The Short Straw is a standalone thriller by author, Holly Seddon. It’s my first read by this author. This creepy gothic style novel is based around three sisters who end up at Moirthwaite Manor after their car breaks down. This isolated mansion once was where their mother worked. The setting of the story is deliciously creepy and gothic and gives very Shirley Jackson vibes. The book starts of at a high point but quickly drags through the middle. I was tempted to give up a few times but the story was compelling enough that I just had to know what it was all leading up to. The ending felt rushed and after such a big build up, it was satisfying but not as gripping or shocking as I’d hoped. Each of the three sisters have their own voice and personality and it was fun to alternate chapters between them. The story was also interspersed with flashback segments narrated by the sister’s now deceased mother, Rosemary. I thoroughly enjoyed these chapters and found these the most engrossing and hard to put down. Overall, the story was good, it just could have benefited from the middle being a little faster paced. I will read more by this author in the future.