A gripping psychological thriller from the author of the acclaimed debut The Missing One.
A gripping psychological thriller from the author of the bestselling Magpie Lane. Perfect for fans of I Let You Go, The Sisters by Claire Douglas, The Book of You and The Ice Twins.
Sometimes a lie seems kinder than the truth . . . but what happens when that lie destroys everything you love? When Tess is sent to photograph Greg, a high profile paediatric heart surgeon, she sees something troubled in his face, and feels instantly drawn to him. Their relationship quickly deepens, but then Tess, single mother to nine-year-old Joe, falls pregnant, and Greg is offered the job of a lifetime back in his hometown of Boston. Before she knows it, Tess is married, and relocating to the States. But life in an affluent American suburb proves anything but straightforward.
Unsettling things keep happening in the large rented house, Joe is distressed, the next-door neighbours are in crisis, and Tess is sure that someone is watching her. Greg's work is all-consuming and, as the baby's birth looms, he grows more and more unreachable. Something is very wrong, Tess knows it, and then she makes a jaw-dropping discovery . . .
A moving and suspenseful tale of the secrets a family keeps - Rachel Hore on The Missing One
A gripping page-turner - Sunday Times on The Missing One
Creepy and tense, this novel is brilliantly gripping - Closer on The Missing One
A compelling emotional mystery - Lucy Clarke on The Missing One
Beautifully written . . . a wonderful thriller - Sabine Durrant on The Missing One
Lucy Atkins is an award-winning author, feature journalist and Sunday Times book critic. She has written for newspapers including the Guardian, The Times, the Sunday Times and the Telegraph as well as many UK magazines. She teaches on the Masters in Creative Writing at Oxford University.