'An absolute belter of a page-turner' HEAT 'A fantastic book club choice' PRIMA Would you have a baby for your daughter? Ruth has the life she always wanted - stellar career, loving family, beautiful home - but now, with an empty nest, and heading towards 55, she feels restless. Then her daughter is told that she will never be able to conceive, and Ruth discovers that, with the right dose of hormones, she could carry a child for her daughter. At first Ruth is buoyed with a new sense of purpose, but her daughter can't contain her corrosive envy, and then long-buried secrets from the past resurface. What begins a simple gift becomes something darker and more complicated - and something for which Ruth is willing to risk everything... 'Gripping' COSMOPLITAN 'Full of drama . . . as much about womanhood as it is about motherhood' GUARDIAN 'Compulsive' KATE HAMER 'Clever and compelling. I loved it' JANE SHEMILT

Ruth Furnival is a successful television executive with a seemingly perfect life: a nice house in London, a lawyer husband and two grown-up daughters. But at 54, with an empty nest and the menopause behind her, she feels restless and dissatisfied.

After multiple rounds of failed IVF, her eldest daughter Lauren has been told that the only chance for her and her husband to have their own child is surrogacy. So when Ruth discovers that, with the right dose of hormones, she could carry their baby, out of desperation they agree. At first Ruth is buoyed up by her sense of purpose, but as the pregnancy progresses, long-buried events from her past resurface - and Lauren can't contain her corrosive envy.

Isolated and alone, Ruth starts to unravel, and what started as an act of altruism begins to seem like an atonement for which she is willing to risk everything.

'An absolute belter of a page-turner' HEAT 'Kept me reading late into the night' DAILY MAIL 'Clever and compelling. I loved it' JANE SHEMILT Ruth's going to risk everything to have her daughter's baby... Ruth Furnival has built the life she always dreamed of: a stellar career in television, a lovely home, a lawyer husband and two grown-up daughters. But at 54, with an empty nest and the menopause behind her, she feels restless and dissatisfied. After multiple rounds of failed IVF, her elder daughter Lauren is told that the only way she and her husband can have a child of their own is through surrogacy. So when Ruth discovers that, with the right dose of hormones, she could carry their baby, they agree out of desperation. At first Ruth is buoyed by a new sense of purpose, but as her pregnancy progresses, long-buried events from the past resurface. Meanwhile Lauren can't contain her corrosive envy. Isolated and alone, Ruth starts to unravel and what began as an act of altruism turns into one of atonement - for which she's willing to risk everything. 'A fantastic book club choice...compelling' PRIMA 'A gripping read...for fans of Apple Tree Yard' COSMOPOLITAN 'Fast-paced and addictively compelling ' RACHEL JOYCE 'An absolute "up-all-night" compulsive read' KATE HAMER 'A gripping exploration of femininity and motherhood' BEST *Previously published under the title Surrogate in hardback.*