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By: Jane Bailey
Narrated by: Imogen Church
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About this listen

It was meant to be Caitlin's perfect summer, but betrayed by her best friend and her boyfriend, she finds herself hitchhiking home alone, heartbroken, and penniless.

When a smiling family pulls up on the roadside to help her on her way, she's relieved - they seem so friendly, safe. And when they offer her a warm bed in their isolated house for the night, she's grateful not to have to travel back alone in the dark. In any case, she's in no rush to get home, where a grave secret is lying in wait to blow her family apart.

One night soon turns into two, and then three. The increasingly spellbinding couple wants her to stay, and why shouldn't she? Their children need a tutor, and the longer she can avoid home, the better. But then an older member of the household warns her to leave immediately. And when her phone suddenly goes missing, when she realises that this perfect family is a perfect lie, it might not be so easy for her to leave...

A brilliantly suspenseful read, perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell, Mark Edwards and Claire Douglas.

Read what everyone is saying about Stay:


'Fantastic... The very definition of a page-turner. Jane's best yet!! So good! I loved it.' Jackie Kabler, #1 bestselling author of The Perfect Couple


'Will really get under your skin.' Mark Edwards, bestselling author of Keep Her Secret



'Unbearably dark and chilling. I couldn't put it down!' Shalini Boland, bestselling author of The Silent Bride



'Such a unique and suspenseful piece of drama, masterfully done.' Melanie Golding, #1 bestselling author of Little Darlings

©2023 Jane Bailey (P)2023 Orion Publishing Group Limited Amateur Sleuths Crime Fiction Fiction Mystery Psychological Thriller & Suspense Detective Heartfelt Crime Suspense

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Critic reviews

Fantastic. From a quietly sinister start this story escalates rapidly; so tense, so creepy! The very definition of a page-turner. Jane's best yet!! So good! I loved it. (Jackie Kabler)
Claustrophobic and creepy, Stay is a beautifully-written lockdown thriller that will really get under your skin. (Mark Edwards)
Unbearably dark and chilling. I couldn't put it down! (Shalini Boland)
Claustrophobic, creepy, heart-in-mouth perilous and - as with any Bailey novel - some superbly drawn child characters. (Caroline Sanderson)
I started reading Jane Bailey's Stay quite late at night, and that was my first mistake, because I couldn't put it down! Such a unique and suspenseful piece of drama, masterfully done. (Melanie Golding)
Stay brims with vivacity, verve, and energy. A brilliantly written, page-turning read. Loved it. (J. A. Corrigan)
All stars
Most relevant
Really well written, great story and brilliant narration. I was gripped from start to finish.

The best book I’ve listened to in ages

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A well written and unusual storyline. Excellent plot that portrays how humanity can vary from one extreme to another.
The narration brought the various characters to life - especially the youngest little girl’s dialogue - made me laugh out loud.

Thoroughly Captivating

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I really rooted for the central character and the children and wasn't disappointed. suspense was well developed and maintained and it was hard to put down. I will definitely be listening to another book by this author!

Gripping and great narration

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Good storyline and worth a listen, however there was no need for it to be nearly 14 hours long, as in stages it just seemed to drag out for no reason, and with no importance to the storyline, which at times made me loose concentration and loose the storyline.

The main character Caitlin was frustrating at times, as it was quite obvious what was happening, yet she was oblivious to it all, and seemed very stupid to believe everything she was told, even once she knew what was going on and when she had seen certain things, I didn't feel any sense of urgency from her to get away or get help, when there was chances to, she just seemed to plod along!

The little songs/poems throughout the book were annoying, i had to skip past them.

Not the best but not the worst!

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Having listened to What was Rescued but Jane Bailey and finding it lacking in content and character traits not adding up - I couldn't fault the performance of Imogen Church or this story in any way (although I did turn the speed of the narration up to 1.2 after the first couple of sentences as it was waaaay too slow for me at its original speed - the extra speed gave the story a nice sense of urgency).

I loved the characters and the way Caitlyn is narrating her own story throughout. The descriptions of her surroundings are perfection. Each character had a distinct personality, and not once did a description or trait feel wrong. I'd LOVE to see this as a series on TV or as a film.

Brilliant!

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