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*** THE SUNDAY TIMES TOP TEN BESTSELLER *** A TIMES, OBSERVER, DAILY MAIL and LITERARY REVIEW BOOK OF THE YEAR: 'Flawless' SUNDAY TIMES *** 'A rich and fascinating puzzle' MAIL ON SUNDAY *** 'I completely lost myself to this book for a few days' LUCY FOLEY *** 'A deliciously involving page turner' GUARDIAN Summer, 2021. Nell has come home at her family's insistence to celebrate an anniversary. Fifty years ago, her father wrote The Golden Bones. Part picture book, part treasure hunt, Sir Frank Churcher created a fairy story about Elinore, a murdered woman whose skeleton was scattered all over England. Clues and puzzles in the pages of The Golden Bones led readers to seven sites where jewels were buried: one by one, the tiny golden bones were dug up until only Elinore's pelvis remained hidden. The book was a sensation. A community of treasure hunters called the Bonehunters formed, in frenzied competition, obsessed to a dangerous, murderous degree. The book made Frank a rich man. Stalked by fans who could not tell fantasy from reality, his daughter, Nell, became a recluse. But now the Churchers must be reunited. The book is being reissued along with a new treasure hunt and a documentary crew are charting everything that follows. Nell is appalled, and terrified. During the filming, Frank finally reveals the whereabouts of the missing golden bone. And then all hell breaks loose. Inspired by the author's love for Masquerade, this is a taut, mesmerising novel of danger and obsession. 'The ultimate entertaining thriller' EVENING STANDARD 'With rich characterisation and intricate yet propulsive plotting' GUARDIAN 'Sparks the most intense of emotions' THE TIMES *THRILLER OF THE MONTH* 'A gorgeously intricate puzzle of a book' THE OBSERVER 'Pacy, brilliantly plotted, and full of complex characters and relationships' GOOD HOUSEKEEPING 'A dark treasure hunt, family secrets and plot twists' STYLIST ONLINE 'There's layer upon layer of mystery in this frankly brilliant read' BELFAST TELEGRAPH 'Moody, propulsive, and one of the most intriguing set ups I've read in years' GILLIAN McALLISTER 'Original, suspenseful, and with complex characters that spring irresistibly to life on the page' LOUISE CANDLISH 'Twisted family dynamics and toxic, compelling characters' RUTH WARE 'Scary, moving and compelling: a beautifully-plotted, gorgeously-written triumph of a thriller' NICCI FRENCH 'A completely addictive story of two families destroyed by success' JANE CASEY PRE-ORDER THE HOUSE OF MIRRORS, available Spring 2024, NOW!
Some stories take longer to 'cook' than others. It's no exaggeration to say that my latest novel, The Skeleton Key, about a family of artists, and a treasure hunt that takes on a life of its own, was a lifetime in the making. As a child, my favourite picture book was the 1979 treasure hunt phenomenon Masquerade, by artist Kit Williams. On every page, riddles were posed and intricate, dreamlike paintings depicted Jack Hare in his quest to deliver a jewel from the moon to the sun. Each picture was bordered by letters that held a clue to the location of a tiny hare, wrought in gold, studded with precious stone, and buried somewhere in England. My favourite page was a double-page spread of a little girl sitting in a field of dog roses while Jack Hare galloped past. I envied her so much: she was in the story, as I longed to be. I thought that if I looked at the picture for long enough, I might fall into it: and in a way, I did. Masquerade became part of me, and forty years later, it has found its way out again in the form of The Skeleton Key. Aside from The Skeleton Key, I'm known for He Said/She Said, about a young couple who witness a rape and, after the trial, begin to wonder if they believed the right person. It was number one in the kindle charts for six glorious weeks, and spent three months in the Sunday Times Bestseller charts. My first novel, The Poison Tree, was a Richard and Judy bestseller and a major ITV drama starring Myanna Buring, Ophelia Lovibond and Matthew Goode. I?ve written six more original psychological thrillers ? Stone Mothers, Watch Her Fall, The Sick Rose, The Burning Air, The Ties That Bind. I had read scores of psychological thrillers before I heard the term: the books that inspired me to write my own included Endless Night by Agatha Christie, The Secret History by Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier and A Fatal Inversion by Barbara Vine. My books are atmospheric thrillers, always about people trying to atone for, escape, or uncover a past crime. I?m more interested in what happens before the police arrive ? if arrive they ever do - than how murder is solved.
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