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Most people dread turning fifty. Not me. I’ve been counting down the weeks to our luxury holiday in Aruba – seven sun-soaked days to celebrate not just my own fiftieth birthday, but those of three lifelong friends. Two of them are just as excited as I am. The fourth? She took some persuading. With our partners in tow, we arrive at our lavish villa, bubbling with excitement and Prosecco. We’re here to relax, reconnect, and make memories. But in the heat and haze of paradise, inhibitions slip – and secrets spill.

Being stuck in this house with the husband I’m separating from is unbearable. Dexter barely looks at me. When he does, it’s like I’m not even here. It’s as if he’s already erased me from his life. He won’t engage with me at all and looks to be dragging a burden around with him – a guilty conscience perhaps? I spend hours with my Nan at her care home. She’s the only person I can talk to – the only person who’s always there for me. What’s worse is how Dexter’s taken over with our daughter, Etta – the girl who’s been my North, South, East and West since the day she was born.

Es sollte ein Urlaub werden, um die Risse in unserer zerrissenen Familie zu kitten. Ich wusste, dass die sieben Tage endlos sein würden, aber ich hätte nie gedacht, dass einer von uns nur sechs davon überleben würde. Als ich meinen Koffer in das charmante und rustikale Cottage trage und meine Schwägerin Kelli anlächle, erlaube ich mir einen Moment der Hoffnung. Vielleicht wird dieser Urlaub unsere Familie dazu zwingen, sich mit unserem lang gehegten Groll auseinanderzusetzen und mit dem Versprechen einer glücklicheren Zukunft abzureisen.

Ich steh vor der Haustür und überprüfe mein Spiegelbild im Glas ganz genau. Ich muss perfekt aussehen, um Lous neuen Freund zu treffen. Ich wurde nicht eingeladen, aber beste Freunde brauchen doch keine Einladungen, oder? Scott kommt zur gleichen Zeit wie Donna, sodass ich keine andere Wahl habe, als sie hereinzubitten, obwohl ich klar gemacht habe, dass sie bei dem heutigen Treffen nicht dabei sein muss. Bei diesem Essen geht es darum, Scott meiner Mutter und meiner Tochter vorzustellen – eine Tatsache, die Donna bequem ignoriert.

Ich habe meine Flucht minutiös geplant. Aber das Schicksal hat andere Pläne… Heute ist der Tag. Die Sachen, die ich gepackt habe, sind versteckt und ich warte auf grünes Licht, um die Schlüssel für das neue Haus abzuholen. Ich bin so nah dran, Justins Launen, seinem Alkoholkonsum und seinen gewalttätigen Tendenzen zu entkommen, die immer schlimmer werden.

You died three weeks ago, so how can you be following me on social media? Your funeral is packed to the rafters leaving standing room only. Everyone talks about your untimely death and the hole you’ve left behind. But no one feels your loss more than me, Mum. I’m the one returning to an empty house and I’m the one who receives the first notification from X.

I keep getting the sense of being watched. But when I glance up, it’s not by the person I want it to be. Dale’s always busy doing something else. Really, I must have the most unromantic partner on the planet. Or so I thought. For Dale has prepared a Valentine’s Day surprise, and I don’t need asking twice to follow the clues I’ve found. I find my way to the remote cottage he’s booked, gobsmacked as I respond to his written instruction to enter.

The important thing is that my daughter and son are safe after the fire that ripped apart their world as they knew it. And we’re trying to move forward together. Except there’s something I can’t let go of. My frustration at being ripped off with most of what I owned and taken for a fool. Going after the person responsible risks exposing the dark secrets I’ve been forced to keep, yet I can’t seem to stop myself.

As the car pulls up to my husband Dominic’s family home the night before Christmas, I suppress a shudder. I’ve never felt welcome here. His parents make it clear I’m a poor comparison to his perfect first wife, Carla. But I’m determined to lean into the festive cheer. Until Dominic’s mother bustles into our bedroom and blindsides me: ‘You won’t mind, will you. Carla is coming for the holidays. She’s still one of the family, and she can’t get home because of the storm.’ My eyes widen–did she and Carla plan this on purpose?

It was supposed to be a holiday to fix the cracks in our fractured family. I knew the seven days would be endless, but I never imagined that one of us would only survive for six of them… As I carry my case into the charming and rustic cottage and smile at my sister-in-law, Kelli, I allow myself a moment of hope. Perhaps this holiday will force our family to address our long-held grudges and leave with the promise of a happier future.

It kills me that the only way I can spend proper time with my son Toby is by helping out at his school camp. I sit under the emerald green pine trees and Toby’s little face lights up as he runs past me, joining the other chattering, happy children around us. Then I see my ex, David, glaring at me and my heart sinks. He may have full custody, but he’d love nothing more than for me to disappear. Forever.

Today’s the day. The things I’ve packed are hidden away and I’m waiting for the go-ahead to collect the keys to the new house. I’m so close to escaping Justin’s moods, his drinking and his violent tendencies, which are gradually getting worse. His promises of change mean nothing anymore and I’ve got to get away from him. But a national lockdown has just been announced.

I stand at the front door and meticulously check my reflection in the glass. I must look perfect to meet Lou's new boyfriend. I haven't been invited but best friends don't require invitations, right? Her presence has always been a constant, demanding focus in my life. Now, however, it's evolving into something deeper, with unsettling imitations and intrusive encroachments into every aspect of my world. The struggle to create distance only seems to intensify Donna's attachment, Pulling her dangerously closer.

I open the front door and there’s Amy, smiling sweetly and ready to help. She’s been a lifesaver since Jon and I moved here–from walking the dog to picking up my little son Teddy from nursery last minute. I’m so lucky we met in the playground the first day we arrived. Amy is more than just a good friend. My only friend, really. Whenever Amy and Jon exchange glances I’m sure it seems like they’ve met before, even though Jon swears they haven’t. But then again Jon recognises lots of people from his childhood round here without truly knowing them.

In the midst of a sea of holidaymakers, I find myself the lone outsider – no companion, no luggage. An enigma among the carefree crowd. I wonder what they’d do if they knew who I am. Who I really am… What is Liz running away from? Who is this woman my father married? Did he have any idea of what she was capable of? My gaze fixates on the once-familiar house that now feels like a distant memory. I can hardly believe how much my life has changed and that Liz, the woman who puts the word wicked into stepmother has completely vanished.

Watching and listening to Lou and Charlie used to leave me fraught with envy and loneliness. But now, living next door to my old adversary Liz, I long for the old days—when I was left alone. My sister Jenna can’t understand how the girl who was my childhood bully could now want to be my friend. People change, I tell her. But do they? Neither can she understand why Liz is paying for a cruise to atone for the misery she once caused me. There must be strings attached, Jenna says. She’s right. There is.

This collection contains Book 1 - Undercurrents, Book 2 – Drowned Voices, and Book 3 – Emergence.

They don’t need to name the dangerous prisoner who’s escaped whilst in transit between prisons. The chill that snakes up my spine tells me exactly who it is. And I know the first place he’ll be heading. With a history of my own escape from him twelve years ago, I can already foresee the relentless manhunt that’s about to unfold. The question is, will he be caught before he can do any more damage? As a fresh wave of killings creeps closer to our new hometown on the east coast, I know one thing for certain. That he’s coming back for me.

From where I stand in the shadows outside the pub I own, I can already tell what mood my husband’s in and it makes me want to stay exactly where I am. However, I can also see my bar manager, Jay. Sexy, young and exciting, he’s the person who’s going to set me free from my middle-aged monotony. I’m dreading turning fifty more than I’ve dreaded any other birthday in my life. Now that my kids are at university, the prospect of spending the rest of my life with my bullying, balding and boring husband is a miserable one.

I stand at the front door and meticulously check my reflection in the glass. I must look perfect to meet Lou’s new boyfriend. I haven’t been invited but best friends don't require invitations, right? Scott's arrival coincides with Donna's, leaving me with no choice but to welcome her in, though I've made it clear she's an unnecessary addition to today's gathering. This meal is about introducing Scott to my mother and daughter – a fact Donna conveniently ignores.