It was the job she had dreamed of since childhood. But on her very first day, when an unnerving encounter drags up memories Sophie Greenwood would rather forget, she wonders if she has made a mistake. A fatal mistake.
What is her ambitious young assistant really up to? And what exactly happened to Sophie’s predecessor? When her husband and daughter are pulled into the nightmare, Sophie is forced to confront the darkest secrets she has carried for years.
As her life begins to fall apart at work and at home, Sophie must race to uncover the truth about her new job…before it kills her.
Read on for an excerpt!!
Prologue
I lie in bed, scratching at the cold wall,
waiting for the sound of footsteps. I knew he would come today, that
there was nothing I could do about it. All I could do was hope, pray,
that today’s treatment would be psychological. A test. Questions. I
can’t face anything else, not today.
Not the hose.
Not the belt.
Here
they come: the footsteps. Slow but steady. He comes into the bedroom
and orders me to follow him. We go down one set of steps, then another,
through the door and into the damp, frigid air of the basement.
‘Take off your robe,’ he tells me.
I
try to protest but he picks up the belt so I undress as slowly as
possible, clinging to every scrap of warmth until I’m naked, shivering,
strapped into the chair.
He wheels the metal
trolley over, cursing the wheel that has recently started to squeak. On
the surface of the trolley is a leather pouch. He unfolds it and I see
what’s inside. Acupuncture needles, handles the colour of dried blood, their sharp tips shining in the artificial light.
‘Please,’ I say. ‘Please.’
Mark Edwards writes psychological thrillers in which scary things happen to ordinary people and is inspired by writers such as Stephen King, Ira Levin, Ruth Rendell and Linwood Barclay.
He is the author of three #1 bestsellers: Follow You Home (a finalist in the Goodreads Choice Awards 2015), The Magpies and Because She Loves Me, along with What You Wish Forand six novels co-written with Louise Voss. All of his books are inspired by real-life experiences.
Originally from the south coast of England, Mark now lives in the West Midlands with his wife, their three children and a ginger cat.
Website: www.markedwardsauthor
Twitter: @mredwards
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