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Kate has failed at life. Once she had everything - a great job in
local journalism, a happy marriage to Andrew and a baby on the way
- but when her second child, Kirsty, is born profoundly disabled,
it all starts to fall apart. Five years on from Kirsty's birth,
Kate is at the end of her tether, smarting from a disastrous
affair, unable to love her children, furious with her husband,
mourning the career she lost. She decides the only way to survive
is to do the unthinkable - and leave her family. Years later, when
Adam and Kirsty have grown up, Andrew publishes his memoir about
Kirsty learning how to sign - something they thought she would
never be able to do. But Kate, who has since moved to LA and is now
married to a film producer, discovers her new husband wants to make
the book into a film. Kate decides she must stop this, even if it
means losing the fragile new family she's found and having to
confront the one she left all those years before. Moving between
the present day and the twenty years from 2002 to 2022, revealing
secrets along the way and brushing against real-life events, the
story follows the fractured family as their lives develop and move
apart. THIS COULD BE US is a book about loss, family, and
redemption.
Everyone here has killed someone.
There is no way off this island.
You will all either kill or be killed here.
One of these statements is a lie. But which one?
Amira’s less than thrilled to be spending the weekend with her
husband’s university friends. Two of them are hosting a joint fortieth
on a private Scottish island, with vintage champagne, expensive gifts,
and soaks in the wood-fired hot tub. Despite the luxury, Amira knows
she’s going to feel left out, not to mention freezing cold and cut off.
When they decide to play ‘two truths and a lie’, anonymously posting
three statements about themselves into a box, years of resentment start
bubbling to the surface. And then an extra slip of paper emerges,
scrawled with three chilling threats. Who wrote it? And are two of the
statements really true―have they all been responsible for someone’s
death?
With no phone reception and no way off the island, the group are
trapped here until the end of the weekend. And as tension rises and
secrets are spilled, they can’t shake the feeling that they’re not the
only ones here. Is someone watching them? Someone who wants them dead?
Or is it one of them who has murder in mind?
From the bestselling author of What You Did comes the story of a
young couple who are about to discover that in a house full of
secrets there's nowhere to hide... For Helen and George, the remote
fixer-upper in Cornwall was supposed to be a dream home, and a way
to leave behind the problems they're both running from. But
something about the place feels wrong from day one. And why does
Helen have a creeping feeling she's seen this house before? Her
unease only deepens after renovations begin, when the builders find
sinister dolls hidden in the walls. As Helen digs into the house's
past, she discovers that the previous owner was not only rumoured
to be a witch; she was also imprisoned for a brutal triple murder
thirty years earlier. When a horrific accident almost ends in
tragedy, Helen worries that the house's secrets are to blame, and
as events spiral out of control she discovers George has been lying
to her. As the past returns to haunt them, the couple realise they
are in terrible danger, and they can't trust anyone-not even each
other. Because Helen hasn't been entirely honest with him either...
'Brave, brilliantly structured, and beautifully written' - Laura
Barnett, author of The Versions of Us 'So truthful and rewarding' -
Ian Rankin, author of the Inspector Rebus series 'Captivating' -
Irish Independent Kate has done the unthinkable. She'd worked hard
to build a perfect life for herself, while ignoring her growing
unhappiness. But when her second child was born profoundly
disabled, reality hit. Unable to cope, Kate left - disappearing
without a trace. She ends up in LA, with a glittering career and a
new family of sorts, but the guilt is still suffocating. Husband
Andrew was left to pick up the pieces and care for their disabled
daughter and angry, confused son. Bereft and broken, he leaned on
Olivia, Kate's best friend. She's been by his side ever since,
ignoring her own needs to meet his. Years later, Andrew has written
a memoir about his daughter learning to communicate against all
odds. But when Kate's new producer husband decides he wants to make
a film of it, their worlds collide once again. Now, Kate must
return to the life she abandoned and reckon with what she did. The
guilt and the love. The pain and the hope. In other words, family.
'About half way through this beautiful, expertly-stitched novel, I
thought to myself, "Every woman needs to read this book"; by the
end, I thought, "every human". Moving, thought-provoking and
profound, it's one of my favourite reads of the last few years'
Louise Candlish, author of Our House
In this tense thriller from the bestselling author of What You Did
and The Other Wife, a woman finds a dead body. Will she make the
same mistake as last time? When Rachel stumbles upon a body in the
woods, she knows what she has to do: run. Get away. Do not be found
at the scene. Last time, she didn't know, and she ended up accused
of murder. But when this victim is identified as her boyfriend's
estranged wife, Rachel realises she's already the prime suspect.
With mounting evidence against her, Rachel's only hope is to keep
the truth about herself well hidden. Because twenty years ago she
was someone else-Casey, a young nanny trying to make it as an
actress in Los Angeles. When the family she worked for were
brutally murdered, all the evidence pointed to her and she went to
prison. Back then, she narrowly escaped the death penalty and
managed to free herself on appeal. Now she's fighting to save the
life she's spent years piecing back together. But with her
behaviour raising suspicion and the police closing in, Rachel can't
help wondering: Was her discovery in the woods really just an awful
coincidence, or is someone framing her for murder? Someone who
knows who she is, and wants revenge...
From the bestselling author of What You Did comes a true-crime
investigation that cast a dark shadow over the Ireland of her
childhood. Ireland in the 1990s seemed a safe place for women. With
the news dominated by the Troubles, it was easy to ignore
non-political murders and sexual violence, to trust that you
weren't going to be dragged into the shadows and killed. But
beneath the surface, a far darker reality had taken hold. Through
questioning the society and circumstances that allowed eight young
women to vanish without a trace no conclusion or conviction, no
resolution for their loved ones bestselling crime novelist Claire
McGowan delivers a candid investigation into the culture of
secrecy, victim-blaming and shame that left these women's bodies
unfound, their fates unknown, their assailants unpunished. McGowan
reveals an Ireland not of leprechauns and craic but of outdated
social and sexual mores, where women and their bodies were of
secondary importance to perceived propriety and misguided
politics-a place of well-buttoned lips and stony silence,
inadequate police and paramilitary threat. Was an unknown serial
killer at large or was there something even more insidious at work?
In this insightful, sensitively drawn account, McGowan exposes a
system that failed these eight women-and continues to fail women to
this day.
An Amazon Charts bestseller. She's a total stranger. But she knows
who you are... Suzi did a bad thing. She's paying for it now,
pregnant, scared, and living in an isolated cottage with her
jealous husband, Nick. When Nora moves into the only house nearby,
Suzi is delighted to have a friend. So much so that she's almost
tempted to tell Nora her terrible secret. But there's more to Nora
than meets the eye. It's impossible-does she already know what Suzi
did? Meanwhile, Elle spends her days in her perfect home, fixated
on keeping up appearances. But when her husband betrays her, it
unravels a secret going all the way back to her childhood. She'll
do whatever it takes to hold on to him, even if that means murder.
After all, she's done it before... Caught up in their own secrets
and lies, these strangers will soon realise they have more in
common than they could ever have imagined. When a shocking event
brings them together, their lives will never be the same again.
"A brilliant, breathless thriller that kept me guessing to the last
shocking page." -Erin Kelly, Sunday Times bestselling author of He
Said/She Said An Amazon Charts and Washington Post bestseller. It
was supposed to be the perfect reunion: six university friends
together again after twenty years. Host Ali finally has the life
she always wanted, a career she can be proud of and a wonderful
family with her college boyfriend, now husband. But that night her
best friend makes an accusation so shocking that nothing will ever
be the same again. When Karen staggers in from the garden, bleeding
and traumatised, she claims that she has been assaulted-by Ali's
husband, Mike. Ali must make a split-second decision: who should
she believe? Her horrified husband, or her best friend? With Mike
offering a very different version of events, Ali knows one of them
is lying-but which? And why? When the ensuing chaos forces her to
re-examine the golden era the group shared at university, Ali
realises there are darker memories too. Memories that have lain
dormant for decades. Memories someone would kill to protect.
From the bestselling author of What You Did comes a stunning
psychological thriller. One party. Thirteen people. By 3.02 p.m.,
one of them will be dead. The party should have been perfect: six
couples from the same baby group, six newborns, a luxurious house.
But not everything has gone to plan, and while some are here to
celebrate, others have sorrows to drown. When someone falls from
the balcony of the house, the secrets and conflicts within the
group begin to spill out ... DS Alison Hegarty, herself struggling
with infertility, is called in to investigate. She's convinced the
fall was not an accident, and finds the new parents have a lot to
hide. Wealthy Ed and Monica show off their newborn while their
teenage daughter is kept under virtual house arrest. Hazel and
Cathy conceived their longed-for baby via an anonymous sperm
donor-or so Hazel thinks. Anita and Jeremy planned to adopt from
America, but there's no sign of the child. Kelly, whose violent
boyfriend disrupted previous group sessions, came to the party even
though she lost her baby. And then there's Jax, who's been
experiencing strange incidents for months-almost like someone's out
to get her. Is it just a difficult pregnancy? Or could it be
payback for something she did in the past? It's a nightmare of a
case, and as events get even darker it begins to look impossible.
Only one thing is clear: they all have something to hide. And for
one of them, it's murder.
Kate has done the unthinkable. She'd worked hard to build a perfect
life for herself, while ignoring her growing unhappiness. But when
her second child was born profoundly disabled, reality hit. Unable
to cope, Kate left - disappearing without a trace. She ends up in
LA, with a glittering career and a new family of sorts, but the
guilt is still suffocating. Husband Andrew was left to pick up the
pieces and care for their disabled daughter and angry, confused
son. Bereft and broken, he leaned on Olivia, Kate's best friend.
She's been by his side ever since, ignoring her own needs to meet
his. Years later, Andrew has written a memoir about his daughter
learning to communicate against all odds. But when Kate's new
producer husband decides he wants to make a film of it, their
worlds collide once again. Now, Kate must return to the life she
abandoned and reckon with what she did. The guilt and the love. The
pain and the hope. In other words, family. Following a fractured
family over a period of twenty years, This Could Be Us is an
extraordinarily moving story from bestselling author Claire
McGowan.
Reader, she married him. But not before a LOT of discussion of his
behaviour in the group chat. With courage, determination and logged
into her social media accounts - plain Jane Eyre is ready to take
on the world. But then she meets and begins to fall for Edward
Rochester, AKA the definition of a red flag, with screenshots to
prove it. When authors Claire McGowan and Sarah Day imagined how
'Pride and Prejudice on Social Media' might look, retelling the
story through mocked-up social media posts, their post instantly
went viral. Now, they return with a Bronte classic told through
highs and lows of social media . . . Perfect for fans of Charlotte
Brontë . . .
Elizabeth Bennet has politely declined your friend request and asks
that you do not slide into her DMs again. It is a truth universally
acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune,
will probably be verified on social media. The characters of Pride
and Prejudice are navigating the same struggles on unfamiliar
channels - social media channels, to be precise. When authors
Claire McGowan and Sarah Day imagined how 'Pride and Prejudice on
Social Media' might look, retelling the story through mocked-up
social media posts, their post instantly went viral. Have you ever
wondered what Austen's most famous couple might be like if it
played out online? Well, here is the story in full . . . Perfect
for fans of Elizabeth Bennet and Mr Darcy . . .
Blood stains the altar. Can she be found? Paula Maguire, forensic
psychologist is called in to investigate a missing girl and the
disappearance of a holy relic in Claire McGowan's exhilarating
fourth novel in the series, A SAVAGE HUNTER. The Paula Maguire
series is sure to enthral fans of Stuart MacBride and Lee Child. 'A
complex, disturbing, resonant novel that remains light on its feet
and immensely entertaining' - Irish Times Victim: Female.
Twenty-two years of age. Reason for investigation: Missing person.
ID: Alice Morgan. Student. Last seen at a remote religious shrine
in Ballyterrin. Alice Morgan's disappearance raises immediate
questions for forensic psychologist Paula Maguire. Alice, the
daughter of a life pee0r in the Home Office, has vanished along
with a holy relic - the bones of a saint - and the only trace is
the bloodstains on the altar. With no body to confirm death, the
pressure in this high-profile case is all-consuming, and Paula
knows that she will have to put her own life, including her
imminent marriage, on hold, if they are to find the truth. A
connection to a decades-old murder immediately indicates that all
may not be as it seems; as the summer heat rises and tempers fray,
can Alice be found or will they learn that those that are hungry
for vengeance may be the most savage of all? What readers are
saying about A Savage Hunter: 'A compelling story with twists and
turns, intelligently written to include history and current issues'
'An excellent, well-written series, giving you an insight into the
troubles that have plagued Northern Ireland and how all their lives
have been affected' 'I found the twisty threads really engrossing
and couldn't wait to see how they were brought to a climax. And
boy, talk about explosive ending!'
What would you do if the man you love was accused of murder? Bad
things never happen to Charlotte. She's living the life she's
always wanted and about to marry wealthy banker, Dan. But Dan's
been hiding a secret, and the pressure is pushing him over the
edge. After he's arrested for the vicious killing of a nightclub
owner, Charlotte's future is shattered. Then she opens her door to
Keisha, an angry and frustrated stranger with a story to tell.
Convinced of Dan's innocence, Charlotte must fight for him - even
if it means destroying her perfect life. But what Keisha knows
threatens everyone she loves, and puts her own life in danger. DC
Matthew Hegarty is riding high on the success of Dan's arrest. But
he's finding it difficult to ignore his growing doubts as well as
the beautiful and vulnerable Charlotte. Can he really risk it all
for what's right? Three stories. One truth. They all need to brace
themselves for the fall.
A missing couple. A lurking killer. A perfect storm. Forensic
psychologist Paula Maguire returns to solve a dark and dangerous
case on a small Irish island in the taut and terrifying BLOOD TIDE,
the fifth novel in Claire McGowan's acclaimed series. The perfect
read for fans of Joy Ellis and Karin Slaughter. 'A brilliantly
executed thriller with a haunting and atmospheric setting. Spine
tingling' - Sunday Mirror Called in to investigate the
disappearance of a young couple during a violent storm, Paula
Maguire, forensic psychologist, has mixed feelings about going back
to Bone Island. Her last family holiday as a child was spent on its
beautiful, remote beaches and returning brings back haunting
memories of her long-lost mother. It soon becomes clear that
outsiders aren't welcome on the island, and with no choice but to
investigate the local community, Paula soon suspects foul play,
realising that the islanders are hiding secrets from her, and each
other. With another storm fast approaching, Paula is faced with a
choice. Leave alive or risk being trapped with a killer on an
inescapable island, as the blood tide rushes in... What readers are
saying about Blood Tide: 'A very clever plot with many shocking
moments. The island setting added to the atmosphere as did the
ongoing storm. What a terrific book' 'I caught myself holding my
breath as I followed the characters avidly. This is definitely the
series that keeps on giving and keeps getting better' 'A
masterfully plotted and executed novel. The pace never lets up,
with new developments in every chapter. An excellent read'
Some say they deserve their fate. But isn't everyone entitled to
justice? Forensic psychologist Paula Maguire is in a race against
time to solve a deadly crime in THE SILENT DEAD, the third novel in
Claire McGowan's terrific, hard-hitting crime series. The perfect
read for fans of Val McDermid and Elly Griffiths. 'Astonishing,
powerful and immensely satisfying' - Peter James Victim: Male.
Mid-thirties. 5'7". Cause of death: Hanging. Initial impression -
murder. ID: Mickey Doyle. Suspected terrorist and member of the
Mayday Five. The officers at the crime scene know exactly who the
victim is. Doyle was one of five suspected bombers who caused the
deaths of sixteen people. The remaining four are also missing and
when a second body is found, decapitated, it's clear they are being
killed by the same methods their victims suffered. Forensic
psychologist Paula Maguire is assigned the case but she is up
against the clock - both personally and professionally. With moral
boundaries blurred between victim and perpetrator, will Paula be
able to find those responsible? After all, even killers deserve
justice... What readers are saying about The Silent Dead: 'Great
atmosphere - it's tense and chilling. I simply did not want to put
this book down. Superb fast-paced plot and wonderful storytelling'
'A gripping story covering grief and frustration as it explores the
moral dilemma of people failed by the system to may just be taking
justice into their own hands. A great read' 'Absorbing story that
constantly holds your attention. Steady, tense layering, building
up to the nerve-wrecking end'
Stolen. Missing. Dead... Forensic psychologist Paul Maguire is up
against the clock to stop a merciless killer in THE DEAD GROUND,
the second novel in the highly acclaimed Paula Maguire series and
the gripping follow up to The Lost. Claire McGowan's thrillers are
sure to enthral readers of Michael Connelly and Karin Slaughter
'Fresh and accessible without ever compromising on grit or
suspense' - Erin Kelly Forensic psychologist Paula Maguire, already
wrestling with the hardest decision of her life, is forced to put
her own problems on hold when she's asked to help find a baby taken
from a local hospital. Then the brutal, ritualistic murder of a
woman found lying on a remote stone circle indicates a connection
to the kidnapping and Paula knows that they will have to move fast
if they are to find the person responsible. When another child is
taken and a pregnant woman goes missing, Paula finds herself caught
up in a deadly hunt for a killer determined to leave no trace, and
discovers every decision she makes really is a matter of life and
death... What readers are saying about The Dead Ground: 'Another
gripping page-turner from a fabulous writer!' 'Every time you think
you've got it all worked out there will be another twist to it.
Definitely worth reading' 'A powerful read that touched nicely on
women's rights and pro-choice in an Irish context. Cleverly done; I
felt a great deal of empathy for all concerned. An excellent read'
Not everyone who's missing is lost Hard-hitting and unputdownable,
THE LOST follows Forensic psychologist Maguire back to her hometown
in the search for two missing girls. This exhilarating introduction
to the Paula Maguire series by Claire McGowan is sure to grip fans
of Elly Griffiths and LJ Ross. 'Claire McGowan is a knockout new
talent' - Lee Child When two teenage girls go missing along the
Irish border, forensic psychologist Paula Maguire has to return to
the hometown she left years before. Swirling with rumour and
secrets, the town is gripped by fear of a serial killer. But the
truth could be even darker. Not everyone who's lost wants to be
found Surrounded by people and places she tried to forget, Paula
digs into the cases as the truth twists further away. What's the
link with two other disappearances from 1985? And why does
everything lead back to the town's dark past- including the reasons
her own mother went missing years before? Nothing is what it seems
As the shocking truth is revealed, Paula learns that sometimes,
it's better not to find what you've lost... What readers are saying
about The Lost: 'Well written and keeps you guessing. The best book
I have read this year' 'Fantastic read. Had me gripped from start
to finish - I just couldn't put it down. Highly recommended'
'Compelling and thrilling. Claire McGowan has a clever ease of
storytelling that draws you in and leaves you wanting more'
Long-buried secrets are being unearthed. And they're very close to
home... Forensic psychologist Paula Maguire returns yet again to
her hometown to investigate a spine-chilling case in THE KILLING
HOUSE, the sixth novel in Claire McGowan's series. The Paula
Maguire series is the perfect read for fans of Michael Connelly and
Peter May. 'A delicious spookiness is added to McGowan's customary
mix of complex characterisation and sweat-inducing excitement,
offering a new level of chilling thrills' - Sunday Mirror When a
puzzling missing persons' case opens up in her hometown, forensic
psychologist Paula Maguire can't help but return once more.
Renovations at an abandoned farm have uncovered two bodies: a man
known to be an IRA member missing since the nineties, and a young
girl whose identity remains a mystery. As Paula attempts to
discover who the girl is and why no one is looking for her, an
anonymous tip-off claims that her own long-lost mother is also
buried on the farm. When another girl is kidnapped, Paula must find
the person responsible before more lives are destroyed. But there
are explosive secrets still to surface. And even Paula can't
predict that the investigation will strike at the heart of all she
holds dear. What readers are saying about the Paula Maguire series:
'I have loved every single book. It's the characters and their own
personal lives that really stand out in Claire McGowan's novels'
'Claire McGowan knows how to pull us in. Her future releases are
always lined up on my kindle way ahead of time!' 'McGowan keeps
developing her characters to be more rounded and complex. I've
really fallen in love with the character of Paula Maguire and I
can't wait to read more about her'
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