One Dark Secret. One act of revenge. When Emma Joseph met her husband David, he was a man shattered by grief. His first wife had been killed outright when her car veered off the road. Just as tragically, their six-year-old daughter mysteriously vanished from the scene of the accident. Now, six years later, Emma believes the painful years are behind them. She and David have built a new life together and have a beautiful baby son, Ollie. Then a stranger walks into their lives, and their world tilts on its axis. Emma's life no longer feels secure. Does she know what really happened all those years ago? And why does she feel so frightened for herself and for her baby? When a desperate Emma reaches out to her old friend DCI Tom Douglas for help, she puts all their lives in jeopardy. Before long, a web of deceit is revealed that shocks both Emma and Tom to the core. They say you should never trust a stranger. Maybe they're right.

From the moment I open my eyes, I know. Her bed is made, the wardrobe empty. There was something she wanted to tell me, but I didn't listen. Now she's gone. 'An absolute stunner of a book by a very clever author' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ READER REVIEW 'Thrilling and creepy plot that keeps you turning the pages until the shocking ending' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ READER REVIEW 'Kept me guessing right to the end' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ READER REVIEW 'I was entranced. Perfectly formed characters, [a] grippingly tense storyline. OUTSTANDING' Angela Marsons 'A real masterclass in simmering tension that builds until the shocking end.' KL Slater 'One of my top reads of 2023. The tension kept me gripped until the final page.' DS Butler Eleven years ago my sister Lola vanished from my aunt's cottage in Cornwall. Now I'm back, and I'm no closer to understanding why she ran away. What secrets was she keeping? Memories come to me in snippets, but something is still missing. Then a body is discovered in a cave below the cliffs. No one knows how long it's been there. Is it Lola? The next night I wake, knowing someone is there, standing by my bed. I can hear them breathing. What do they want? Am I getting too close to the truth? Did Lola ever leave? Praise for Rachel Abbott: 'What a storyteller Rachel Abbott is... I was hooked from the start' Cara Hunter 'Compulsive reading' Harriet Tyce 'A truly compelling, twisty, enthralling read... AMAZING!' Angela Marsons 'I raced through this compelling, twisty novel.' Laura Marshall 'A total delight' Daily Mail 'Takes your breath away' Sun 'A brilliant read, full of suspense' Closer

THE PERFECT MAN. OR A PERFECT STRANGER. After eighteen months of grieving for her husband Bernie, killed in a horrific hit and run accident, Natalie Gray has found love with her husband's best friend - Ed Cooper - and has moved herself and fifteen-year-old daughter, Scarlett, into his home. But Natalie begins to suspect Ed has a dark side - and even darker intentions.Desperate to get her daughter to a place of safety, she and Scarlett move to a new home that holds secrets of its own. But has removing Scarlett from one potential threat placed her in far greater danger?DCI Tom Douglas is also chasing the truth, as his investigation into the suicide of a teenage girl draws him ever closer to Natalie and Scarlett. But will he be too late to protect them from the peril they face, or from the truths that will tear their lives apart?

Yesterday, Scott was dead. Today, he's back. And Anna doesn't believe in ghosts.

Scott was Anna's boyfriend. She loved him, but he ruined her life. When he died, she should have been free, but today Scott is on the radio, threatening to spill her secrets.

Anna is a mother, a wife, and head teacher of a primary school. And she's a good liar. She made one mistake, and now she is having to pay for it. Scott is the only person who knows the truth about her past, but how can he be alive? Soon, DCI Tom Douglas is going to knock on her door looking for answers. But Anna is already running scared: from the man she loved; the man she watched die; the man who has come back to life.

She has one week to find him. One week to stop him.

EVERYONE IS INVITED. EVERYONE MUST PLAY THE GAME. 'When I say full of twists and turns I mean it. A compulsive powerful dark read' REAL READER REVIEW 'My thriller of the year' REAL READER REVIEW 'A total delight' Daily Mail 'Takes your breath away' Sun 'A brilliant read, full of suspense' Closer A year ago today, we all gathered for Lucas's wedding at his glorious Cornish home overlooking the sea. But no one was married that day. Now Lucas has invited us back to celebrate the anniversary. But the anniversary of what? The wedding that never happened, or the tragedy that occurred just hours before the ceremony was due to begin? He's told us that tonight he has planned a game. We have our costumes, we have our parts, and everyone must play. The game, he tells us, is about to begin. What does Lucas want from us? What are we not being told? And what's going to happen when this terrible game is over? Praise for Rachel Abbott: 'Really gripping and menacing - compulsive reading' Harriet Tyce 'What a storyteller Rachel Abbott is... I was hooked from the start' Cara Hunter 'I raced through this compelling, twisty novel. Loved it' Laura Marshall 'A twisty-turny plot that had my head reeling, and my mind full of intrigue. Superb plotting from the mistress of suspense' Mel Sherratt 'A grand re-imagining of the best kind of crime caper, filled with underlying tensions, fancy rooms and a detective hungry for answers' Magic Radio: April Book Club Pick 'Fantastic and gripping - I loved the intriguing concept and the brilliantly atmospheric Cornish setting' Karen Hamilton 'This gallops along at a cracking pace, and manages to keep the twists and surprises coming thick and fast' Crime Monthly

It would be unfair to blame the woman I met tonight for turning my life upside down. She didn't. It was already upside down. I just didn't know it. Recently life has been good for Mallory Hansen: a great job, a lovely home, and a wonderful man, Nathan, to share it with. But now she must ask herself: is it all built on lies? A terrible accusation has been made against Nathan, and Mallory doesn't know who to believe. All the signs point to his guilt. She has learned to trust Nathan, but she also remembers the boy he used to be. Together, Mallory and Nathan were part of a close-knit group of six friends until a vicious argument drove them apart. Now, fifteen years later, they are back in touch - only to find themselves drawn into a web of mutual distrust, one by one... The attacks on their lives are cleverly targeted, designed to hit them where they hurt the most, and when a young woman disappears and a baby is abducted, DCI Tom Douglas must try to unravel the past and discover who is the architect of their misery. A DCI Tom Douglas Thriller

Some doors should not be opened. Some doors can never be closed. Jo Palmer's peaceful and happy life is about to end. Ash - the man she loves - will be arrested by the police. Millie - her precious daughter - will be taken from her. She will lose her friends. She will doubt her sanity. Someone is stealing everything Jo loves, and will stop at nothing. But right now, Jo is laughing in her kitchen, eating dinner with her family, suspecting nothing. It's raining outside. There's a knock on the door. They are here. A DCI Tom Douglas Thriller

WHO WILL BELIEVE YOUR STORY IF THE ONLY WITNESS IS DEAD? 'So different, so superbly written. At no point did I know the ending' REAL READER REVIEW 'Rachel has done what she is best at...leaving me on the edge of my seat, unable to do anything else until I've read the entire book' REAL READER REVIEW 'I read it in a day - every page brought more twists and turns' REAL READER REVIEW 'What a storyteller Rachel Abbott is... I was hooked from the start' CARA HUNTER 'A truly compelling, twisty, enthralling and satisfying read... Absolutely AMAZING!' ANGELA MARSONS Cleo knows she should be happy for her brother Mark. He's managed to find someone new after the sudden death of his first wife - but something about Evie just doesn't feel right... When Evie starts having accidents at home, her friends grow concerned. Could Mark be causing her injuries? Called out to their cliff-top house one night, Sergeant Stephanie King finds two bodies entangled on blood-drenched sheets. Where does murder begin? When the knife is raised to strike, or before, at the first thought of violence? As the accused stands trial, the jury is forced to consider - is there ever a proper defence for murder? More praise for AND SO IT BEGINS: 'I raced through this compelling, twisty novel. Loved it' Laura Marshall 'Brilliant... The twists came so quickly I almost got whiplash' Jenny Blackhurst 'An unnerving, twisting tale that you won't be able to put down' Caroline Mitchell 'Rachael Abbott has delivered another intricately plotted thriller that never falters on tension or pace ... the suspense doesn't let up until the very last page' Michelle Davies 'A breathless tour-de-force that left me hungry for more... Psychological crime writing at its very best' Kate Rhodes 'The definition of addictive - Rachel Abbott's best book yet. Kept me up until the small hours - and you won't see the ending coming' Phoebe Morgan 'Really gripping and menacing - compulsive reading' Harriet Tyce

Eight months ago Tasha Joseph ran away, and her stepmother, Emma, has been searching for her ever since. She is desperate to give Tasha the home and security she deserves. The problem is, Emma isn't the only one looking for Tasha. The police are keen to find her too. She could be a vital witness in a criminal trial, and DCI Tom Douglas has a team constantly on the lookout for her. But Tasha remains hidden, and nobody appears to have seen her. Suddenly, the stakes are raised. Somebody is offering money - a lot of money - for information about Tasha's whereabouts. Tom and Emma know they have never been closer to finding the young girl. But they also recognise that she has never been closer to danger. Can they find her first? She can run - but for how long can she hide? Emma, has been searching for her ever since. She is desperate to give Tasha the home and security she deserves. The problem is, Emma isn't the only one looking for Tasha. The police are keen to find her too. She could be a vital witness in a criminal trial, and DCI Tom Douglas has a team constantly on the lookout for her. But Tasha remains hidden, and nobody appears to have seen her. Suddenly, the stakes are raised.Somebody is offering money - a lot of money - for information about Tasha's whereabouts. Tom and Emma know they have never been closer to finding the young girl But they also recognise that she has never been closer to danger. Can they find her first? She can run - but for how long can she hide?

From the author of the bestselling novels Only the Innocent and The Back Road How far would you go to hold on to the people you love? When Olivia Brookes calls the police to report that her husband and children are missing, she believes she will never see them again. She has reason to fear the worst; this isn't the first tragedy that Olivia has experienced. Now, two years later, Detective Chief Inspector Tom Douglas is called in to investigate this family again, but this time it's Olivia who has disappeared. All the evidence suggests that she was here, in the family home, that morning. But her car is in the garage, and her purse is in her handbag - on the kitchen table. The police want to issue an appeal, but for some reason every single picture of this family has been removed from albums, from phones, from computers. And then they find the blood... Has the past caught up with Olivia? Sleep Tight - if you can. You never know who's watching. Praise for Rachel Abbott: "Rachel Abbott will keep you guessing long into the night and just as soon as you've figured it out...think again!"- Suspense Magazine "It is one of those books that holds you hostage and is hard to put down until the end" - Confessions of a Reader "Abbott creates a tangled web of deception, secrets, and red herrings" - Booklist "Pure Genius: A Masterclass in the Perfect Thriller!!" - Love Books "One of THE Best Mystery Suspense Novels Read This Year!" - Amazon Vine Voice

They will be coming soon. They come every night. Snow is falling softly as a young woman takes her last breath. Fifteen miles away, two women sit silently in a dark kitchen. They don't speak, because there is nothing left to be said. Another woman boards a plane to escape the man who is trying to steal her life. But she will have to return, sooner or later. These strangers have one thing in common. They each made one bad choice - and now they have no choices left. Soon they won't be strangers, they'll be family... When DCI Tom Douglas is called to the cold, lonely scene of a suspicious death, he is baffled. Who is she? Where did she come from? How did she get there? How many more must die? Who is controlling them, and how can they be stopped?