by Holly Watt
‘Casey, you’re an idiot.’
‘I know.’ She couldn’t look at him suddenly, stared down at her shoes. ‘I promised I would choose, and walk away. That I wouldn’t ask you … ’
He stepped towards her, almost clumsily.
‘I see who you are, you know,’ he said. ‘I know who you are. For all that you hide it, and fake it, and pretend, I know who you are. You don’t have to choose.’
He kissed her then, pulling her to him. The storm was passing, the sky beginning to lighten.
‘We’ll find a way,’ he whispered. ‘There will be a way.’
‘I know,’ Casey said. ‘And we will.’
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
As a child, when I was feeling blue, my mother used to say, ‘Why don’t you make a list of your friends? And then ask yourself, “Would that group of people be friends with someone who wasn’t quite nice?” ’
I had forgotten about that until I came to write these acknowledgements, but there is something rather lovely about writing down a list of friends, and thinking how lucky I am to have you all in my life.
Once again, a huge thank you to Collette Lyons and Paul Vlitos. I am sorry that I have stayed on your floor so often that you have been reduced to building the Holly Watt Memorial Loft Extension, but I am sure other people will enjoy it too. I can’t wait for Ellery Lloyd to take over the world.
Amelia Hill, David Pegg, Alice Ross – thank you for reading The Dead Line almost before I had finished it. Encouragement and advice at just the right time!
Felicity Fitzgerald, Alex Marrache, Laura Roberts, Rosie Lough, Jasmine Miller, Harry Wardill, Clara Barby, Jessica Sheehan, Toby Darbyshire, Justine Moxham, Robert Winnett and Claire Newell – you’re all just great.
Thank you Richard Fitzgerald for advising me on crashing planes, and Presiley Baxendale for just being wonderful. Thank you Vidiya Khan for having me to stay – and answering every question about Bangladesh. Thank you Sarah Mahmud for being Sarah Mahmud – and also translating bits of Swiss German.
Francesca Hornak and Kate Kingsley – the Authors’ Support Group keeps me going at times! To the VHS – Eve Williams, Linda Zell, Rosie Tomkins, Laura Hamm and Antonia WIlliams – it’s been a journey …
None of this would have happened without my wonderful agent, Andrew Gordon at David Higham. Team Raven at Bloomsbury literally changed my life. Thank you to the Queen of the Ravens, Alison Hennessey – and Lilidh Kendrick, Philippa Cotton, Amy Donegan, Sara Helen Binney and Glen Holmes.
Thank you also to Val McDermid for picking To The Lions for the New Blood panel at Harrogate. It made a huge difference.
My family – especially Cressy and James and Nicky and Simon – have been rock stars.
And, darling Jonny, thank you for everything, especially our little peach pip Izzie.
NOTE ON THE AUTHOR
Holly Watt is an award-winning investigative journalist who worked at the Sunday Times, the Daily Telegraph and the Guardian. Her first novel, To The Lions, won the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger. The Dead Line is her second novel.
Also available by Holly Watt
To The Lions
A journalist must follow the clues, no matter how far that takes her.
Casey Benedict, star reporter at the Post, has infiltrated the lives and exposed the lies of countless politicians and power players. Using her network of contacts, Casey is always on the search for the next big story, no matter how much danger this might place her in, no matter what cost emotionally.
Tipped off by an overheard conversation at an exclusive London nightclub, she begins to investigate the apparent suicide of a wealthy young British man, whose death has left his fiancée and family devastated.
Casey’s determined hunt for the truth will take her from the glitz of St-Tropez to the deserts of Libya and on to the very darkest corners of the human mind.
‘A dark trail of murder, political corruption and lies’ i
‘Sensational! I loved it. Superbly plotted, and what a brilliant series lead!’
Clare Mackintosh
‘Superbly entertaining … This promises to be an outstanding series’ Telegraph
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RAVEN BOOKS
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BLOOMSBURY, RAVEN BOOKS and the Raven Books logo are trademarks of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
First published in Great Britain 2020
This electronic edition published in 2020 by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Copyright © Holly Watt, 2020
Map © Martin Lubikowski, 2020
Holly Watt has asserted her right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as Author of this work
This book is a work of fiction. References to real people, events, establishments, organisations or locales are intended only to provide a sense of authenticity, and are used fictitiously. All other characters, and all incidents and dialogue, are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real
All rights reserved. You may not copy, distribute, transmit, reproduce or otherwise make available this publication (or any part of it) in any form, or by any means (including without limitation electronic, digital, optical, mechanical, photocopying, printing, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the publisher. Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN: HB: 978-1-5266-0294-7
TPB: 978-1-5266-0293-0
eBook: 978-1-5266-0291-6
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