Sandra Ireland

A twisty and propulsive read, this dark psychological thriller of sibling rivalry, love, betrayal, and the dire consequences of family fallout brilliantly plays on our fears of loneliness and abandonment, harkening to the modern gothic bestsellers by Ruth Ware and Liz Nugent. Is a story ever just a story? Mac, a retired academic and writer, is working on a new collection of folktales, inspired by local legends, and at the insistence of her only child, Arthur, she hires a young assistant, Lucie, to live in a cottage on her property and help her transcribe them. What Arthur doesn’t know is that his mother is determined to keep the secrets of her past from ever being discovered. And what Mac doesn’t know is that Lucie has a few complicated secrets of her own. The creaking presence of an ancient water mill next to Mac’s property that used to grind wheat into flour serves as an eerie counterpoint for these two women as they circle warily around each other, haunted by the local legend of two long-dead sisters, ready to point accusing fingers from the pages of history. This atmospheric page turner evocatively gives voice to the question: What happens when you fall in love with the wrong person?

Bone Deep

What happens when you fall in love with the wrong person? The consequences threaten to be far-reaching and potentially deadly. Bone Deep is a contemporary novel of sibling rivalry, love, betrayal and murder. This is the story of two women: Mac, who is bent on keeping the secrets of the past from her only son, and the enigmatic Lucie, whose past is something of a closed book. Their story is underpinned by the creaking presence of an abandoned water mill, and haunted by the local legend of two long-dead sisters, themselves rivals in love, and ready to point an accusing finger from the pages of history.

1648. Alie Gowdie marries Richard Webster during a turbulent time in Scotlands history. Charles I is about to lose his head, and little does Alie know that she too will meet a grisly end within the year. 2019. Sarah Sutherland is struggling to cope with the demands of her day job, caring for her elderly father and keeping tabs on her backpacking daughter. She wanted to be an archaeologist, but now in her forties, she is divorced, alone, and there seems to be no respite, no glimmer of excitement on the horizon. However, she does have a special affinity with the Kilgour Witch, Alie Gowdie, who lived in Sarahs cottage until her execution in 1648, and Sarah likes nothing better than to retreat into a world of sorcery, spells and religious fanaticism. Her stories delight tourists as she leads them along the cobbled streets of her home town, but what really lies behind the tale of Alie Gowdie, the Kilgour Witch? Can Sarah uncover the truth in order to right a centuries-old wrong? And what else might modern-day Kilgour be hiding, just out of sight?

Darkly mesmerising . . . A fabulous read

Sight Unseen

A taxidermist with a secret. A soldier with nothing left to fight for. A mother determined to protect her young son. Together, can they fight a past that doesn't want to let them go? Taking a job in the studio of an Edinburgh taxidermist is probably not Walt's wisest move. Already suffering from combat stress, and struggling to outrun the horrors of his time on the front line, he finds himself confronted by the undead on a daily basis. His boss Alys and her sister Mouse are sharing a secret that is threatening to destroy them. When Mouse's eight-year-old son disappears, can Walt find the strength for one more battle and finally lay the past to rest? This compelling thriller peels back the skin of one modern family to reveal the wounds no one wants to see. It deals with the effects of trauma, and explores how facing up to vulnerability is sometimes the only way to let go of the past.

Beneath the Skin

Eine verlassene Mühle, die ein altes Geheimnis birgt. Zwei Frauen, die der Vergangenheit nicht entkommen können. Die siebzigjährige Mac lebt mit ihren beiden Hunden in einem einsamen Cottage in Schottland. Zum Anwesen gehört auch eine alte stillgelegte Mühle, die einer Sage nach der düstere Schauplatz einer tödlichen Fehde zweier Schwestern gewesen sein soll. Als Mac sich die junge Lucie als »Mädchen für alles« ins Haus holt, ahnt sie nicht, dass Lucie den Job nur angenommen hat, um vor ihrem alten Leben davonzulaufen. Doch auch Mac hat ein dunkles Geheimnis, das sie gnadenlos einzuholen droht. Ein Geheimnis, das die alte Mühle erneut zum Mittelpunkt einer grausamen Tat machen könnte ... »Ein psychologischer Thriller, der einem eiskalte Schauer über den Rücken jagt.« Scotland on Sunday

Thriller

Kalte Knochen

A single phone call from halfway across the world is all it takes to bring her home . . . Ellie, something bad has happened. Desperate to escape her kid from the scrapyard reputation, Ellie Rook has forged a new life for herself abroad, but tragedy strikes when her mother, Imelda, falls from a notorious waterfall. Here, according to local legend, the warrior queen Finella jumped to her death after killing a king. In the wake of her mothers disappearance, Ellie is forced to confront some disturbing truths about the family she left behind and the woman she has become. Can a long-dead queen hold the key to Ellies survival? And how far will she go to right a wrong?

from critically acclaimed Sandra Ireland

The Unmaking of Ellie Rook

1648. Alie Gowdie marries Richard Webster during a turbulent time in Scotland's history. Charles I is about to lose his head, and little does Alie know that she too will meet a grisly end within the year.2019. Sarah Sutherland is struggling to cope with the demands of her day job, caring for her elderly father and keeping tabs on her backpacking daughter. She wanted to be an archaeologist, but now in her forties, she is divorced, alone, and there seems to be no respite, no glimmer of excitement on the horizon. However, she does have a special affinity with the Kilgour Witch, Alie Gowdie, who lived in Sarah's cottage until her execution in 1648, and Sarah likes nothing better than to retreat into a world of sorcery, spells and religious fanaticism.Her stories delight tourists as she leads them along the cobbled streets of her home town, but what really lies behind the tale of Alie Gowdie, the Kilgour Witch? Can Sarah uncover the truth in order to right a centuries-old wrong? And what else might modern-day Kilgour be hiding, just out of sight?

Sandra Ireland

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