2019-06-01+Woman+and+Home

6

ofthe

Best

deeds.Whatit doesofferis a darkly

funnystoryabouttwosisters,Stella

andTina,theformerofwhomspends

herchildhoodcatastrophisingfromone

lethalmishaptoanother.Wefollow

thesisterstoAmericaasWorldWarII

begins,thenpickuptheirtaleinthe

modernday.A classact– don’tmissit.

PAGetURNeR

LittleDarlingsby

MelanieGolding(HQ)

Inspiredbythecreepiest

fairytales,thisgoosebump-

inducingthrillerbeginson

thenightthatLaurengivesbirthtotwins.

Yes,sheis exhausted,butsheis not

goingmad– Laurenknowsshesawa

womanin herhospitalroomtryingto

takeherbabies.Then,a fewweeks

later,theunthinkablehappensandthe

twinsdisappear,onlytobereturnedas...

different.Theproblemis,nobodycan

tellthereis anythingwrongexcept

Lauren.Nightmarishandunforgettable.

RoMANtIC

M YsteRY

Howit EndsbySaskia

Sarginson(Piatkus)

In1957,theDelaney

familyarriveata US

airbasein Suffolk,butwithina year

theirliveshavebeenshattered.Left

behindtopickupthepieces,Hedy

turnstoa manuscriptstartedby

herbrother,determinedtofinishhis

story.But,assheis abouttodiscover,

somesecretsshouldstayburied...

VICtoRIAN

ChILLeR

The Doll Factory

by Elizabeth Macneal

(Picador)

The dark and grimy streets

of 19th-century London are brought to

life in this exquisite debut about a villain

with a dangerous obsession. It follows

aspiring artist Iris, who agrees to model

for Louis, a Pre-Raphaelite painter, in

exchange for lessons. But as the young

woman’s mind is expanded through

art and love, little does she know a

stranger has been watching in the

shadows... Authentic and suspenseful.

how I wRIte

Lucinda Riley

2

I Know

Who You

Are by Alice

Feeney (HQ)

When Aimee’s

husband goes

missing, the police

suspect she’s hiding

something. What it is will

shock you to your core.

1

The Wife’s

Shadow by

Cath Weeks

(Piatkus)

If you enjoyed

BBC’s Doctor

Foster, then you will

happily devour this

novel about a woman

hiding a dark past.

3

Her

Si ste r’s

Lie by

Debbie

Howells (Pan)

Sisters Nina

and Hannah are estranged,

but when one dies and

the other takes in her

son, events turn sinister.

4

MyLovely

Wifeby

Samantha

Downing

(Penguin)

A standout

thrillerthatlaughsin the

faceofeverythingyou

thinkyouknowabout

thewhodunitgenre.

5

TheLast

NightOut

byCatherine

O’Connell

(BlackThorn)

Canongate

launchesitsnewcrime

imprintbytreatingusto

thistenselyplottedtale

ofhen-partymayhem.

6

Crushed

byKate

Hamer(Faber

& Faber)

A compelling

novelthat

followsthreegirlsover

onelongdangerous

summer.Thissizzleswith

intrigueandoriginality.

Irish-born Lucinda Riley

is the bestselling author

of over 20 novels. Her

Seven Sisters series has

topped the charts the

world over, and has been

optioned for a TV series.

I have to write my first draft in total

solitude. As we have four children and

our home is always busy, I take myself

off to my house in West Cork, Ireland,

for weeks at a time. I often work 12

hours a day – but I never write down

any notes. I let the characters develop

and simply let the story flow out of me.

I work in a cosy beamed room with an

enormous inglenook fireplace. There

is a desk, but I rarely sit at it as that

feels like “work”. I light the fire, then

sit on my giant beanbag and write,

using a Dictaphone. “Talking” the

stories means I have the freedom to

move around, and as an ex-dancer and

actress, I think better when I move.

I’m always inspired by a location first.

I travel there, research its history and

the characters then take over.

I love the creation of the characters. I

spend hours alone, laughing and crying

with them, and when the plot comes

together, it’s exhilarating. The easiest

part is getting ideas in the first place

• that’s something I’m never short of.

The Butterfly Room by Lucinda Riley

(Macmillan) is out 2 May;

lucindariley.co.uk

Domestic noirs

y EdwardCarey(Gallic)✢NeverGreenerbyRuthJones(BlackSwan)✢I KnowYouKnowbyGillyMacmillan(Sphere)

PHOTOGRAPHS

BoRIS BREUER, PIxELEYES