Close to Home

Close to Home is the eleventh and final Widdershins book. It looks like it's going to feature all the main characters from previous books. Kate has said it's going to around 160 pages. This make it longer than the average Widdershins book but shorter than Curtain Call. She's also mentioned it will have a similar multi-plot structure to Witch Hunt. It begins with a time-skip 4 years into the future, setting it in 1838, and is expected to be based around the coronation of Queen Victoria.

Plot Summary
4 years after the events of Sea Change, Pemberton Pryce waits on an observation platform built at the Fourth Anchor, watching for any sign of his missing daughter, Thea Pryce.

Back in Widdershins, Sidney Malik returns home from a visit to his parents, eager to propose marriage to Harriet Barber on their upcoming holiday. His attempts are interrupted however by the presence of Florence de Montfort, who is excited about the upcoming coronation of Queen Victoria which is to be held in Widdershins. Florrie is excited about the proposal plans, but is disraught to learn Sid isn't giving Harry a ring, sending Sid into a spiral of doubt about his plans.

In the Witch House, Heinrich Wolfe is working on composing his own music for the first time, but is finding it challenging. Jack O'Malley checks on him, then hangs out with Benjamin Thackerey, who says it is thanks to Mal supporting him with his Witch's stipend that Wolfe is able to work on his own material for the first time. Ben expresses concern (only as the Witch's manager, of course) at how Mal will manage with appearing in an official capacity for the coronation, but Mal says Nyree has been teaching him some tips to help cope with crowds, and she’s planning on coming to visit for it.

Meanwhile, Ben’s girlfriend Eliza Swift is in the middle of a rant about how much she hates her stupid police detective job and how she’s stuck protecting the soon-to-be Queen. Her friends William Sharpe and Vincent Knott gently suggest to her she maybe shouldn’t be having this conversation in front of her boss, Captain Nicola Barber, but Nicola admits Eliza is right. She feels the department is more focused on ticking boxes than protecting the city. Eliza complains she wasn’t allowed to investigate the Fourth Anchor because it was out of her jurisdiction and her friends try to cheer her up, saying she’ll feel better after to coronation, or at least something interesting might explode.

Back in Harry’s office, Harry’s grandparents, Henry Barber and Izzy Holt, stop by to visit and subtly wish Sid luck with the proposal. They’re interrupted by the arrival of pompous twins Blake and Bryony Thackerey, who insist Sid and Harry join their employer in the carriage outside. Harry reluctantly agrees and they meet with the client who turns out to be Princess Victoria. She requests their help for one day only to save the country and explains the royal crown, a magic object infused with Stability, has gone missing. Without it, the coronation will turn into a riot that could wreck the country. Harry is unhappy but agrees to help for one day, and the Princess says they can start investigating at the rehearsal which is starting soon. She also makes clear that the matter must be handled with discretion, or else.

Characters

 * Pemberton Pryce
 * Sidney Malik
 * Harriet Barber
 * Florence de Montfort
 * Heinrich Wolfe
 * Jack O'Malley
 * Benjamin Thackerey
 * Eliza Swift
 * William Sharpe
 * Vincent Knott
 * Nicola Barber
 * Henry Barber
 * Izzy Holt
 * Blake Thackerey
 * Bryony Thackerey
 * Princess Victoria

Locations

 * The Fourth Anchor
 * H Barber Offices (now with Sid's name on the sign!)
 * The Witch House / Widdershins Museum

Release
Close to Home is currently releasing on a weekly basis. The cover was released on December 2nd 2022, with the first page going up on December 9th 2022 the next week.

Easter Eggs / Trivia

 * Sid has a poster of his best friend Tim Chiang's act above his desk.
 * Despite Ben having his previous shoulder length hairstyle on the cover, when he first appears he's got a new longer hairstyle. Whether his design on the cover will be changed remains to be seen.