Marisa is the town busybody in the affluent suburb of Gledhill in the Hamptons. She gave up everything to be Mrs. Avery Thurston, and now that her twin girls have left home her life lacks a purpose; coffee and gossip with her best friends are all she has left. When Jodi, a vulnerable, pregnant girl turns up on her doorstep, Marisa is quick to come to the young girl’s aid. But Jodi isn’t just an innocent young girl. The father of her unborn child is someone the women know very well.

He’s as handsome as I remember: broad shoulders, piercing blue eyes, hair the color of burnt toffee. The man who once meant the world to me. The reason I fled 11 years ago. I’ve never told anyone the terrible mistake I made that night. The secret we share. I’m still haunted by the crashing waves at the bottom of the cliffs, the blood.... But what is he doing at my sister’s house?

My husband and I are fighting for our lives in hospital after a terrible car accident. But despite my pain, all I can think about is what our families will find behind our front door. The scarf that has been all over the news, belonging to a dead young woman with honey-coloured hair. I have to speak to the police before my husband can. I’m drifting in and out of consciousness, but when I hear my wife talking to the police, accusing me of the murder of an innocent woman, a cold fear grips me. I know I’ve got a temper.

Jo is my best friend. From high school to adulthood, we’ve gone through everything together. Even when I made a foolish mistake and betrayed her in the worst way, she forgave me. She’s godmother to my son, and our lives are intertwined. We want the best for each other, always. I hope she approves of my new boyfriend, Noah. How could she not? Noah is kind, attentive, and loves me for who I am. But when I introduce them over dinner one evening, Jo doesn’t look happy. She’s always been protective of me, and as Noah clutches my hand, I force her reaction to the back of my mind.

Two days ago, the Wilson family checked into the imposing, glass-fronted Lodge, surrounded by snow and perched perilously on the edge of a cliff looking out to a gray sea. Not everyone was looking forward to the family get-together. But mother-in-law Angela insisted the winter trip would help heal their rifts....