The Wife Before Me: A twisty, gripping psychological thriller
Page 32
It begins with a phone call. It ends with a missing child. An utterly compelling psychological thriller that will keep you guessing to the very last page.
* * *
Order your copy now!
Laura’s Email Sign-Up
Want to keep up to date with Laura’s latest releases? Sign up here!
* * *
We promise to never share your email with anyone else, and we’ll only contact you when there’s a new book out.
Also by Laura Elliot
The Wife Before Me
Guilty
Sleep Sister
The Betrayal
The Prodigal Sister
Stolen Child
Fragile Lies
A Letter from Laura
Thank you for reading my latest novel. If you’ve enjoyed The Wife Before Me I would be thrilled if you could review it on Amazon or Goodreads. Such reviews are vital to the life of a book and it is always a pleasure to hear the views of my readers. You can also contact me through my website (lauraelliotauthor.com), and if you would like to be the first to know when my next book is out, then you can sign up to my mailing list here:
Sign up here!
The Wife Before Me was inspired by many stories. I listened to them on radio and television. Occasionally, they were breathed secretly into my ear and, once, when I was active in journalism, I interviewed women on the subject of domestic abuse for a series of features I was writing.
I also volunteered for a number of years in a support group that offered legal advice to women caught in such harrowing situations. A world that existed behind closed doors opened up to me and I became familiar with cover ups, underfunded refuge centres and the reluctance of some women, even in the midst of their struggles, to free themselves from the bonds that imprisoned them. The reasons for not leaving such relationships were complex and diverse. But bonds that are forged from love are the hardest ones to break.
I’d like to believe that such abuse, both physical and mental, belongs to a darker era when awareness and communication were not as honed as they are today. But I would be foolish to think so. The urge to explore the smouldering secrecy, the shame, the lies, the damage inflicted on a partner who begins to see herself through the prism of her abuser, lay dormant within me for a long time. Then, last year, I watched a documentary on television that showed footage of a man savagely beating his partner. Words can be a powerful tool but such raw brutality, caught on camera, has the impact of a fist to the face. Shortly afterwards, I started to write.
Needless to say, once I began, my idea moved quickly from a simple reporting of facts into fiction. It assumed its own shape, its distinctive voices, and its own unique territory. Despite the fictitious narrative, I hope I’ve managed to convey the truth of the subject I’ve explored while allowing the writing to develop its own momentum, especially when my character, Leanne, put her hand on my shoulder and demanded, ‘Let me in…let me in.’
Guilty
A gripping psychological thriller that will have you hooked
‘I was gripped from the first few pages and found myself hooked on a rollercoaster ride up to the last few pages … I read it in pretty much one sitting, I just needed to know how the book was going to end’ Donna’s Book Blog
* * *
It begins with a phone call. It ends with a missing child.
* * *
On a warm summer’s morning, thirteen-year-old school girl Constance Lawson is reported missing.
* * *
A few days later, Constance’s uncle, Karl Lawson, suddenly finds himself swept up in a media frenzy created by journalist Amanda Bowe implying that he is the prime suspect.
* * *
Six years later …
* * *
Karl’s life is in ruins. His marriage is over, his family destroyed. But the woman who took everything away from him is thriving. With a successful career, husband and a gorgeous baby boy, Amanda’s world is complete. Until the day she receives a phone call and in a heartbeat, she is plunged into every mother’s worst nightmare.
* * *
An utterly compelling psychological thriller that will keep you guessing to the very last page. Perfect for fans of The Girl on the Train, Gone Girl and Sarah A. Denzil’s Silent Child.
* * *
Order now!
Sleep Sister
A page-turning novel of psychological suspense
‘Wow. What a book … a roller coaster ride of emotions ...’ Goodreads Reviewer
* * *
Two childhoods destroyed. One story they will never tell. Until now.
* * *
Beth ran away from her family when she was a teenager. She left behind a terrible evil that took her innocence. She also left behind her sister, Sara.
* * *
When Beth returns home, she is shocked to discover her terrible secret is not just hers alone…she shares it with Sara. Under the shadow of a remote headland, the sisters make an oath they promise never to break.
* * *
Eva’s birth is a mystery that remains unsolved. Years later with her marriage in ruins, and her future uncertain, she realizes that to move forward with her life, she must first understand her past.
* * *
But while Eva is drawing closer to the truth about her roots, Beth and Sara’s lives are falling apart, crushed under the weight of the secret they carry. They must confront the past and face the darkness once more. But this time, their story will be heard.
* * *
From the bestselling author of The Betrayal, Stolen Child and Fragile Lies, comes a breathtakingly tense and emotional story of the fierce bond between sisters, and a family destroyed by a disturbing secret.
* * *
Order now!
* * *
Also available as an audiobook.
The Betrayal
A gripping novel of psychological suspense
‘I was astounded at how the book ended! Not many books make me say wow at the end, but this one has me repeating it. It is an ending that you won't see coming in a million years.' Kelly's Book Corner
* * *
A perfect divorce. A new flame. And a deadly obsession.
* * *
Nadine and Jake Saunders were married as teens. Tied to one another by a night of passion that resulted in a pregnancy neither could turn away from.
* * *
Now, years later, their children have all flown the nest and the pact they made as teenagers – to give one another the freedom to pursue their own dreams – has resurfaced.
* * *
But freedom comes at a price …
* * *
While Nadine and Jake begin to untangle their lives from one another, Jake embarks on a passionate affair with a beautiful woman, Karin Moylan. What he doesn’t know is the dark history Karin shares with Nadine.
* * *
As lust spirals into dangerous obsession, Jake must break free from Karin. But he must also ask himself how well he ever really knew Nadine. What secret is she hiding? The truth, when it is revealed, could destroy them all.
* * *
If you devoured The Girl on the Train, The Husband’s Secret and Gone Girl then make sure THIS is the book you pick up next.
* * *
Order now!
The Prodigal Sister
An emotional drama of family secrets
Four sisters. Four secrets. One reunion to reconcile the past.
* * *
Cathy fled her Dublin home when she was just fifteen years old, and pregnant. Starting a new life in New Zealand with her son Conor, and partner Kevin, she believes the secret she carries will never be revealed…
* * *
Rebecca was eighteen when her parents died and she took responsibility for her younger sisters. Years later, she is haunted by fears she hoped she'd conquered.
* * *
Freed from family duties, mother of three Julie is determined to recapture the dreams of her yo
uth, but at what price?
* * *
Married to a possessive older man, Lauren embarks on a frantic love affair that threatens to destabilise her fragile world.
* * *
Anxious to make peace with her three sisters, Cathy invites them to her wedding. But as the women journey together through New Zealand towards their reunion, they are forced to confront the past as the secret shared histories of the Lambert sisters are revealed.
* * *
Accompany the Lambert sisters on their unforgettable journey – fans of Jojo Moyes and Liane Moriarty will be spellbound.
* * *
Order now!
Stolen Child
A novel of psychological drama and suspense
‘My emotions were in overdrive…absolutely gripping – one of my best reads of the year so far.’ Literary Lightbox
* * *
It's every mother's worst nightmare…
* * *
Carla Kelly wakes to find her two-day-old baby daughter's cot empty.
* * *
Isobel has been taken.
* * *
Susanne Dowling has kept a terrible secret following her fifth agonising miscarriage. When at last she welcomes her new baby daughter into her life she realises they will both be safe as long as Susanne keeps her daughter close, and confesses her lie to no one. Ever.
* * *
Carla, a top model, launches a fierce national campaign to find her baby – but the trail is cold. She receives threats and recriminations from strangers – she flaunted her pregnancy in the media, she cashed in on it, she deserves everything she gets – and, pressured by well-meaning loved ones to move on, she begins to fall apart.
* * *
But one letter Carla receives stands out from the rest, offering support from a surprising quarter. It sparks a chain of events that opens wounds and exposes shocking secrets from Carla’s past that suggest what happened to her daughter was revenge a long time planned.
* * *
Order now!
Fragile Lies
‘Dealing with passion, adultery, deception and tragedy, and how the past has a way of creeping up on you…a really intriguing page-turner with a surprising twist.’ Evening Echo
* * *
His name is Michael Carmody.
He is a writer and a father.
His son is lying in a coma, fighting for his life.
* * *
Her name is Lorraine Cheevers.
She is an artist and mother.
An illicit affair has destroyed her marriage.
* * *
Michael is desperate to find the couple who left his son for dead, a victim of a hit and run.
* * *
Lorraine is desperate to start a new life for her and her daughter.
* * *
Michael and Lorraine are about to cross paths – damaged souls, drawn to one another.
* * *
They don’t know that their lives are already connected.
* * *
They don’t know the web of lies surrounding them.
* * *
They are each searching for the truth. But when they find it, it could destroy them both.
* * *
Order now!
Acknowledgements
My family mean everything to me and each one, in their own unique way, have made my writing journey so much easier.
Thank you, Sean, my beloved husband, for keeping our home fires burning when I’m chasing deadlines, and for your unwavering support down through the years.
To my son, Tony, I appreciate your patience and your advice in times of tech stress. You’ve saved my sanity, and my manuscripts, on more than one occasion. To my daughter, Ciara, your editorial advice and support always renews my energy and clears away the fug of over-writing. Thank you, Michelle, my youngest daughter, for reading The Wife Before Me at its draft stage. Your sensitive comments added greatly to its development.
To Roddy, my son-in-law, thank you for the conversations we’ve shared about writing and for always being such a thoughtful listener. Thanks, also, to Louise, for the unfailing care you have given to my family in times of need. To Harry, the quiet efficiency you always show when helping out in emergencies, especially when business cards are needed yesterday, is greatly valued. A special thanks to you and Michelle for presenting Sean and me with our precious grandchild― Nina, who was born in 2017, and is a joy to hold and behold.
To my other beautiful grandchildren, Romy and Ava, who, despite my strict instructions to allow time to stand still, insist on growing up so fast – thank you for the love and the many occasions you’ve tempted me to abandon my computer and enjoy the great outdoors in company with you.
My extended family are exactly that―extending rapidly―and too numerous to name individually. Thanks to one and all for the friendships we share, the fun occasions we enjoy together, and the support we have always offered each other.
A special word of gratitude to friends, Betty Reddy, Geraldine Byrne, Colette O’Hora and Patricia O’Reilly. Over coffee, brunch, lunch and early birds―you are the conduits through which my ideas flow. To all my other friends, those here and abroad ―time, events and distance cannot diminish the friendships we share―and I am grateful for them.
Bookouture has become the power house of digital publishing in recent years, expanding in many new directions and establishing a cohort of wonderful writers. I’d like to compliment them on achieving this success without losing the personal qualities that drew me to them in the first place. So, thank you to my editor, Claire Bord for your insightful editorial comments and perceptive interpretation of The Wife Before Me. I’m grateful to designer, Stephen Mulcahey, for such an eye-catching book cover, which I love. To my line editor, Jacqui Lewis, and my proof reader Claire Rushbrook, thank you for your thoughtful editing and eagle-eyed concentration. To Kim Nash and Noelle Holten for looking after my publicity so effectively.
I write for pleasure but, ultimately, that joy would be meaningless if readers showed no interest in my books. Thankfully, that is not the case, so, last but by no means least, I wish to express my gratitude to the readers, reviewers and bloggers who have been so instrumental in building my career. Your blogs and reviews have added so much pleasure to my days and are rays of sunshine when the cloud of seclusion needs lifting.
Published by Bookouture
* * *
An imprint of StoryFire Ltd.
Carmelite House
50 Victoria Embankment
London EC4Y 0DZ
* * *
www.bookouture.com
Copyright © Laura Elliot, 2018
* * *
Laura Elliot has asserted her right to be identified as the author of this work.
* * *
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publishers.