Hilary Tailor

Some secrets should stay buried. Her husband’s won’t. Della’s life was everything she’d dreamed of: a loving husband, teenage daughter, and a peaceful cottage in the woods with her own pottery studio. But then her husband, Leo, collapses and on his deathbed makes a devastating confession that turns Della’s world upside down. Consumed by grief, Della finds the ancient woodland that once sheltered her now feels threatening. The only solace comes from her new neighbour, Carrie, whose kindness gives Della a fragile sense of hope. As Della digs deeper into her husband’s hidden life, shocking discoveries emerge – about Leo and the life Della thought she knew, and even about Carrie herself. Is her neighbour truly a friend, or is she hiding the most dangerous secret of all?

From the bestselling author of The Vanishing Tide comes a haunting novel about the secrets we keep to protect ourselves—and those we love.Twenty years ago, during a family holiday on the savage and remote island of Little Auger, eleven-year-old Hazel left her bed and was never seen again. The unanswered questions surrounding Hazel’s disappearance tore three families apart and the girls left behind all experience their own terrible guilt. Roz, because she broke a promise; Catrin, because it was her idea; and Nina, who slept through it all. Their friendship never recovers and all three women go on to lead vastly different lives.Twenty years later, they each receive a phone call from Stella Cox, a true-crime podcaster, who has unearthed new evidence about Hazel’s disappearance. There is no doubt Stella has found something important but the question is, how can the women—once best friends, now strangers—trust her, or each other?Will their return to the island finally reveal the truth, and if it does, is it something any of them are prepared to learn?