The Summer House Girls

A friendship that took over thirty years to build and days to destroy.

This is the last day of my life.

I say that with certainty because of where I am now.

When I was a child I wrote a diary.

I never expected anyone would read it.

Fanciful childish nonsense, at least that's what I hoped they'd think.

Fast forward to the future and the last entry I made is the reason I'm standing at this grave, wondering if I'd still be here if I had never written that last damning paragraph.

I'm almost certain the answer would be no.

I thought I had friends. It turns out I was alone all the time.

A tale of friendship, secrets, and lies.

Betrayal and broken promises are the ingredients for the most delicious revenge.

The Resort

When three women win a holiday in a Facebook competition, they think it’s by chance.

It’s not.

When one woman accompanies her husband on business, she thinks she’ll return with him.

She won’t.

Welcome to the resort where nothing is as it seems.

On the outside, it’s heaven on earth. A dreamy romantic getaway, with pristine sandy beaches, glorious sunshine, and glamorous accommodation.

The perfect lover’s hideaway with uninterrupted views over a freshwater lagoon.

Nothing to do but enjoy the ultimate pamper experience on a ridiculously dreamy holiday of a lifetime.

That’s what they think.

Who will survive the week and who won’t leave at all?

Behind The Pretty Pink Door

What’s going on behind the pretty pink door?

Can something so pretty hide a dreadful truth?

Esme and Lucas thought they had moved up in the world.

They bought an impressive new house on a desirable development but do they fit in?

Nancy and Adrian moved to escape a secret they appear to have packed and brought with them.

What will the neighbours think if they discover what it is?

Jasmine and Liam seem to have it all. Their neighbours want what they have but would they go as far to achieve it?

Then there's Keith and Sandra Wickham who everyone wishes hadn't moved there at all.

They all have one thing in common and it's not the street they moved into.

It's their fascination for what goes on behind the pretty pink door.

Who lives there and what secrets does it hide?

Secrets have a habit of coming out and none of theirs are safe.

What happens when the pretty pink door opens and lets them all inside?

Sometimes it’s easier to turn a blind eye than to face the consequences but true evil is found in the ones who look away and do nothing.

Private Island

Only the invited get to stay. Only the lucky ones get to leave. Catalina Island is an island paradise hiding a sinister secret. Will Katrina become just another one of its victims, and after having lost everything, discover she still has even more to lose? Twists and turns on every page. You will not put this down.

The Woman Who Destroyed Christmas

When you invite strangers to share Christmas, be prepared for the unexpected. There are more than presents under this Christmas tree and as they unwrap the past, the future will never be the same again. Alice Adams thought she was prepared this Christmas – she was wrong.

Living The Dream

Four couples live a charmed life behind the security gates of an exclusive development. To everyone else, they have a dream life. Beautiful homes, designer clothes, and more money than sense. Behind closed doors, the story is very different. Who is hiding a secret they would do anything to protect? Betrayal, dishonesty, and lies, who will survive?

When the perfect marriage, the perfect husband and perfect life are nothing but an illusion.

Sarah Standon is living the dream, at least that’s what everyone tells her.

She is the wife of a successful solicitor who looks like a movie star.

They live a Stepford existence and appear to have it all.Then one fateful night everything changes.A terrible accident leaves Sarah alone to deal with a situation so frightening she starts to question her grip on reality.

Her perfect life has been exposed as the lie it always was and she loses everything.She thought that was the worst that could happen.

She was wrong.

Warning there is a strong theme of domestic violence in this book that may trigger some readers.

The Grey Woman

You never know who’s watching. You walk past her every day without a second glance. She listens to your conversations when you think you’re alone. She watches you from the shadows and discovers all your secrets. What if she came out of the shadows and used that information to destroy you? Thrilling & suspenseful & hard to put down.

The Husband Thief

On his way home from work, Tom Mahoney was brutally attacked. Then a new teacher comes to town with a secret that threatens to tear two families apart. Who has she come here for and who will suffer the consequences? Not all is straightforward in love and war and this story contains a twist it's doubtful you will see coming.

Chapter One

There is that moment of the day where the world stills as if waiting for something to happen that will put me out of my misery. Maybe today will be that day. In a way, I wish it was. I need it to happen because living with the inevitability is worse than the certainty it will happen. 

I go about my daily routine wondering if this will be my last. As I straighten the towel in the family bathroom, I do so on autopilot. Everything is carried out with military precision and an attention to detail I have learned the hard way.

Only when I’m sure everything is in place; do I leave for work. 

On the dot of eight every morning, I lock the door and make my way to my car parked in the drive. I could probably do this in my sleep because it’s a routine I’ve perfected for the last five years.

As I join the traffic, nothing changes. I swear the same cars accompany me on my journey to the office and yet I couldn’t tell you the make or model. The same radio station provides the only life in the car because mine ended five years ago.

As I turn into Gander Green Lane, my heart starts racing. I start to feel anxious because what if she’s not there? 

I’ve come to rely on the stranger who provides the only light in my life. 

8.15 and I feel my heart thump as the latest single to top the charts plays loudly from the radio. 

I feel the anxiety that always follows me as I count the houses. Three doors down from the pub and the little white gate will open. 

It starts to rain and the wipers squeak across the windscreen as I strain to see.

I start to slow down to prolong the encounter. 

As I reach the second house, the flash of red I catch in the corner of my eye settles my heart.

There she is. The woman who has come to mean so much to me. The only one who settles my nerves and makes me feel almost human.

As I hold my breath, she starts the gentle jog towards me. The rain makes no difference to her. She dresses accordingly and even the little black dog who trots by her side is dressed for the elements.

She is laughing at something and grins as the little dog starts to bark at a cat across the road. I feel my world right itself as she pulls the dog along and smiles happily. 

Just a split second is all it takes for me to imagine myself in her place. Happy and free without a care in the world. A pretty house and a faithful companion. Surely that’s not much to ask, is it?

The memory will keep me company for the rest of the day. It makes sense of my life and gives me hope of a better future. Sad really, when the only bit of happiness I enjoy is through the eyes of another.

The song finishes and the presenter starts talking about their next guest. I turn the radio off. Now my only companion is the imaginary world I create as I imagine myself walking in the girl on Gander Green Lane’s shoes. I want to be that woman so badly it hurts. I wonder where it all went so badly wrong.

* * *

Just before nine, I reach the office in town where I’ve worked for the past three years. As I join the line of workers pressing through the doors I hear, “Morning, Sarah.”

I say on autopilot. “Hi, Bea, terrible weather out there.”

“Yes, it’s going to last most of the week, unfortunately.”

I smile as I walk past the beaming receptionist.

Faville and Proctor - the Insurance company where I work and the only place I can relax. 

Most of the people here dread coming in each day. I don’t. 

Most people call in sick as many times as they can get away with. I don’t.

Most people moan about the management and the workload they inflict on us. I don’t.

I would stay here if I could because what waits for me at home is far worse. There I’m on edge and here I can relax knowing that I won’t have to explain myself and deal with the consequences.

As I take up my position at the desk fourth from the door and facing the window, I feel myself sigh with relief as I switch my mind to the day ahead.

* * *

5.30 comes all too soon and with a heavy heart, I join my co-workers on the commute home.

I don’t dawdle and chat as many do. Any invitation to the pub after work is politely declined. I smile regretfully and make up some excuse to extricate me from any ‘out of office’ plans. I need to be home by 6.30 and have everything in place because that’s what’s required of me.

The return journey is much the same save for one thing. The girl never appears. She must work or walk her dog another time because as hard as I look, I never see her. 

As I pass, I look with interest at the house she lives in. It’s a pretty house with roses trailing over a white painted porch and the garden is worthy of any horticultural accolade. Although welcoming, it’s not pristine. The gate could use a coat of paint and the path is strewn with weeds. However, the plants that grow in the small garden take my breath away. 

It looks a happy house where nothing bad ever happens and once again, I wonder about her life. I imagine she has everything she could wish for. A beautiful home and no worries. She is obviously happy; I can tell that by the smile on her face. She has a lightness to her step which shows a confidence that only a happy life can give you. 

As usual, I refuse to dwell on my life. I deal with it on a need to basis and the less I think of it the better. As I leave Gander Green Lane behind, I leave my heart there to collect the next morning. 

When I turn into Richmond Avenue, the houses change and the street widens. The trees stand proudly, guarding the neighbourhood like soldiers. The houses are bigger, better and much more impressive. Behind the shutters are people who live their lives in a very different way. People that appear to have it all worked out and look down on those who don’t. Doctors, lawyers, businessmen and their cosseted families. Nothing bad happens in Richmond Avenue - nothing that is spoken about, anyway.

Sighing, I turn into the drive of number 15 and pull up in my usual parking space. I turn the key in the ignition and hear the birds singing outside.

Then I take a deep breath and head inside the place that has been more like a prison than a home for the last five years because this is where he lives.