ON A DARK & CROOKED PATH
Book one of A Dark & Crooked Tale
When his formidable grandmother, Lady Margaret Matthews, dies under mysterious circumstances, seventeen-year-old Robert “Bobby” Matthews inherits not only a vast fortune but the mantle of power over a sprawling dynasty.
Thrust into a world of whispered alliances and razor-edged smiles, Bobby must navigate a web of deceit where every cousin, uncle, and aunt harbors ambition—and loyalty is only a mask.
In the suffocating shadows of Mourningford Hall, a labyrinth of twisting corridors and shifting rooms, Bobby finds a single point of light: Sophie, the girl he never expected to see again. Her love offers him hope… and perhaps salvation.
But the Matthews curse runs deep. Beneath the ancient stones of Mourningford lies a rot three centuries in the making, now clawing its way back to the surface.
For Bobby and Sophie, survival will demand more than love. It will demand sacrifice. It will demand truth. And it will change them—forever.
How far would you go for love?
What would you sacrifice for the truth?
Prepare to descend into a gothic fantasy unlike anything you’ve experienced before:
an ancient dynasty,
a family rotten to the core,
a dark secret buried for three hundred years… about to rise again.
Once you set foot on a dark and crooked path, there is only one direction to travel.
And how far down you go… is up to you…
Available now.
Buy your copy
ON A DARK AND CROOKED PATH. Book One Of A Dark & Crooked Tale
Outside Europe? View international editions.
About the Series
A Dark & Crooked Tale is my descent carved in ink. It isn’t polished for comfort, nor trimmed to fit a mold — it is jagged, haunted, and true. This story lives in the space between beauty and rot, where inheritance is a curse and love is the only fragile light worth carrying.
Through Bobby and Sophie, I’ve poured my own fractures onto the page: the weight of legacy, the hunger for belonging, the fear of losing what little good survives the dark. Mourningford Hall may be fiction, but its corridors are mine — every twist, every shadow, every locked door.
This series is not written to reassure, but to unsettle. It is about finding strength in what is broken, about choosing to walk the crooked path even when it leads into ruin. It is, in every way that matters, a story only I could tell.
— Axel Vale
“Axel Vale’s prose lingers in the spaces between beauty and decay, weaving a narrative where love and dread are inseparable. The novel invites the reader to consider not only what it means to endure in the face of darkness, but also what is lost when endurance demands surrender.”
“More than a work of fantasy or gothic horror, A Dark and Crooked Path is a meditation on the choices that shape us, the legacies we inherit unwillingly, and the price of stepping onto a path from which there is no return.”
International editions
‘On A Dark & Crooked Path’ will soon be available in international languages.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is ‘On A Dark & Crooked Path’ about?
It’s the story of Bobby Matthews, a reluctant heir who inherits not just his family’s fortune but the rot and secrets buried within Mourningford Hall. Torn between the weight of legacy and the fragile light of love he finds in Sophie, Bobby is drawn into a world where devotion and dread walk hand in hand. At its heart, the book is about choosing to face the darkness within and around us, even when the path leads ever downward.
How much will ‘On A Dark & Crooked Path’ cost?
The book will be available for just £3, making it an accessible entry into the dark and crooked world of Mourningford Hall.
When will The Second Book be released?
Under a Dark & Crooked Sky will be released on October 31st 2025 , at the Witching Hour.
Are signed copies available?
Yes. A limited number of signed editions of On A Dark & Crooked Path will be made available directly through the author. Details on how to order will be announced soon.
