PENANCE

A terrifying novel about the nature of grief, sexual obsession and stalking which was made into a major TV drama on Channel 5. The lives of Rosalie Douglas and her teenage daughter Maddie are changed forever when they meet Jed, a beautiful, charismatic young man at Bereavement Counselling. Inexplicably and self-destructively, Maddie holds herself accountable for her brother's drowning accident in Thailand. Jed moves into their lives and home, calming the tensions between mother and daughter. Lover and confidante to a besotted Maddie, gentle surrogate son to a grateful Rosalie, on the surface their lives are transformed, but underneath a deadly and morally corrupt triangle is taking shape. Rosalie commits an unspeakable act which forces her to unravel the truth behind the beautiful stranger in their midst, the truth behind the death of her son and the true extent of just how far she's prepared to go to save what remains of her family. A chilling psycho-drama, haunting and atmospheric. 359pp, paperback.