Showing results by author "Lesley Sanderson" in All Categories

Fifteen years ago, Hannah walked into the woods and never came back. Louise hasn't seen her university friends since that night. But when she's invited to a birthday weekend at a cottage on the edge of those same woods, she knows the past won't stay buried. As celebrations turn tense and old rivalries flare, someone suggests a game of truth or dare. But this time, the stakes are deadly. One guest is determined to uncover what really happened to Hannah—and they'll stop at nothing to get answers.

They called them the Orchid Girls. Grace. Molly. Charlotte. One of them is in love. One of them is a liar. One of them is dead. On a jagged Dorset cliff, wind whipping their hair, waves crashing on the rocks below, three friends became two when Charlotte’s body was pulled out of the sea. Fifteen years later Grace and Molly are worlds apart. Grace has a glittering career and a loving husband. Molly is a lonely, unemployed alcoholic. Grace has everything to lose. Molly has nothing.

My one goal in life was to be a mother - to have a family - and in my little curly-haired Evie and my husband, Seb, I got everything I ever wanted. He and I trusted each other completely. There was only one thing Seb didn’t know about me - and if he ever found out, I knew that would be the end of our life together. Then the calls started. "You destroyed my life. Now I’m going to destroy yours." At first I hoped it was a prank. Then, I was terrified that the one person who knows my secret had found me.

Moving to Prospect Close has been everything I’d hoped for. In the city, Oliver and I barely saw each other, irritable at home and rushing around after the kids. But here, the neighbors have been so friendly and welcoming, and we’re now at barbeques and playdates every weekend, all together, as a family. It’s the type of life I always dreamed of. One that’s a million miles from...before. Not that Oliver would know anything about that.

Just six hours ago, Alex and I were married. It was a beautiful wedding by the sea, on the beach we’ve always loved. Our guests crowded outside our beach hut to raise a toast before our first midnight swim together as man and wife. And then, suddenly, he was gone, drowning in the water that meant so much to us.

The news of her mother’s death hits Nell as if she’s been shot. The letter must be some kind of prank, but who could be so cruel? Because Nell’s mother died nearly 30 years ago. When Nell was just a tiny baby, her parents died in a car crash, leaving her to be raised by her devoted grandmother, Lilian. So when the lawyer’s letter arrives, informing her of her mother Sarah’s very recent death, it destroys everything Nell thought she knew. Her grandmother loved her, so why did she lie? And why did her mother abandon her?

Every year on the same day, on the anniversary, I receive a single black rose. Thirteen years of dark petals, jagged thorns, dredging up memories I’ve tried to forget. I’ve packed up my life. All my belongings are carefully sealed, my suitcases ready for my big move. I’m just days away from a new life abroad with my boyfriend, Ben. No one knows the real reason I’m desperate to leave. My best friend, Lena, is throwing me a leaving party. A celebration, to say goodbye. Champagne to toast my farewell. Speeches, full of fond memories. No one knows what I’m running from.

Today–with just one month until Tom is to be declared legally dead–Rachel receives a note in handwriting she recognizes with dread: My darling, I’ve missed you so much. Give me a chance to explain. I’m coming home. The husband she’d lost is alive. And so are all his secrets....

The letter is addressed to me. No stamp, swirly handwriting in black ink. I pull out a piece of paper, stiffening when I read the message. Hands trembling, the note slides to the floor: Your husband is having an affair. Six words written in neat block letters. Six words slipped through her letterbox, destroying her marriage, exposing Ella’s perfect life as perfect lies. But Ella has a plan: Alice is the answer to her problems. A lodger to help keep her afloat, a friend to keep the loneliness at bay. Only Alice has her own reasons for wanting to live at 46 Heath Street....