検索キーワード： 制作 "Hachette UK - Bookouture" ドメスティックスリラー

We arrived at the beautiful, sprawling Spanish villa ready to celebrate – over twenty years of friendship, and of course, Alexis's big birthday. It's paradise. Alexis has pulled out all the stops, and like always, I know we're meant to be grateful… But the tensions begin on the very first night. The workaholic slipping off to take mysterious calls. The people pleaser afraid to speak out. The quiet observer snidely analysing every move we make. The former life of the party knocking back wine to forget it all. Even I, the peacekeeper, have secrets…

When I met Darragh, I knew it was meant to be. We talked all night as his sage-green eyes lingered on my face in the dimly lit bar. He asked me question after question, about my dreams and fears, my family and friends, and before I knew it, I was telling him things I’ve never told anyone. And then I found out who he really is. Twenty years ago, my beautiful, brilliant aunt Joanna was murdered. Her death still casts a shadow over my family’s lives, and my mother has never recovered. But now I know that the man who killed her was Darragh’s uncle.

She’s looking for love. I know the perfect man. My husband. To the rest of the world, he’s charming, delightful Freddie. No one knows what he’s really like behind closed doors. And how can I ever escape a man everyone loves? Over dinner I say, casually, carefully, ‘My friend Cat is looking for a date.’ I pass him a picture. Ask if he knows anyone. I’m betting Freddie will see young, pretty Cat and decide to meet her himself. He’ll never know that I’m pulling the strings. And then, finally, the world will see exactly what kind of man I married.

Mellie’s future mother-in-law bursts into the bridal suite, a piece of paper clutched in her hand. ‘I know your secret,’ she says, a satisfied smile on her face. ‘And I will not let you marry my son.’ Two months later, anxiety twists in Mellie’s stomach as she watches the taxi arrive. She knew her mother-in-law would move in after her stroke, her husband Henry had insisted on it. But now they’re under the same roof, she knows she’s in danger…

Every day I walk up the driveway to this gorgeous house and through the window I see the picture-perfect family: a husband and wife playing with their two adorable children. They think I’m just the delivery driver–a woman who is only here to drop the expensive packages that Sadie Hunt orders. They have no idea who I really am… Sadie pretends to be the perfect wife and mother, but the truth is that her life is spiralling out of control. I notice the cold stares she gives her husband and the way he always tries to make her smile.

Stephanie cradles her coffee and gazes out to the little house at the end of her garden. The family who just moved in seem perfectly nice, if a little odd. And it’s only now that Stephanie realises: if she can see them, they can see everything inside her house, too… Single mother Stephanie is more than happy to welcome the Kemps to her property. Tragically, they have just lost everything in a fire. The rent money means Stephanie can keep her children in this beautiful, rambling home – so expensive to run, since the divorce – all while helping the Kemps get back on their feet.

When my stepsister Alison moves in to look after my mother, everyone in my family is grateful. Alison’s a nurse, and she says she just wants to help. But I don’t trust her. Years ago, when Alison and I were the same age as my own son Isaac, I made a terrible mistake that tore Alison’s world apart. I hoped she didn’t realise, but the look in her icy blue eyes tells me: she knows exactly what I did.

When Emma married Benjamin, her life came as close to perfect as someone like her ever could have dreamed. No longer just working for his father, she was part of the family. Helping Benjamin move on from the tragic loss of his first wife hasn’t always been easy – tears, anniversaries, photos of her everywhere – but it brought them closer together, even if his daughter still spends all her time shut up in her room.

As the car pulls up to my husband Dominic’s family home the night before Christmas, I suppress a shudder. I’ve never felt welcome here. His parents make it clear I’m a poor comparison to his perfect first wife, Carla. But I’m determined to lean into the festive cheer. Until Dominic’s mother bustles into our bedroom and blindsides me: ‘You won’t mind, will you. Carla is coming for the holidays. She’s still one of the family, and she can’t get home because of the storm.’ My eyes widen–did she and Carla plan this on purpose?

How well do you really know your own family? The wife: Eve is desperate for her life to be perfect. Living in a beautiful house, with gorgeous views of the countryside, is all she’s ever wanted. And she’ll do whatever it takes to hold onto her dream life. The son: Joe is a model student; he never puts a foot wrong. He knows his mother wouldn’t tolerate it. Until the night of his sixteenth birthday party, when things go horribly wrong and someone in the house is left fighting for their life. As the blue flashing lights of the police and ambulance arrive, all eyes are on the Griffiths family.

The old camping bus pulls up outside my house in the middle of the night. Rain is pounding against the windows, thunder rattling, but I’d recognize the sound of the engine anywhere. Confusion races through me. My daughter Willow and her best friend must be back early from their trip. I jump up and rush to meet them. But when I pull open the door, it’s not Willow on the doorstep. It’s a man, holding her keys. Blood roars in my ears as he explains he was hired anonymously to drive it back. My heart is pounding. I don’t understand. Where is my daughter?

My best friend disappeared twenty years ago. I thought she was dead. But today I’ve received a message that makes my heart stop. It says it’s from Izzy. And she’s blaming my new husband for her disappearance… I stare at the email in horror. I’ve only just managed to put what happened to Izzy behind me. My life is so different now. I have two perfect children, and the perfect husband at last.

You trust them with your child. You shouldn’t. Each Monday after school, I look after my daughter Coralie and four other kids from her class. We go to the park when it’s sunny, snuggle on the sofa reading books when it rains. Tuesdays to Fridays, the other parents take them. It’s perfect–a circle of free childcare, of fun and friendship for our children. But this morning, we all received an anonymous note. And now I’m terrified.

As the tears roll down my cheeks, I’m shaking as I stare at the faded newspaper photograph of my beloved father. In one moment, my world has been turned upside down. I’m already exhausted by grief, I’m not thinking straight, shattered by his death. But finding this old photograph could change everything I thought I knew about who I am… A shiver runs through me as the idea that my life is not what it seems begins to take hold. My younger sisters are so different to me, so calm and perfect. I’ve never fitted into this family; I’ve never belonged.

One tropical island. Four couples. They believe they’re on a TV show to save their marriages. But the people behind the cameras know all their secrets. They’re going to be revealed, one by one. Because everyone has something to hide…

I look at where the woman was sitting. There’s a scrap of paper tucked into the gap between the seats. With shaking hands, I pick it up. The note reads: Help me. At first glance, the couple on the train look normal. She’s dressed smartly, a floral patterned bag on her lap. But her hands are clenched, her fingers white. The man with her has his arm looped through hers, but not in a comforting way. He’s holding her too tightly.

Stay-at-home mother Marta lives in her successful husband’s shadow, overlooked by him ever since her darling son Owen went to medical school. She’s not about to let the beautiful Gina take Owen away from her. Marta will play nice, get Gina to trust her. And then she has a plan of her own.

My first mistake was raising my daughter to be just like me… His death is reported on the morning news. The man my daughter’s been dating. Dead. Gone… I blink slowly–once, twice, three times. The hair on the back of my neck rises as I grip my coffee harder. My breath comes in short bursts. I didn’t even know he existed until recently. Leah doesn’t tell me anything anymore. But I found the letters she hid. I know she fell head over heels for him. That he broke her heart.

The first lie got him in trouble. Our romantic date night was meant to fix us. But when my husband grabs my hand and says he needs to tell me something, I can tell from the look in his eyes that our marriage is in deep trouble. The second lie ruined our marriage. We’ve been here before. I wonder who she is. Is she younger than me? For a moment I wonder if I’ll forgive him. But I always do. It’s the only way to keep our family together.

After meeting Jamie’s smiling blue eyes across a crowded bar, I tell myself, that after my recent divorce, this is the bit of fun that I need. It is the biggest mistake I’ve ever made. Because when I return to his flat the next day, excited to see him again, I am horrified to discover he has been murdered. I know I should tell the police, but I can’t be the person to call them. With my past they will just assume the worst…