LOUISE DOUGLAS

Before Ellen, things were easier and less complicated. They were either good or bad, right or wrong, black or white and I understood the difference. Since Ellen, everything has been coloured in shades of grey. From the author of "The Secrets Between Us", part of the 2012 Richard and Judy Summer Reads, comes this dark, thrilling novel that is perfect for your book group. It's set twenty years ago against a backdrop of dreamy Cornish summers, a place where childhood friendship becomes young love, where love becomes obsession, and where obsession ultimately ends in betrayal and a tragic death. This magical novel traces a web of memories back through the years from the present day, ultimately showing that no matter how much you might try to forget the past, the past never forgets you...

A chance encounter: When Sarah meets dark, brooding Alex,she grasps his offer of a new life miles away from her own. They've both recently escaped broken relationships, and need to start again. Why not do it together? A perfect life: But when Sarah gets to the tiny village of Burrington Stoke, something doesn't add up. Alex's beautiful wife Genevieve was charming, talented, and adored by all who knew her. And apparently, she and Alex had a successful marriage complete with a gorgeous son, Jamie. Why would Genevieve walk out on her perfect life? And why has no one heard from her since she did so? A web of lies: Genevieve's family and all her friends think that Alex knows more about her disappearance than he's letting on. But Sarah's fallen in love with him and just knows he couldn't have anything to hide. Or could he?

Annie Howarth is living a restless life in a restless town. It''s 1987 and for a mining community in South Yorkshire, the strikes mean tensions are running high. Then a murdered girl is found on the moors and the anxiety levels are pushed to a dangerous breaking point.Married to the Chief of Police, Annie should feel safe William can be secretive, though surely whatever he''s hiding is for her own good.But Annie is keeping her own secrets. Ten years ago the man she loved was ripped from her life in a scandal that still haunts the both of them, and now his return will put her family, her marriage, even her life, at risk.An atmospheric and suspenseful novel you''ll find impossible to put down, from the talented Richard & Judy bestseller.

La villa Alba. Un palais magnifique au coeur de la campagne sicilienne, serti dans un jardin de cyprès et doliviers. Cest dans ce lieu hors du temps que Maddalena a passé une enfance heureuse, jusqua

Missing You is a beautifully written tale of family and love, from Louise Douglas, author of The Love of My Life.Fen works in a bookshop and is devoted to her young son, Connor, but she keeps herself to herself. Haunted by guilt and a terrible secret, Fen lives a compromised life, isolated from her family, far from home and too afraid of the past to risk becoming close to anyone. She is constantly looking over her shoulder, knowing that one day the truth will catch up with her. Sean, on the other hand, is enjoying a seemingly perfect life. He has a successful career, lives in his dream home and adores his beautiful wife, Belle, and their six-year-old daughter, Amy. That is until the day Belle announces she has found someone else and wants Sean to move out. Circumstance throws Fen and Sean together. Slowly their quiet friendship turns into something much deeper and the joy they find in one another eventually gives them the confidence to trust and love again. But will the past tear them apart just as they find happiness?

The Love of My Life by Louise Douglas is a beautiful novel that portrays both the innocence of childhood, and the dynamics of love and loss with deftness and sensitivity. It is, above all, a stunning debut from an author with a unique and natural narrative voice.I miss him with every breath and heartbeat. He should have been my happy ending. Instead, he is the sad beginning to my story. Olivia and Luca Felicone had known each other nearly all their lives, but when they fell in love as teenagers and eloped to London, they broke the hearts of those closest to them. Lucas parents run Marinellas restaurant, the colourful hub of life in the otherwise bleak north-eastern seaside town of Watersford, and his mother, Angela, has never forgiven Olivia for causing such a rift in her beloved family. On a freezing January night Olivias life is shattered when she learns that Luca has been killed in a car accident on the M1. She is left with nothing, and after suffering from weeks of overwhelming grief, she abandons her job and returns North to where Luca has been buried in Watersford, just to be close to him even though she knows she will not be welcome at Marinellas. Olivias chance meeting with Lucas married twin brother, Marc, leads to the realization that he is experiencing a loss almost as painful as her own. Their desolation draws them into an affair which both know has no future, but fills the space where Luca should be. It is a course of action that can only spiral out of control, and when it does, the consequences are both explosive and cruel.

A Richard and Judy book club pick, this is a gripping Gothic novel is perfect for fans of Daphne du Maurier.A chance encounterWhen Sarah meets dark, brooding Alex, she grasps his offer of a new life miles away from her own. Theyve both recently escaped broken relationships, and need to start again. Why not do it together?A perfect lifeBut when Sarah gets to the tiny village of Burrington Stoke, something doesnt add up. Alexs beautiful wife Genevieve was charming, talented, and adored by all who knew her. And apparently, she and Alex had a successful marriage complete with a gorgeous son, Jamie. Why would Genevieve walk out on her perfect life? And why has no one heard from her since she did so?A web of liesGenevieves family and all her friends think that Alex knows more about her disappearance than hes letting on. But Sarahs fallen in love with him and just knows he couldnt have anything to hide. Or could he?The captivating, page-turning novel from the bestselling author of The Secret by the Lake and The House by the Sea, winner of The Jackie Collins Romantic Thriller Award.---------------------Readers love The Secrets Between Us: Compelling and totally engrossing Lots of twists and turns. This was pretty much unputdownable A great mix of genres - just the type of book that I love

Your Beautiful Lies crackles with repressed longing... It kept me guessing until the last few pages and the explosive ending took my breath away C.L. Taylor, author of Her Last Holiday__ What secrets are you keeping? Annie Howarth is living a restless life in a restless town. Its 1984 and for a mining community in South Yorkshire, the strikes mean tensions are running high. Then a murdered girl is found on the moors and the anxiety levels are pushed to a dangerous breaking point. Married to the Chief of Police, Annie should feel safe - William can be secretive, though surely whatever hes hiding is for her own good. But Annie is keeping her own secrets. Ten years ago the man she loved was ripped from her life in a scandal that still haunts the both of them, and now his return will put her family, her marriage, even her life, at risk.The atmospheric and suspenseful novel from the bestselling author of The Secrets Between Us and The House by the Sea, winner of The Jackie Collins Romantic Thriller Award.Perfect for fans of Eve Chase and Lucie Whitehouse.__ What readers are saying about Your Beautiful Lies: A story of love, lies and betrayal that kept me gripped all the way through A must read for anyone who loves a mystery I didnt want to put it down. A wonderful array of characters very well written The book hooked me from the first page A real page turner

Beautifully written, chillingly atmospheric and utterly compelling, The Secret by the Lake is Louise Douglas at her best TAMMY COHEN, author of The Wedding Party--------------------A FAMILY TRAGEDY When a tragedy forces the family Amy works for as a nanny to retreat to a small lakeside cottage, she realises she cannot leave them now.A SISTERS SECRET But Amy finds something unsettling about the cottage by the lake. This is where the childrens mother spent her childhood - and the place where her sister disappeared mysteriously at just seventeen.A WEB OF LIES Soon Amy becomes tangled in the missing sisters story as dark truths begin rising to the surface. But can Amy unlock the secrets of the past before they repeat themselves?The captivating and thrilling novel from bestselling author of The Secrets Between Us and The House by the Sea, winner of The Jackie Collins Romantic Thriller Award. -------------------- Readers love The Secret by the Lake: ***** A real page-turner. Plenty of suspense and twists and turns ***** An easy 5* for me. I loved it ***** Couldnt put it down ***** An absolutely captivating story ***** I enjoyed every line... the characters and the story were fab and kept me wanting more

Readers are captivated by In Her Shadow:***** Full of intrigue and twists. It kept me gripped to the end.***** I finished the story feeling a bit breathless and as though Id lived a whole other life.***** Beautifully written . . . wonderfully descriptive, I could actually smell the sea and imagine myself on the beach.------------------ She thought shed left the past behind. Now its coming to find her.Hannah Brown never thought shed have a best friend like Ellen Brecht. Ellen is everything she isnt - beautiful, daring, glamorous and fierce. Growing up together in rural Cornwall, life seems perfect. But their idyllic childhood is shattered by obsession, betrayal and, ultimately, tragedy.Hannah has tried for twenty years to forget what happened during that terrible summer. Then, one ordinary morning at work, she glimpses a woman who is identical to Ellen. Can it really be her? And has Ellen returned to forgive her - or to punish her?The thrilling novel from the bestselling author of The Secret by the Lake and The House by the Sea, winner of The Jackie Collins Romantic Thriller Award.An edge-of-your-seat read . . . Dark and broodingThe LadyEnthralling and unnervingly absorbing . . . our top holiday recommendationHeat