LITMIR.BIZ

"The weak are meat. The strong eat." For Keiko Nishisato, leaving Tokyo to study for her PhD in Scotland was supposed to be the adventure, but it's the sponsored accommodation that shows her just how far she is from home. Strange plumbing, strange food . . . and strangest of all, the remote location. The quiet little town of Painchton, far away from the bustling city life of Edinburgh, is not what she expected, and Keiko tries not to feel ungrateful. Still, she's never met friendlier people than the Painchton Traders, who welcome her as one of their own. Only the Pooles, the butchers downstairs, seem to want to keep their distance – widowed Mrs Poole unwelcoming, and her son Malcolm quiet and standoffish. Malcolm's charming brother Murray, drawn back to Painchton after his father's death, both attracts and unsettles her, promising to keep her safe. Safe from what? There's a darkness at the heart of Painchton, and Keiko grows determined to find out what it is. But the more she discovers, the less she believes, until she can't tell where her fears end and the real nightmares begin . . . This grisly, twisty psychological thriller from award-winning author Catriona McPherson will keep you guessing right until the last page.

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You love him. You trust him. You shouldn't. Master storyteller Catriona McPherson weaves a multi award-winning ominous tale of domestic suspense that will keep you guessing until the very end. Jessica Constable seems fine. She's worked hard at that. She's a survivor, determined to get through each day, even though deep down she knows she can never, ever atone for what she's done. But when Jessie meets sculptor Gus King, on the day his wife goes missing, she feels an unaccustomed – frightening – desire rise up inside her. She likes Gus. She likes his children. And when Gus's wife turns up dead, the police suspecting suicide, he clings so hard she can't stomach letting go. Soon Jessie's sleeping at his house, babysitting his kids. Becoming their new mother. But her unexpected happiness is tainted by unsettling questions. Who does she keep seeing from the corner of her eye? Why is Gus so secretive about his work? And most importantly – what really happened to Gus's wife?

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Home is where the harm is . . . A woman returns to her childhood home to find a community brimming with dark secrets in this award-winning standalone psychological thriller from master of suspense Catriona McPherson. When she was twelve years old, Opal Jones ran from her alcoholic mother and didn't look back. Now, returning to their pokey Leeds terraced house after her mum's death, Opal feels like she's gone back in time. Nosey Mrs. Pickess is still polishing her windows to a sparkle. Fishbo, Opal's ancient music teacher, still plays trumpet with his band. And much to Opal's delight, her favorite neighbor, Margaret Reid, still keeps an eye on things from her front doorstep. But tragedy has struck Mote Street in Opal's absence. Ten years ago, Margaret's three-year-old grandson disappeared from her back yard. What really happened to him? Only one thing's certain: someone knows more than they're telling. Opal vows to uncover the truth for Margaret's sake. But as she investigates, the door she closed on her own dark past begins to open – and the secrets that spill out may be more than she can bear.

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A woman on the run uncovers a series of deadly secrets in this gripping, twisty standalone psychological thriller from award-winning master storyteller Catriona McPherson. Lowland Glen is the oldest bookshop in a quiet Scottish town full of bookshops; rambling and disordered, full of hidden treasures. Londoner Jude fell in love with it when she visited last summer, the high point of a miserable holiday. Now, in the depths of winter, it seems a strange place to run away to – but Jude's tired and heartsick, and when the bookstore's charming but eccentric owner, Lowell, welcomes her with open arms, she knows she's made the right decision. Lowell needs an assistant, and the job comes with accommodation too. The isolated gravedigger's cottage isn't perfect for a woman alone, but it's a good place to hide from her troubles – and at least she has quiet neighbors. Quiet, but not silent. The long dead and the books they left behind have tales to tell, and the dusty bookshop is not the haven it seems. Lowell's past and Jude's present are a dangerous cocktail of secrets and lies – and someone is coming to light the taper that could burn everything down around them . . .

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Lexy Campbell’s ex-husband begs for her help finding his current wife, whose disappearance mirrors that of a number of statues around California – menacing ransom note and all. A community is devastated when the bronze statue of local legend Mama Cuento is stolen on Valentine’s Day. When Lexy Campbell arrives on the scene, a big bronze toe is found along with a ransom note – “Listen to our demands or you will never see her again. There are nine more where this came from”. Then, Lexy’s ex-husband Bran turns up begging for help to find his wife, Brandee, who has disappeared. Lexy agrees to pitch in, but when she shows up at Bran’s house he has just discovered one of Brandee’s false nails and another ransom note with the same grisly message. Are the two cases linked or is a copycat on the loose? Who would want to kidnap a bronze statue or, come to that, Brandee? And can Lexy put aside her hatred for Bran long enough to find out?

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Lexy Campbell fights to prove the innocence of a client she's been providing marriage guidance to after she is accused of murdering her husband. It's the Fourth of July in California and Lexy Campbell is headed home to Scotland. But first she must deliver her final dose of marriage guidance to the elderly Bombarros. They don't turn up for the session, but the cops do. Turns out Mr Bombarro is in the morgue and Mrs Bombarro is in the jail, arrested for murder. Certain of the old lady's innocence, Lexy decides to stay and clear her name. But after her own recent whirlwind divorce, she's got no money and no place to stay. So she checks into the Last Ditch Motel. As the plucky little band of motel guests start to take over Lexy's life, and the shady Bombarro relations come to town, one thing is for sure . . . the fireworks have only just begun.

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A body surfacing next to her houseboat on Halloween night with a Jimmy wig stapled to its head leads Lexy Campbell and her friends to delve into the past of the area's residents. Lexy Campbell's Halloween party barely has time to begin before a body bobs up beside her houseboat. Who is this man? Why was he killed? And how come there's a Jimmy wig stapled to his head? When she learns that a horse has been attacked on a bridge the same night, Lexy can't help but think of Tam O'Shanter and Robert Burns. With the police dismissing the notion, and fresh from solving her first murder – not to mention the fact that the clues point to Scots and she's the only one in town – Lexy decides to investigate. Joined, once again, by the rag-tag crew from the Last Ditch Motel, Lexy is soon neck-deep in cutty sarks and tartan, but it seems the roots of this California murder lie much closer to her new home.

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