Listen to a sample

What to expect

Brought to you by Penguin.

The new pulse-pounding thriller from the bestselling author of THE MEMORY WOOD: beautifully written, evocative and dramatic, you will read it with your heart in your mouth.

HOW DID IT COME TO THIS?

The news doesn't strike cleanly, like a guillotine's blade. Nothing so merciful. This news is a slovenly traveller, dragging its feet, gradually revealing its horrors. And it announces itself first with violence - the urgent hammering of fists on the front door.

Life can change in a heartbeat.

Lucy has everything she could wish for: a beautiful home high on the clifftops above the Devon coast, a devoted husband and two beloved children.

Then one morning, time stops. Their family yacht is recovered, abandoned far out at sea. Lucy's husband is nowhere to be found and as the seconds tick by, she begins to wonder - what if he was the one who took the boat? And if so, where is he now?

As a once-in-a-generation storm frustrates the rescue operation, Lucy pieces together what happened onboard. And then she makes a fresh discovery. One that plunges her into a nightmare more shocking than any she could ever have imagined . . .

Praise for Sam Lloyd:

'Lloyd is a rare new thriller talent.' Daily Mail

'Stunning prose and compulsive reading.' Lesley Kara

'An intense, atmospheric, and truly original thriller.' Shari Lapena

'A beautifully written, fast-paced thriller.' Heat

'A darkly chilling and original novel . . . a series of twists keeps readers captivated until a shocking climax.' Daily Express

'Brilliant writing, a terrifying story, and characters so real it feels like you know them.' Samantha Downing

'A truly chilling story.' Woman & Home

© Sam Lloyd 2021 (P) Penguin Audio 2021

Critics Review

  • Beautifully written, incredibly evocative with a real sense of place and of the sea. Heart-stoppingly tense.

    Catherine Cooper, bestselling author of The Chalet

  • Fiendishly clever.

    Sunday Times

  • Lloyd is terrific on atmosphere, channelling the hostile, volatile power of the sea both literally and metaphorically… He excels at taking readers to very dark places

    Metro

  • A cleverly crafted page-turner

    Best

  • Absorbing and deftly written . . . Each page promises the literary equivalent of a fresh jab to the solar plexus.

    The Herald

More from the same

Author

Subscribe to our newsletter

Sign up to get tailored content recommendations, product updates and info on new releases. Your data is your own: we commit to protect your data and respect your privacy.