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       Copyright

      Published by AVON

      A Division of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd

      1 London Bridge Street

      London SE1 9GF

       www.harpercollins.co.uk

      First published in Great Britain by HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 2019

      Copyright © Katerina Diamond 2019

      Cover design by Claire Ward © HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 2019 Cover photographs © Katarzyna Lukaszewska/Arcangel Images

      Katerina Diamond asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

      A catalogue copy of this book is available from the British Library.

      This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

      All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.

      Source ISBN: 9780008282929

      Ebook Edition © July 2019 ISBN: 9780008282936

      Version: 2019-07-01

       Praise for Katerina Diamond

      ‘Diamond is the master of gripping literature’

       Evening Standard

      ‘A terrific story, originally told. All hail the new queen of crime!’

       Heat

      ‘A web of a plot that twists and turns and keeps the reader on the edge of their seat. This formidable debut is a page-turner, but don’t read it before bed if you’re easily spooked!’

       Sun

      ‘A page-turner with a keep-you-guessing plot’

       Sunday Times Crime Club

      ‘Diamond neatly handles a string of interlocking strands’

       Daily Mail

      ‘This gem of a crime novel is packed with twists until the last page’

       Closer

      ‘A deliciously dark read, Katerina Diamond keeps her readers guessing throughout as she leads us on a very secretive, VERY twisted journey … everything I was expecting from a well-written, pacy thriller’

      Lisa Hall, author of Between You And Me

      ‘A dark, twisting tale that won’t fail to captivate’

       Mint Velvet

      ‘Wow, I thought The Teacher was fantastic but The Secret is on another level. Was gripped all the way through and kept me guessing as the story unfolded’

       NetGalley Reviewer

      ‘Another grim and gory spider’s web from Katerina Diamond – closely following on from The Teacher and not letting up on the twists and turns’

       Goodreads Reviewer

      ‘An impeccable novel with nail-biting chapters … Katerina Diamond deserves the title of Queen of Crime, because I’ll be damned if anyone writes novels like she does. 5* doesn’t do this book justice’

       The Brunette Bookshelf

      ‘Has the feeling of a nightmare come to life …’

       LoveReading

      ‘The suspense is literally out of this world’

       Compelling Reads

      ‘A dark and twisted tale that had me gasping in fear’

       Handwritten Girl

       Dedication

      To Audrey,

      Over the last 13 years, I’ve come to think of you as someone who lives in my house.

      Love Mum