Forthcoming Books from Bookouture

Morgan kneels beside the fluttering crime scene tape. Their hands clasped, the couple’s embrace looks loving and warm, but an icy chill grips the air. Their lips are blue, and blood is dripping on the floor. They have been silenced forever… When sweet-natured teaching assistant Rosie Waite, and her boyfriend Matt, are found dead in their quaint family home in the Lake District, Detective Morgan Brookes is horrified. Sleeping just two doors down, she heard no screams for help, no slamming doors, or alarms in the night. A twisted killer nailed the couple’s lips shut, and Morgan vows to keep watch over every innocent family in Rydal Falls until this monster is brought to justice. Climbing the narrow attic staircase as she searches every inch of the property, Morgan finds a mattress on the floor, empty food wrappers, and a letter that reads: if you’ve found this, you’re next to die. Fear washes over Morgan’s team; the killer was watching his victims, and now her life is at risk. Ignoring pleas that she take a step back, Morgan throws herself harder at the case discovering that the nails used to bind the victims’ lips were pierced with expert equipment. And Matt had been asking questions at a local tattoo parlour. Everyone thought he and Rosie were a quiet, kind-hearted couple, but was Matt hiding a dangerous secret? Did he betray the woman he loved? It’s the break Morgan desperately needs, until one of her closest friends is attacked. His lifeless body abandoned, crimson with blood, and Morgan believes the chilling crime scene is linked to Matt and Rosie. The killer has been watching from the shadows again. Morgan’s used to putting her life on the line to protect the innocent, but what must she sacrifice to save the people she loves most? And how many precious lives will be lost before she can stop this killer? Their Dying Embrace is by Helen Phifer.

I  thought my first husband was dead. But when I get a letter with his name on it just days before my wedding, it will tear my perfect new life apart…  As we drive up to the gorgeous house by the lake with its red and yellow roses round the door, I breathe in the pure air and count my blessings. In two days’ time I’m getting married to Matt, my soulmate and the father of my beautiful boy. After all the pain of my past, my life now is perfect. But later that night I hear a knocking outside. I find the back door swinging open and a card lying on the floor, addressed to me in familiar handwriting… I can’t wait to see you. I’ve missed you so much. All my love, Callum. Callum was my first husband. Eight years ago, when we were staying at this exact same place for my birthday, he disappeared.
All the people who were with me that terrible night are here for the wedding. My brother. His wife. My new partner Matt: Callum’s best friend. We all had reasons to hate Callum then. We all have reasons to lie now. The police are sure Callum is dead. But as I look around at my loved ones, I wonder... Does someone know what really happened that night? Does someone know what I did? And if Callum is back, is he the dangerous one… or is it one of us? The First Husband is by Elisabeth Carpenter.

While My Baby Sleeps is by Natali Simmonds. I have to stay awake… I need to keep him safe. I haven’t slept properly since Riley was born. I love my baby so much – every noise he makes, and every sleepy blink has me rushing to his side to make sure he’s safe. Yet the lack of sleep is getting to me. There are terrifying blanks in my memory, and my temper is blindingly short. I can’t rely on my partner – I don’t even know where he is half the time. But at least I have Maggie next door. She tells me this is just what new motherhood is like, so I have no choice but to ignore the blackout rages and blurred vision, for Riley’s sake… But after another night of no sleep, the last thing I expect is a police officer at my door. My neighbour has been found dead. The man I’ve been furious at for weeks for keeping me and the baby awake with his late-night parties. Though really, maybe I shouldn’t be so surprised… Because this morning, I woke up on my doorstep. And I have no memory of what happened – or where the blood on my hands came from. As I hear Riley start to cry, I swallow against the rising panic in my throat. It can’t have been me. I’m no killer, I’m just a sleep-deprived, loving mother… aren’t I?

When my husband went missing, I was desperate to get him home. Now I know his secrets, I wish he’d never come back… I hate when Wyatt is away for work—the cold bed. Dinner alone. And comforting our little boy, telling him Daddy will be back to tuck him into bed again soon. But when Wyatt misses his flight and his cell is disconnected, panic takes over. After seven sleepless nights, tossing and turning as I imagine the absolute worst, he walks back into our home. I breathe a sigh of relief. Until I realize that everything has changed. I want to believe Wyatt’s explanations. The work trip. The “stolen” phone. But I see the strange, jagged scar across his side even though he tries to keep it hidden. And when I start digging, I uncover more than signs of an affair. It’s so, so much worse… His secrets have become my nightmares, threatening my son and our unborn child in ways I couldn’t imagine. I can’t confront him. Not without exposing the lies I’ve buried for years. About whom I really am and what I’ve done. And it seems the past has caught up with us. Because one moment, I’m holding my son’s tiny hand as we walk around the mall. The next he is nowhere to be seen. If my husband had never come back, would my son still be safe? And how are we meant to get him back when our deadliest secrets are yet to be uncovered? Never Come Back is by Cara Reinard.

Find My Daughter is by Jennifer Chase. She hears footsteps approaching, the creak of the uneven planks, then the clunk of a heavy lock. Her body is numb and she’s shivering in her pale silk gown, but she stands, ready to fight as the doorway cracks open. A blinding light overpowers her, and she falls backward. Her world goes black once again… When Detective Katie Scott is approached by a smartly dressed woman with desperation in her eyes, Katie’s senses go into high alert. Moments later, questions still buzzing through her mind, Katie finds the woman dead in the carpark, blood pooling around her, and just enough life left to utter the words: find my daughter. Katie doesn’t waste a second gathering her team and pulling the casefile for Anna Braxton, a teen with sparkling blue-eyes and an even brighter future, who left to meet her best friend in the mall, then disappeared. Staring at the blank investigation board, Katie won’t rest until she fulfils Anna’s mother’s dying wish. Scouring the Braxton’s impeccable family home, Katie finds Anna’s journal, filled with teenage secrets and confessions. But it’s the one-off mention of an approach from a talent agency that catches Katie’s expert eye. She gets to work tracking the business down, but it’s a dead end. And now Anna’s best friend is also missing. The case takes another terrifying turn just hours later: a girl’s body is found in the embers of a housefire, her yellow satin dress devastatingly beautiful amongst the ashes. Is it Anna, her best friend, or another girl entirely? One thing is certain: a monster has the close-knit community of Pine Valley in a chokehold, and Katie must get one step ahead before any more precious lives are taken—but at what cost...

When we move to the exclusive Cutters Island, my life changes overnight. Dressed like the perfect wife, pushing my baby down the street in her pink stroller, I look up and smile at the security cameras. Because I know they are watching. And for now, I need to play my part. I wake up in my beautiful bedroom and instinctively feel for my husband. But the silk sheets are cold—he hasn’t come home. Reaching for the baby monitor on my nightstand, I scan the screen for the familiar shape of my sleeping daughter. But she’s not there. Moving through the house in the darkness, I tell myself the footage is just grainy. I pass the large window over the stairs and see a light on in my mother-in-law’s house across the street, as if she is watching. The thought sends a chill down my spine, and I start to run. And as I open my daughter’s bedroom door, my worst fear comes true: my baby is gone. As I collapse onto the carpet, I smell smoke. And when I turn to see flames licking at the banister, I know this is my fault. I am paying for what happened that night all those years ago… Because I am not a perfect wife. I am not a good mother. But I am the perfect liar. No one knows what I have been through to get this life. And they shouldn’t underestimate how far I’ll go to get my baby back… Good Bad Mother is by Anya Mora.

 The Baby Swap is by Daniel Hurst. Someone stole my little boy. I’ll do whatever it takes to get him back… ME: Staring down at the sweet baby in my arms, I feel panic instead of love. Because this isn’t the child, I gave birth to. My husband whispers to the midwife. They all think I’m going crazy. But the tiny boy in my arms is crying again. I’m certain: he knows I’m not his mummy. And I’ll do whatever it takes to get my son back. HER: I did it. I swapped my baby with another new born in the hospital. As I hold the child in my arms, I hear my own little boy start to cry on the other side of the curtain. My heart is shattering into a million pieces. I know I had no choice. I didn’t want to do this. But no one can ever find out the reason why I swapped my baby. Because if anyone knew the truth, my life and my child’s life would be in danger…

Murder on the Cornish Coast is by Helena Dixon. A bright blue sky, a glamorous boating party, an English manor house on the Cornish cliffs… and surely not another murder! Get Kitty Underhay on the case! Cornwall, 1937. Kitty Underhay has been called to investigate some fishy goings-on in the beautiful coastal village of St Mawes. The body of Lady Cordelia Hedges’ beloved father was found floating in the sea, and shortly afterwards Cordelia herself was almost killed… Determined to piece together the puzzle, Kitty spends her first evening in the Cornish Bay at one of Cordelia’s lavish parties. But she’s not just soaking up the idyllic surroundings with her husband Matt, she’s at the party to get to know those closest to their host. The sleuthing duo quickly realise they’re in unchartered waters and this could be their toughest case yet. Later that evening, a scream wakes Kitty in the middle of the night: Lady Cordelia is sitting bolt upright in bed, swearing someone has been in her room. As Bertie the dog retrieves a knife from behind the curtain, Kitty’s list of suspects grows: could the murderer be Cordelia’s suspicious stepsister, her spoiled future mother-in-law, or someone even closer to home…? Then a house guest eats a poisoned chocolate from a box addressed to Cordelia and dies. This latest tragedy helps Kitty to make progress in her investigations at last. But is Kitty floundering? Will she be able to solve this case before someone else gets hurt, or will Kitty end up in a watery grave?

As the wall is peeled back, everyone falls silent. Then they see her. The near-perfect remains of a young female, two jelly bangles and a neon necklace being the only clues to how long she had been hidden there. But who was she? And who could have possibly wanted to take such an innocent life? When the body of a girl is discovered in the walls of a Woodbridge church, Detective Amanda Steele is immediately called to the scene. On arrival she meets FBI Special Agent Sandra Vos who explains that while negotiating a hostage incident moments before, a gun was fired. The bullet missed its target, but exposed human remains. The victim has been perfectly preserved, her jewellery and summer dress taking Amanda back to her own teenage years. DNA quickly confirms that the victim was taken over thirty years ago. Thinking about her own daughter, Amanda cannot imagine the devastation for the young girl’s family and vows to find the killer. Amanda and her partner Trent determine the suspect behind the attempted shooting, Cameron Cofell, had a very clear reason for exacting revenge on the church’s priest. As they question the wider community, a neighbour reveals her long-held suspicions too. But when she is found murdered, Amanda knows this killer is prepared to do whatever it takes to keep their dark secret from ever coming to light. Soon the investigation takes Amanda and Trent to an abandoned farmhouse—a place that haunts Cameron’s nightmares—where they find a faded photograph that holds the mystery of another chilling cold case. But just how far back does this evil go, and how much will Amanda and Trent need to sacrifice to find the killer? Hidden Angels is by Carolyn Arnold. 

The Nanny Share is by Emily Shiner. I love being a nanny. But now, the two little girls I nanny for are missing. Soon the police will be at my door—and I can’t let that happen again. I’ll tell them I’m innocent, but will anyone believe me? Sweet little Emma and Nealie, both just four years old, live on the same block in the exclusive, gated Blackwood neighbourhood—miles from my cramped studio apartment. I go between each family’s home to care for the girls. And I know all their secrets… Their mothers were best friends until three months ago, when everything fell apart. There’s a door that’s always locked at Nealie’s house. And Emma’s house is filled with whispered arguments. I’m sure her father is having an affair. But I tried to overlook the slow splintering of these marriages: because I Ioved the girls. Braiding their hair and then walking them to kindergarten was my favourite part of the day. But now they’re gone. Snatched from their beds. In Blackwood, little girls don’t just vanish. The police will suspect the nanny, the person who loved them, the person with a key to both houses. I’ll swear that I’m being framed. And I will do anything to stop them finding out who I really am, or why I was so desperate to work here. Because these families are about to pay for their secrets. But who is really in danger? Two missing little girls? Their desperate parents? Or me?

Gone in the Storm is by B R Spangler. Getting in his car was a mistake. But as the frigid air whipped through her thin coat, she felt too cold to say no. Now, snowflakes settle on her long dark lashes. Ice-cold and forever fifteen years old, she’ll never see her mother’s smile again… As the biggest snowstorm the Outer Banks has seen in decades ravages the coastline, Detective Casey White is called to an abandoned junk yard miles beyond the marshes. Teenager Jill Carter’s body is posed on her back, a look of terror frozen on her beautiful face. Casey’s heart breaks for Jill’s family. She vows she’ll do whatever it takes to find this merciless killer who left this girl out in the cold all alone. But the unforgiving blanket of snow will soon claim the crime scene, and the team are up against the clock to catalogue any vital evidence… then Casey notices strange objects arranged in patterns around the girl’s body. Among them is a selection of perfectly preserved autumn leaves that have no place in the salvage yard in the dead of winter. When the new District Attorney goes above Casey’s head to charge Jill’s high school sweetheart with the crime, Casey is certain she’s making a mistake. The poor boy is terrified and heartbroken, but he isn’t a murderer. Casey must rush to make sense of the sparse, ritualistic evidence they have, before another life is ruined. As the snow continues to fall, another young girl is found frozen forever, the same strange items displayed around her body in a deliberate ritual. And Casey knows now this is only the beginning… Can Casey hunt down a killer determined to add another teenage girl to his collection, before it is too late?

 ‘Is that you, darling?’ A second of silence before her son replies. ‘It wasn’t me’. Her heart breaks at the pain in his voice – he sounds like a little boy again. Thirty minutes later, the police knock at the door. ‘Your son’s girlfriend is dead.’ And Dan has disappeared. It’s almost midnight when Jennifer sees her son’s name flash up on her phone. Away at university, she’s normally so happy when he calls. But something is terribly wrong… Jennifer is devastated for poor Ella’s family – losing their precious girl, so young. She knows her sweet son, just twenty years old, would never, ever harm anyone. But the police are looking for him. And if Dan is innocent, why has he run? When Jennifer hears how Ella died, her blood runs cold. Because Jennifer’s best friend was murdered twenty years ago the same way. In the same place. Jennifer hasn’t been back since… but now, she has no choice. She would do anything for her son. Any mother would. But how far will she have to go – what secrets in her own past will she have to confront – to prove Dan is innocent? And what if the truth is worse than she ever imagined? My Son’s Girlfriend is by Kerry Wilkinson.

Everyone is Lying is by Holly Down. They say I’m lucky to be alive. But the only thing I can remember are the faces of my husband and baby. The husband and baby they insist don’t exist… I can hear a door slamming, and the low hum of distant traffic. I struggle to open my eyes, and the panic sets in. I have no memory of who I am, why I’m here, where all this pain is coming from… Then the door cracks open, a face lighting up in surprise. ‘You’re awake!’ She looks pleased to see me, but all I can think is: I don’t know you. She tells me I’m her sister – that there was an accident and I’ve been in a coma. But as she skilfully evades my questions, I know something is wrong. Because when I ask her about my husband and baby, she gently tells me they never existed. I know she’s lying. As she leaves the room and the lock clicks behind her, my heart starts to pound. And as the days pass stuck in this room, I start to discover unsettling details I hadn’t noticed before. Photographs that don’t seem to fit their frames. The anonymous note buried deep in a bunch of flowers I feel sure I was never meant to find – with just two words on it: I’m sorry… What really happened to me? Is this woman really my sister? And if she’s not: who is she, what does she want from me – and what has she done to my family…?

 

December books from Bookouture

December 2023 

Murder on the Cornish Cliffs is by Verity Bright. A festive invitation from an old family friend, the promise of gingerbread at the village inn, snowy walks on the Cornish coast with Gladstone the bulldog… But wait, is that a body on the beach? Winter, 1923. It’s nearly Christmas and Lady Eleanor Swift has received a rather strange letter from an old friend of her uncle. Mr Godfrey Cunliffe has asked her to stay in Cornwall for the holidays – but only because he believes his gardener is trying to poison him! With not a moment to waste Eleanor hurries down to his picturesque manor house with her butler Clifford and handsome beau Detective Hugh Seldon. But they arrive too late to stop the crime… Lying dead at the bottom of the steep cliffs, however, is not Mr Cunliffe, but the gardener himself. And his plans for restoring the gardens to their former glory are missing. Jerome St Clair has gone from suspect to victim. This certainly puts a twist in the tinsel! As snow begins to fall, Eleanor quizzes the family. Mr Cunliffe’s alibi is as fragile as the glass baubles hanging from his towering Christmas tree. Eleanor quickly realises everyone from the handyman to the housekeeper is keeping secrets, and she’s convinced that Mr Cunliffe is still scared for his life. When Gladstone the bulldog pulls a charred corner of the missing garden plans from a fireplace festooned with a gold-ribboned garland, Eleanor thinks the clue she needs is hiding out in the grounds. But when someone tries to run her over with the huge lawnmower, she knows she must wrap up the mystery fast before her Christmas is cancelled for good…

The Doctor's Mistress is by Daniel Hurst. The wife. The mistress. Who will get their revenge? I was the other woman. The mistress. Everyone blamed Doctor Drew Devlin’s death on me. And I’ve paid the price for loving the wrong man. Now, I have dark circles under my eyes because I can’t sleep at night. I lost everything – friends, family, my home and even my freedom. Drew’s devious wife Fern tore my whole world apart. And she thinks she’s got away with murder. But she’s wrong. It’s time for revenge. For myself… and for my baby. Her new life on the windswept Cornish coast is about to come crashing down around her. I’m determined for everyone to find out the true story. Because now it’s not just my life in danger, I’ve got to protect the doctor’s daughter too. I know Fern will expect me to come after her – I’m certain she will have her own plan in place to stop me. After all, she’s duped so many people before. But then again, Fern always did underestimate me. And by the time she realises, it’ll be far too late for the doctor’s wife…

Turning the key in the lock of the lakeside cabin, Ally puts her finger to her lips as her boyfriend laughs softly. Tonight it’s just the two of them. Later that night their broken bodies lie in the grass by the boathouse, the moonlight reflected in their unseeing eyes… When a young couple are found murdered by a remote holiday cabin, Agent Tori Hunter races to the scene: and is devastated to recognize Ally Mannion, a close friend’s daughter, and her boyfriend Reed. Who would want to snatch away their innocent lives? The first thing Tori notices is a boat drifting out on the lake. Did someone witness the attack? But with the boat offering up no clues, interviewing Ally’s heartbroken family Tori soon realizes that Ally and Reed broke in to the cabin. Were they hiding something? Or did the young couple see something they shouldn’t? Then the body of a missing person from fourteen years ago is found at the bottom of another lake. He too was murdered. Convinced the two cases are linked, Tori uncovers a series of terrible crimes at the heart of the local community stretching back years: even to her own school days. To catch the killer Tori will need to question everything about people she’s known her whole life. But how far will she have to go, before they strike again? Their Lost Souls is by Roger Stelljes.

Out of Sight is by Ruhi Choudhary. The woman’s body was propped against the rough bark of the tree. Traces of dried blood streaked her pallid face like brushstrokes. There was a horrifying void in her face where her left eye should have been.  When a young woman is found murdered in the woods, Detective Mackenzie Price and her partner Nick Blackwood are first on the scene. The harrowing discovery leaves them both breathless—the victim’s left eye has been removed. Mackenzie identifies the victim as Whitney Smythe, a lost soul with a troubled past, and makes another shocking discovery—Whitney recently gave birth. Reeling from the scene, Mackenzie and her team soon discover that this case is very similar to a murder that happened thirty years ago. But the killer was captured and died behind bars, so how can the two murders possibly be connected? When a second body washes ashore with her left eye missing, Mackenzie is certain—there’s a serial killer on the loose and she has to stop them before they pick their next victim. Mackenzie soon discovers that both victims were connected to a commune just outside of town, a breakthrough that changes the whole course of the investigation. But every step Mackenzie takes towards discovering who the sadistic serial killer is puts her closer to mortal danger. Because someone close to her has a personal connection to the case—and they’re not telling the truth…

The little girl trembles as a pair of dark eyes watch her every move. She’s been told to dig a hole big enough for a body and her heart races as she wonders who it’s for. She wants to run, but she knows she’ll be caught. So she fights back tears and begins to dig…  When police stop a car in the small town of Hilldale, they shudder as they pop the trunk and look inside. Covered in thick plastic, the body of a man lies totally still. In the car sit two women and a twelve-year-old girl, all refusing to speak. As Detective Eve Bennet is called in to investigate, she’s struck by the women’s calm demeanor. No stranger to the secretive local community, Eve knows the women won’t speak to her, but she’s sure she can get the young girl to tell her what happened. When ten-year-old Beth finally opens up and begs for help, Eve’s blood runs cold. If the man in the trunk is an eminent member of the local church, as Beth says he is, they could all be in serious danger. But Eve will stop at nothing to make sure Beth is safe, and when her search leads to a family home on a quiet little street, the last thing she expects is to come face to face with someone from her own dark past. Will she face her demons and unravel the truth behind the man in the trunk? And can she save herself and Beth from the evil that haunts their lives? Pray for Her is by Holly S Roberts.

Panic surges through her lungs as she feels the weight of the ocean above her. She frantically kicks her legs to try and reach the boat. But someone’s grip is tightening around her ankles, and they won’t let go until she’s taken her final breath… As the sun rises over North Carolina’s Outer Banks, eight sorority sisters gather on the docks, excited to start their reunion weekend with a diving excursion. But when only seven of them return to the boat alive, Detective Casey White is the first person to investigate. Confused as to why she’s been called to what appears to be a tragic accident, her heart stops when she notices fresh hand-shaped bruises on the victim’s ankles. Karol Witney was murdered. But with a crime scene and any evidence thirty feet underwater, Casey knows this will be her most challenging case yet. Determined to find the killer, Casey and her fiancé Jericho dive to the shipwreck where Karol was last seen exploring. But just as Casey discovers a piece of shocking evidence on the ocean floor, Jericho is attacked. The killer is still out there, and they’re watching Casey’s every move. As Jericho fights for his life, and another body washes up on the beach, Casey knows she has to dive again. Because she’ll do anything to catch the killer, even if it means using herself as bait… Our Sister's Grave is by B R Spangler.

After the Sleepover is by Kerry Wilkinson. “Gone. They’re gone.” Dylan’s wide-eyed mother bites her nails in desperation. “All three kids. They wanted to sleep outside. But I went to check this morning and… the tents are empty. They’re gone.” Twenty-five years ago: teenage Leah had a sleepover with her three best friends. By morning, the other girls were missing. This small town has been searching for answers ever since. Now it’s happened again… Three boys decide to camp in a field next to one of their homes. When dawn comes, dew glistens on their empty tents. Overgrown farmland is searched. Three distraught families are desperate for news. A mother herself now, Leah’s heart breaks as terrible memories flood back… Leah thought she knew what happened at the sleepover years ago but now another three children are missing. What if she was wrong? And how far will Leah have to go, to finally discover the truth, before it’s too late?

Bone Lake is by Stacy Green. Broken flowers drift on the foggy surface of the water. All is quiet, until the squad of police cruisers race up to the grand house that stands alone on the lakeside. Two girls lie inside, their bodies broken and still forever… When Special Agent Nikki Hunt is called to a home on Bone Lake, she is devastated to find blood all over the floor and two young women who clearly fought for their lives. But the viciousness of the scene isn’t the only thing that strikes Nikki. The house was the scene of another murder twenty years ago. The killer was never caught. Is this a terrible coincidence, or have they struck again? Nikki’s team quickly identify the girls from their belongings in the bedrooms upstairs. They had a party the night they were killed, and Nikki realizes that one attendee, their friend Alexia, is missing… Desperate to find Alexia, Nikki soon discovers that the only survivor of the original massacre, Matt Kline, still owns the house. She is instantly suspicious of him. But he claims he rents it out and hasn’t been there for years, and as Nikki looks into his dark eyes she sees her own terrible past. With time running out, Nikki and her team dig into Alexia’s life, and find out she was fascinated with the original Bone Lake case. Amongst her things, they find notebook after notebook about serial killers. Then Nikki is shocked to learn that Alexia was having a relationship with Matt. Has Nikki make a terrible mistake trusting a fellow survivor? And can she get the truth out of him, and find Alexia alive, before it’s too late?

The cold night breeze slams the barn door shut with a sickening crash. The girl curled in the corner wakes with a start. Her gold butterfly necklace catches the pale moonlight as she clutches it tight, thinking of her family. Will she ever escape? Or is his the last face she’ll ever see? Detective Katie Scott stares in horror at what she and her service dog Cisco have discovered: seven shallow graves, the bodies of young women each wrapped carefully in a blanket and buried in makeshift coffins. Miles of abandoned farmland stretch out from the treeline behind her. Has Katie uncovered the horrifying graveyard of a monster who has been stealing Pine Valley’s daughters for years? Katie quickly identifies one of the victims as Abigail Andrews, a beautiful young woman who disappeared fifteen years ago. Katie is heartbroken that she’ll have to tell Abigail’s mother her darling girl is gone. When Katie is ambushed working late at the scene, fired upon by an unknown assailant, she knows she must be close to finding the killer. But the shooter vanishes into thin air. And when a new young woman is taken, dark haired and dark eyed like the others, Katie realizes her time is running out. Can she stay alive long enough to track down this twisted murderer before another young life is stolen too soon? The First Girl is by Jennifer Chase.

February books from Bookouture

I thought my best friend’s death must have been an accident. But as I look down at the footprints in the deep snow, I suddenly see the truth: my oldest friends have been lying to me… I used to be the lucky one: a group of incredible friends, an amazing husband, Cillian, and the career I had dreamed of. But then one sleepless night ten years ago everything changed when my husband died. It tore apart not only my heart but our tight friendship group forever. Over the years, I’ve lost touch with them, and tried to move on with my life. But when my oldest friend Maura suggests we get the group back together to remember Cillian and celebrate the New Year on the remote Irish island where we grew up, I decide it’s time for a fresh start… Soon the drinks are flowing and I begin to relax, enjoying being back with the people who once meant everything to me. But as the weather turns into the worst blizzard I’ve ever seen, Maura disappears… And then I find an old diary, lost for ten years, which reveals that every one of us has secrets. As the power goes out and we become completely cut off from the mainland I suddenly realise that I’m surrounded by people I can’t trust. I have to face the facts: did one of us hurt Maura? Can I find the answers in this raging storm? And if I do, will I be next? The Snow Storm is by Triona Walsh. 

The Rose Girls is by Jennifer Chase. Like a precious doll, the girl leans against the towering pine tree with her long bare legs stretched out and her hands folded neatly in her lap. Her head tilts towards the sky, but this innocent child will never feel the warm glow of morning sun again; her fragile little body is cold, her tender heart is still. When Detective Katie Scott receives a plea from neighboring Coldwater Creek to help with a tragic murder, she doesn’t hesitate. Fifteen-year-old Ivy Miller’s naked body was found tied to a tree, a freshly inked pink rose tattoo on her arm. The word “MORE” carved into her back means sweet Ivy could be the first of many… Katie’s heart aches for the young girl whose life ended before it had even begun. But she has her work cut out with the inexperienced police department fumbling the case at every turn. There hasn’t been a murder in this small town for as long as anyone can remember, but why will none of the locals cooperate? Katie’s only lead is a blurry photograph of Ivy’s long-missing mother found in Ivy’s bedroom. If she can find out where it was taken, Katie knows she’ll have the first clue in a mystery that has been haunting Coldwater Creek for years. But Katie’s world crashes down when Ivy’s two best friends are found murdered in the same woods days later. Inked with the same pretty flower, the rose girls were keeping a deadly secret. Katie will never forgive herself for not making the connection in time. As mothers cling to their daughters, terrified to let them out of their sight, Katie’s search leads her to an abandoned building deep in the forest where the last photo of Ivy’s mother was taken. But will she survive long enough to stop more heart-shattering tragedies?

My family said he killed my mother. They lied… I was just a little girl, fast asleep in my stroller, the day my mother was killed. I don’t remember anything about the sunny day that turned so dark. She’d be so happy for me now, twenty years later, with my dream job as a photographer, and I’m sure she’d love my new boyfriend, Gabriel. But all my happiness vanishes in a heartbeat when the man from our past walks towards me, his eyes on me for just a fraction too long. I recognise his face from the picture in the papers. He killed my mother. I try to run but he wants me to listen. He says that he is innocent, and that my family have been lying to me for years. My father and sister tell me to stay away. They remind me that because of him my mother never got to tuck me in at night or ease me through my first heartbreak. Gabriel says he could be dangerous. But when he is found dead, I am shaken to my core. Who needed to keep him quiet? I won’t feel safe until I find out what he wanted to tell me. But when I find that my father has lied about the past and Gabriel has hidden photos of my mother under his bed, I realise I can’t trust anyone. I want the truth. But if I find it, will my life be in danger? The Suspect is by Kathryn Croft.

A seaside party at a Cornish mansion with plenty of fizz, what could be more perfect? But something fishy is afoot… a killer lurks among the guests, and only Cressida Fawcett can stop them. When Cressida Fawcett is invited to stay at Penbeagle House on the Cornish coast for a fancy-dress ball, she is looking forward to sipping rum cocktails clad as a pirate, watching the red-sailed boats go by and relaxing in the sea air with her good friend Dotty. But before they can raise their glasses to toast Cressida’s former flame Lord Canterbury’s engagement, he drops dead in front of the horrified guests. The local doctor determines that Lord Canterbury was poisoned, and soon Detective Chief Inspector Andrews is on his way from Scotland Yard. But Cressida is dismayed by the murder of the intrepid explorer who once asked for her hand in marriage, and she cannot simply leave the case to the police. Together with Dotty and her little pug Ruby, Cressida searches for clues only to discover that many of the guests have a motive for murder. Did an irate journalist or a bitter fellow explorer send Lord Canterbury on his untimely final journey? And when a young maid is found dead, floating in the shimmering waters of the cove, Cressida knows time is running out to catch the killer. Could aclue hidden among some rather pungent crab sandwiches help her solve the case before there is another murder? Death by a Cornish Cove is by Fliss Chester.

Three Widows is by Patricia Gibney. She kissed her daughter, turned out the light and entered her own room. Too late to run, she stood frozen as a figure stepped out from behind the door and a hand covered her mouth. Fear was a bomb in her chest ready to explode. Her children. They’d already lost their daddy; they couldn’t lose her too. When young widow Éilis Lawlor disappears in the middle of the night, with her two little children asleep in their beds, it is a chilling case for Detective Lottie Parker. Since her husband’s tragic death, Éilis is all her children have, and when Lottie sees Éilis’s house keys and phone still lying on the kitchen counter, she is terrified for the vulnerable mother’s safety. Then Éilis’s broken body is found by a nearby lake, wrapped in an unfamiliar yellow dress, her mouth sealed with duct tape – and Lottie’s worst fears are confirmed. Someone wanted this beautiful widow dead. Desperate to find the person behind this brutal crime, Lottie discovers that Éilis was a member of a support group for widows. And when Jennifer, a close friend of Éilis’s from the group, is found on a rubbish heap, wrapped in a yellow dress, Lottie vows to get justice. Lottie dives into Jennifer’s past, and learns that she had lived a reclusive life since her husband died. She hadn’t been seen at work for months and had sheltered inside her immaculate home, only emerging for meetings with the group. But when Lottie questions the other women about Jennifer’s isolation, they claim to know nothing. Lottie is certain that the remaining widows are hiding something. Can she uncover the truth before another innocent life is lost?

I know what you did. You destroyed my life. Now I’m going to take everything from you, starting with your husband. I’m your worst nightmare, and I’m closer than you think. Oliver, my husband and the father of our three little girls, used to be my rock. But recently he’s been behaving strangely, staying out late, working weekends and emotionally absent even when home. Now as I clutch a receipt for a hotel room and champagne for two, hidden away in his coat pocket, I’m devastated. What else can I assume other than he’s cheating? I’ve risked everything for the life I have now, a life that’s a million miles from… before. Not that Oliver would know anything about that. I would do anything to hold on to the perfect future I so dearly long for. A future that is now about to come crashing down. Because Oliver’s cheating isn’t the only threat to my family. This morning I received an anonymous note. One that changes everything. The past isn’t just haunting me, it’s coming back to destroy me. It seems that someone in our close-knit community of Prospect Close knows my secret. Someone who’s willing to do whatever it takes to get their revenge. They’ve already stolen my husband. How much further will they go? And what can I do to stop them…? The Mistress Next Door is by Lesley Sanderson.

Her Final Breath is by Carolyn Arnold. Faint sunlight dapples the two figures lying on the ground. The mother cradles her daughter close to her side, a stuffed toy elephant next to them. Leaves from the tall trees fall onto their faces, but neither moves to brush them off. When a dog walker in a local Virginia park finds the bodies of a mother and daughter, Detective Amanda Steele is first on the scene. Her own daughter has a toy just like the girl’s elephant and seeing the child like this is her worst nightmare come true. Heartbroken, she vows to get justice. They quickly get an ID—Jill Archer and six-year-old Charlotte were reported missing last week, but interviewing Jill’s husband, Roy, Amanda’s gut tells her he is hiding something. When the autopsy reveals a terrible pattern of bruises, she’s certain that a domestic argument escalated out of control, and tiny Charlotte got caught in the crossfire. But just as Amanda is about to arrest Roy, another grave is found, containing another mother and daughter. Desperate for a lead, she goes to every place the women could have been targeted, and learns from a concerned ER nurse about Leanne Reilly and her young daughter, Gracie, who haven’t been heard from in a week. Amanda hopes that Leanne has simply left her deadbeat husband, but she’s gripped by the fear that they are the killer’s latest victims. Now every second counts for Amanda to find the family and stop a little girl’s nightmare before it ends in tragedy…

“Don’t go in the guest bedroom.” A shadow falls on Douglas Garrick’s face as he touches the door with his fingertips. “My wife… she’s very ill.” As he continues showing me their incredible penthouse apartment, I have a terrible feeling about the woman behind closed doors. But I can’t risk losing this job—not if I want to keep my darkest secret safe… It’s hard to find an employer who doesn’t ask too many questions about my past. So I thank my lucky stars that the Garricks miraculously give me a job, cleaning their stunning penthouse with views across the city and preparing fancy meals in their shiny kitchen. I can work here for a while, stay quiet until I get what I want. It’s almost perfect. But I still haven’t met Mrs Garrick, or seen inside the guest bedroom. I’m sure I hear her crying. I notice spots of blood around the neck of her white nightgowns when I’m doing laundry. And one day I can’t help but knock on the door. When it gently swings open, what I see inside changes everything… That’s when I make a promise. After all, I’ve done this before. I can protect Mrs Garrick while keeping my own secrets locked up safe. Douglas Garrick has done wrong. He is going to pay. It’s simply a question of how far I’m willing to go… The Housemaid's Secret is by Freida McFadden.

Their Resting Place is by B R Spangler. Out in the field the tall stalks sway in the breeze, hiding a girl lying on the ground as if asleep. But she doesn’t stir when rain falls from the gray sky and lands on her soft cheeks. Her beautiful dark eyes stare up, unseeing, as her blood mingles with the rich brown earth. When a member of Detective Casey White’s team turns up at her door begging for help, Casey races to find the broken body of twenty-year-old Charlie Robson abandoned in a sunflower field. Yellow petals and broken stalks scatter the ground—and Casey immediately recognizes the red markings all over Charlie’s body as arrow wounds. Heartbroken, Casey vows to find the monster who would hunt Charlie down like this. Interviewing Charlie’s distraught mother, Casey’s blood turns to ice when she learns about a tightknit group of Charlie’s best friends who once called themselves The Sunflower Girls. They met in archery club and have drifted apart since high school. Casey knows the killer is sending a message with arrows… could the other girls be next? But as Casey instructs her colleagues to track down the five remaining friends, another girl’s body is found, shot with arrows in her own home. Clutched in her hand is a broken sunflower petal. Turning the house upside down Casey finds a bone-chilling, one-word note: Guilty. Someone is picking off The Sunflower Girls one by one. But why? Interviewing the four remaining girls, Casey is certain they are hiding a dark secret that stretches back to their school days. Trusting no-one, Casey will have to risk everything to track down a deadly killer… but with her own team keeping secrets too, could the real danger be much closer to home?

I glance over at Lou’s house as I pull onto my drive, surprised that it is still in darkness. Lou and the kids should have been home from school long ago. I should be preparing a delicious meal for my children as they tell me about their day. But Lou’s car is nowhere to be seen… The night is drawing in and Lou has still not returned. I try not to panic, but deep down I know something is wrong. Lou is the most dependable friend. Our children are at the same school. We always help each other out, and she cares for my two like only a mother can. As a storm rages outside and local news reports tell everyone to stay indoors, a feeling of deep dread starts to swell. Then the call comes. The police have found Lou’s car, with my children’s schoolbags still inside along with Lou’s phone. But they are nowhere to be seen. Clutching my husband’s hands, willing our children to be found safe and sound, I try to silence the voice inside my head. I’ve not been honest. I’m being punished for what happened all those years ago. And then I get Lou’s message and I know that if I want to see my children again, I need to tell the truth to everyone I love. What I don’t yet know is that Lou has been keeping her own dark secret. And once the storm passes, nothing will ever be the same again. The Mother Next Door is by Leah Mercer

 

April Books From Bookouture

America 1883: Cassie Gwynne feels like she’s finally found where she belongs, settling into her new life in Florida with her aunt and her mischievous kitten Esy. When a traveling theater group arrives in town Cassie can’t resist signing up for the chorus. But the production goes awry from the start and soon death takes center stage... With costumes going missing and strange voices heard coming from the dressing room, the cast are convinced they are cursed. And when the lead actor, William Gage, has a fatal accident, Cassie is certain someone is deliberately targeting the play. Off-stage Mr. Gage was known as a notorious flirt, so could a jilted lover be out for revenge? Determined that the show must go on, Cassie launches her own investigation into the peculiar events. She quickly discovers an expensive, embroidered handkerchief stashed away on the lighting platform. This part of the theater is supposed to be out of bounds, so could the cagey chorus girl or the uppity understudy have something to hide? When she returns at night to look around, Cassie is almost flattened as the wooden scenery crashes to the stage. Is this just the latest in a long line of catastrophes or is somebody out to stop Cassie learning the truth? Can Cassie solve the mystery and make it to opening night or will it be curtains for her too? Plot Most Peril is by Genevieve Essig.

214 Palmer Street is by Karen McQuestion. A house with a secret. A woman with nothing to lose.When Maggie sees the beautiful Venetian blinds moving in the Caldwells’ front window, she freezes. Her favorite neighbours Cady and Josh are away, so who is in their house? The pretty young woman who answers the door tells a convincing story. She’s Sarah. The house-sitter. Just here for a month. An old friend of Cady’s who needed a place to stay. She’s pleasant and warm, and Maggie wanders back to her house thinking she might have made a new friend. Yet she can’t help but wonder why Cady never mentioned Sarah. What Maggie doesn’t know is that on the other side of the door, Sarah is starting to panic. No one was meant to see her at 214 Palmer Street…

“Help!” she screams, kicking as hard as she can against the closet door. But it’s nailed shut, and nobody can hear her. She drops to her knees and curls into a ball like she did as a little girl, praying someone will find her before it is too late… When the body of single mother Melissa Rollins is found trapped inside a bedroom closet in her immaculate suburban home, Detective Jo Fournier races to the scene. The small town of Greenfern is sweltering in a heatwave, and Jo is horrified to find that Melissa’s heating was turned up to the max whilst she died of thirst. Who would kill a devoted mother in such a cruel way? Searching the house for clues, Jo’s team discovers that the front door was locked from the inside. And with no sign of a break-in, they realise the killer must be someone Melissa knew. But everyone in the frame has an alibi… As she delves deeper into the case, Jo uncovers a link between Melissa and a recent cold case: another single mother who was tied up and brutally murdered. Someone is on a mission to kill local mothers, and Jo knows they will claim their next victim soon. But as temperatures continue to rise and the team works around the clock to stop a twisted killer, someone from Jo’s past catches up with her. They’re watching her family’s every move, and they will stop at nothing to get revenge… Can Jo save the people she loves and catch the killer before it’s too late? Her Silent Prayer is by M M Chouinard.

Lake View House is by Helen Phifer. Icy water laps against the wooden jetty. But the girl doesn’t notice the cold as she slips slowly under the freezing surface… Running from a devastating relationship that almost cost her everything, Maddy Hart impulsively accepts a job as a live-in caretaker at imposing Lakeview House. She has no memories of having visited the crumbling mansion on the banks of Lake Thirlmere before, but when she arrives, something about the house feels familiar… The more time Maddy spends in the house, the more unsettled she feels. Why does the local story about the last woman who lived here, who drowned on her wedding day, chill Maddy to the bone? By day, she clears out the dusty rooms, but in the dead of night it’s hard to explain away the eerie noises or crackly radio she hears hours after she turned it off. Slowly, Maddy begins to fear that her worst nightmare is coming true, has her past caught up with her…? When a soaking wet wedding dress is left on Maddy’s doorstep she feels completely trapped. It is her exact measurements. Is her ex trying to send her a message? Or has Maddy’s digging uncovered an even deadlier secret? Will this perfect escape become the perfect trap?

My family keep telling me I’m safe. But why don’t I believe them? I stand at the very edge of the cliff face, looking at the roaring ocean below my feet. I’m in no danger, in fact my husband and his sister talk just feet away from me, watching my every move. They’re worried I’m losing my mind, and I sense their nerves as they watch me looking down on the jagged rocks below. Behind them sits our summer house. Apparently it’s my favourite place in the world, not that I can remember. Since the car accident, I’ve struggled to recall a lot of important things in my life, like giving birth to my daughter, Violet, just days after the crash. Or my supposedly perfect marriage… As I stare at the huge expanse of blue below, I have a flashback to the day of the crash—an argument, my husband’s face red with anger. Why is it so different to what everyone else is telling me about my life? Beads of sweat gather on my neck. If my memory is true, my life and my children’s lives are in danger. What really happened the day of the accident? And is there anyone I can trust? The Breakdown is by Arianne Richmonde.

Watch Her Disappear is by Lisa Regan. The girl’s prom dress, the color of champagne, shimmers in the dying light. A corsage of wilting pink sweetheart roses decorates her wrist. She is perfectly still, lying on the ground like a delicate china doll, trapped forever in a sleep from which she will never wake… When a call comes in about a young girl found dead at a high school prom—her life drained away from a fatal stab wound—Detective Josie Quinn drops everything to attend the scene. Taking in the girl’s neatly braided hair, Josie feels a flicker of recognition. But no one comes forward to identify this innocent child, murdered on what should have been the happiest night of her life. Trawling missing persons files, Josie realizes where she has seen the girl before. Gemma Farmer disappeared a few months ago, shattering her family. But why would her body appear now, on her sixteenth birthday? Josie’s only clue is the five neat little cuts on Gemma’s pale arm. Days later, another missing girl shows up, tucked neatly into her bed on the morning of her birthday, her favourite teddy beside her, her skin as cold as ice—and the autopsy reveals scars on her arm matching Gemma’s. Her head spinning, Josie fears the marks are a serial killer’s twisted way of counting his victims. But where are the other girls he’s killed, and how many more could follow? The case takes a terrifying turn when a local teen goes missing just days before she turns sixteen. Clock ticking, Josie turns the town upside down in search of answers. But when her own chief comes forward with a missing piece in this devastating puzzle spanning decades, will it be enough to get inside the mind of the most unexpected and elusive killer she has ever encountered, or will another precious life be taken?

Gone to Her Grave is by Wendy Dranfield. In the golden morning light, a beautiful young woman lies diagonally across the bed, dressed for a night out, her long lashes pressed against her cheeks as if she’s sleeping. But the crimson that creeps across the sheets tells the story of an innocent woman who has drawn her last breath… Detective Madison Harper is pulled away from Thanksgiving preparations when a local care worker, Terri Summers, is found dead in her home on the outskirts of Lost Creek, Colorado. Terri’s inconsolable mother can’t understand who would hurt such a kind soul who had dedicated her life to helping others. But analysis of the blood spatter at the scene indicates Terri knew her attacker, that she looked them right in the eye before her life was taken. The awkward way Terri’s body is positioned catches Madison’s attention. Carefully moving her, she finds a bracelet—possibly a child’s—with a single red bead clenched in the woman’s fist, as if she was hiding it. It’s the lead Madison so desperately needs, but the sudden death of one of her own team sends the investigation into a tailspin. With her coworkers crumbling around her, Madison must work day and night to trace the bracelet and crack the case. But when she’s dragged back into the disappearance of a woman and child from years ago, and finds a link to someone in her own family, can Madison stop this twisted killer before another precious life is taken? And at what cost?

A lovely day out takes a dark turn when a complaining customer is found dead… Luckily amateur sleuth Belinda Penshurst is on the scene – and ready to investigate! Belinda Penshurst has always loved Brabourne Gardens. A keen animal lover, she enjoys walking its winding paths and listening to the excited squeals of schoolchildren encountering the kind of wildlife you don’t normally find in England. So when one of the visitors is found strangled, she’s determined to learn whodunnit – and why. The victim, Simon Carter, had a reputation for making trouble… But surely that’s not a good enough reason to want him dead. Together with retired detective Harry Powell, Belinda investigates the goings-on behind the scenes, and learns that some of the staff are more savage than the animals. Is it Estelle Samuels, the anti-social owner, who clearly has something to hide? Or the security guard who takes his job too seriously? Most worrying of all, Belinda’s ex Ivan was there when the body was found, and she’s determined to clear his name. As suspicions swirl, one thing’s for sure: if Belinda keeps following the killer’s tracks, she might find herself in their sights… Can she sniff out a murderer, before she becomes prey? Murder at the Gardens is by Lisa Cutts.

Silent Little Angels is by Jennifer Chase. The water ripples as the girl’s body escapes the reeds and floats silently upwards. Her beautiful face—blue eyes frozen open, skin as white as snow—breaks the surface. But it’s too late, this innocent soul has taken her final breath… When camp counselor Carolyn Sable’s body is found floating in a lake beside Eagle Ridge Summer Camp, Detective Katie Scottmust dig deep to stay focused. As a child, Katie spent many happy weeks at that camp toasting marshmallows on the fire with her best friend Jenny… until the day Jenny disappeared. The loss will always haunt Katie, but Carolyn’s inconsolable family need answers. Searching the area, the devastating discovery of two more bodies sends the case into a tailspin. Suddenly on the hunt for a serial killer, Katie’s blood turns to ice when she finds newspaper clippings about her own past cases planted near one of the bodies. Was this twisted killer banking on Katie taking the lead? And why? Carolyn was adored by children and staff at the camp, so Katie thinks her sudden resignation is key to cracking the case. Uncovering a tragic accident involving a group of children the weeks before Carolyn left, Katie knows she’s getting close. But when the carefully laid trap Katie sets to catch Carolyn’s killer backfires, Katie finds herself in unthinkable danger and unable to even trust her own team. Can she stay alive long enough to crack the toughest case of her career, and how many more innocent lives will be lost before she does?

For seven years I believed my husband was dead – until the note arrived this morning… The day her husband Tom disappeared, Rachel’s life fell apart. Childhood sweethearts with two young children, they’d done everything together. And then, suddenly, Tom was gone. Without a word, without a note, without a single sign of where he might be, leaving Rachel to survive alone. Now, nearly seven years later, Rachel has come to terms with life as a single mother, caring for their children who still secretly long for their father’s miraculous return. But in his absence, Tom’s hidden life started to emerge, and Rachel has discovered things a wife should never have to. A secret life that betrayed everything Rachel thought she knew. Not knowing where he’d gone was no longer the main worry keeping her awake at night – it seemed much more likely he’d been silenced. Forever. Until today, when – with just one month until Tom is to be declared legally dead – Rachel receives a note in handwriting she recognises with dread: My darling, I’ve missed you so much. Give me a chance to explain. I’m coming home. The husband she’d lost is alive. And so are all his secrets… The Widow's Husband is by Lesley Sanderson.

The Light House Girls is by B R Spangler. The girl shivers in the boat, trying to hold back her sobs as the man silently rows them towards the lighthouse under a dark sky. She thinks desperately of her big sister, how they’d laughed just a few hours before as they rode the Ferris wheel at the funfair. Will she ever see her again? When the body of a teenage girl is found abandoned on a beach by a lighthouse in North Carolina’s Outer Banks, Detective Casey White is first on the scene. Breaking the news to the heartbroken parents, Casey is distraught to learn of a second tragedy: the girl’s eight-year-old little sister Shawna is missing too. Searching the lighthouse building, Casey soon finds traces that Shawna was kept there: her clothes, a teddy bear. Someone has been keeping her alive, but where have they taken her? When she learns that the girls were together at a visiting funfair the night they were taken, Casey races to interview the workers, but is only met with silence and turned backs. Digging into old cases, Casey’s blood runs cold as she realises there’s been a murder in the same location as the travelling fair going back years. Now the funfair has disappeared without trace. Thinking back to a shadowy figure she noticed by the hall of mirrors, Casey is certain when they find the fair, they will find the killer hiding in plain sight. But with the whole town terrified for their daughters,can Casey hunt them down before it’s too late for little Shawna?

Murder in the Neighborhood is by Ellen J Green. On 6 September 1949, twenty-eight-year-old Howard Barton Unruh shot thirteen people in less than twelve minutes on his block in East Camden, New Jersey. The shocking true story of the first recorded mass shooting in America has never been told, until now. The sky was cloudless that morning when twelve-year-old Raymond Havens left his home on River Road. His grandmother had sent him to get a haircut at the barbershop across the street—where he was about to witness his neighbor and friend Howard open fire on the customers inside. Told through the eyes of young Raymond, who had visited Howard regularly to listen to his war stories, and the mother trying to piece together the disturbing inner workings of her son’s mind, Murder in the Neighborhood uncovers the chilling true story of Howard Unruh, the quiet loner who meticulously plotted his revenge on the neighbors who shunned him and became one of America’s first mass killers. With Ellen’s access to Howard’s diaries, newly released police reports and psychiatric records alongside interviews with surviving family members, Murder in the Neighborhood is a compulsive page-turner that will have you asking—how well do we ever really know those around us? Are we ever really safe?

A Body on the Beach is by Dee Macdonald. Super sleuth Kate Palmer is Cornwall’s answer to Miss Marple, but when the semi-retired nurse finds herself in the wrong place at the wrong time can she prove her innocence and solve her most puzzling case yet? Kate Palmer thought spending the day at Tinworthy’s annual summer party would involve sea air, sunshine and Cornish cream cake – how very wrong she was! After a showdown with her new nemesis Sienna Stone, Kate goes for a cliff-top walk to cool off. But she is horrified to spot Sienna’s body on the sandy beach below. Rumours swirl around the close-knit Cornish community and all eyes are on Kate. Half the village witnessed her argument with Sienna. When Kate finds herself cast as a suspect and is accused of murder, can she solve the crime and clear her name? Kate knows that plenty of people disliked Sienna but would any of them go so far as to kill her and frame Kate? Could it be Sienna’s long-suffering husband Irving? Her jealous younger sister Sally? Or Timmy Thomson, the local loner who was infatuated with her? Just as Kate thinks she’s getting closer to an answer, Timmy is found dead in his own home. Does his untimely demise mean the other suspects, including Kate, are next on the killer’s list…? With time running out, Kate needs to find out the truth. Can she solve the case and save herself? Or have her days of sleuthing come to an end?

The Girl Before Me is by Laura Wolfe. I’m so worried. You aren’t safe in that apartment! You have to get out. Before it’s too late… When Rachel moves into a new apartment with her young daughter, Lily, it’s with a huge sense of relief. After escaping an abusive marriage, this perfect downtown fourth floor rental, within minutes from the lake, feels like the new beginning the two of them deserve. It’s a place to call home. A place for them to grow together. A place for them to heal. And, as Lily starts at a nearby elementary school, and Rachel begins to develop feelings for her neighbor, Alex, who lives just down the hall, she dares to hope that their life is looking up. But soon handwritten letters begin to arrive for someone called Annie. Alex says she was just the tenant who lived there before, who moved out one day without a word. Tentatively Rachel opens the first letter, intending to return it to the sender. But the note says ‘Annie. I’m so worried. You aren’t safe in that apartment! You have to get out. Before it’s too late.’ Something happened to Annie. And Rachel is not nearly as safe as she thinks she is…