But Grace Daly does not shy away from reality in her storytelling. Instead, she uses folk horror trappings to highlight the very real agony, fear, and self-doubt endured by those living with chronic pain. A captivating and revelatory read, this novel is a confident and assured debut of an essential voice in horror fiction.” —Patrick Barb, author of Night of the Witch-Hunter
“
Daly’s debut is an exploration of what happens when a seemingly unreliable narrator meets domestic folk horror…[Her] terror-laced tale plumbs the visible and invisible wounds of guilt, religion, family, and the pain of not being believed by the medical establishment…Come for the raw, honest portrayal of chronic illness, stay for the shocking third act as Brigid faces the nesting-doll-like horrors of her past and present.” —Booklist
