Stella Wiseman was a child TV star, but there’s nothing glamorous about her life now. Alone in her thirties, she’s lost her parents and her friends and she’s stuck in a dead-end job. But just as she hits rock bottom she meets Marco, a charismatic older man who offers to get her back on her feet. He seems too good to be true. Is he? She appreciates the money he lavishes on her. And the pills. But are the pills just helping her sleep, or helping her avoid her problems?

She bursts into my life like a storm, and nothing is the same again. One by one, I watch as my friends fall under her spell. Only I see that her smiles don’t reach her cold, furious eyes. And when I’m accused of things I didn’t do, when my home is vandalized, I know she’s behind it. But she only lets her mask slip when no one is looking, so if I say anything, I’ll look crazy. So when the baby shower comes around, I’m sitting on a velvet sofa in a posh hotel room, surrounded by balloons. But that afternoon, I finally learn the unbelievable truth. There is no baby....

Stuart Neville is a writer known for shining an unflinching light on his home country and its people. Ireland - North and South - in Neville's hands, is a land haunted by ghosts, both real and imagined. This collection is divided into two parts: 'New Monsters' and 'Old Friends'. And many of the characters from Stuart's novels, like Gerry Fegan from The Twelve, can be found haunting this audiobook. 

Cassie stares at the woman on her doorstep in disbelief. Just months after losing her only son, Josh, here stands a stranger claiming to be Josh’s girlfriend. But it’s not only the woman Cassie is shocked by, it’s the baby nestled in Kim’s arms. Cassie’s grandchild. I know what you did. As Cassie tries to do what’s best for baby Samuel, she starts to receive threatening messages from someone from her past - someone Cassie has been hiding from for a long time.

Last night my sister was murdered. The police think I killed her. I was there. I watched the knife go in. I saw the man who did it. And heard him laugh when he said he'd never be caught. Because he knows I have prosopagnosia - I can't recognise faces. And if I don't find the man who killed my sister, I'll be found guilty of murder.

You're not who you say you are. Neither is she. She thinks she knows me. She believes my marriage is falling apart at the seams, that my husband can barely look me in the eyes. She thinks I’m desperate for a baby, that my longing for a family keeps me up at night. As much as I hate to admit it, all of this is true. She thinks I listen to her advice, that I care about her opinion. That couldn’t be further from the truth. Because she has no idea who I am. She has no clue that I know everything. I know her secret. I know that she did the unforgivable. I know how many lives she ruined.

What if you knew the truth but couldn’t remember? Over a decade ago, Heidi was the victim of a brutal attack that left her hospitalised, her younger sister missing and her best friend dead. But Heidi doesn’t remember any of that. She’s lived her life since then with little memory of her friends and family and no recollection of the crime. Now, it’s all starting to come back. As Heidi begins retracing the events that lead to the assault, she is forced to confront the pain and guilt she’s long kept buried. But Heidi isn’t the only one digging up the past. 

When Athene walks into Mary’s cafe and asks for directions to a holiday cottage she has rented, Mary tells her it burned down 20 years earlier. Since Athene has nowhere to stay, Mary suggests that she checks into a local pub for the night. What Athene doesn’t know is that the burnt-out house was where Mary’s friend, Bella, lived - the only person she ever loved, who died in terrible circumstances. Brought on by Athene’s arrival, Mary feels her past leaking into the present. There’s a secret to Bella’s death, something she’s kept buried for years. 

Sandbeach, South Wales. Two women have come forward to make historical sexual allegations against a pillar of the local community, Matthew Cooper. And child-safeguarding protocol demands that Social Services remove the accused from his home and his family while a formal assessment is carried out. The Cooper case lands on the desk of inexperienced Social Worker Kit Goddard. Although intrepid and intuitive, she is ill-prepared for such a high-profile case. 

Kate and Lauren. Sisters who are always there for each other. But as they gather for their weekly Sunday lunch, a knock on the door changes everything. The new arrival, Jess, claims to be their half-sister, but that would mean the unthinkable. That she’s the secret daughter of their beloved, recently deceased father, Harry. Their mother, Rose, is devastated and Kate and Lauren refuse to believe Jess’ lies. But as the fall-out starts, it’s clear that each is hiding secrets and that perhaps this family isn’t as perfect as they appear.

Zoe didn't meet her daughter the way most mothers do. She finds five-year-old Maddie alone and dirty on a countryside road. Frightened for Maddie's safety, she picks her up and takes her back to her father, not knowing what she's about to step into. Because Maddie wasn't just lost; she was there to lure her serial killer dad's new victim. After escaping from the clutches of Maddie's dangerous father, she bonds with the little girl. Only Maddie knows what it was like to be at that house. And when no family members come forward to claim Maddie, Zoe decides to adopt her. 

One little girl. Mirabelle’s mother loves her. She’s her ‘little doll’. Mother dresses her, paints her face and plaits her hair. But as Mirabelle grows, the dresses no longer fit quite as well, the face paint no longer looks quite so pretty. And Mother isn’t happy. Two little girls. On Mirabelle’s 13th birthday, Mother arrives home with a present - a new sister, five-year-old Clarabelle, who Mother has rescued from the outside world. But Mother only needs one.

I return home to our beautiful house on a chilly winter evening expecting to find my handsome husband Richard waiting for me by the fire. We’re still so in love, and he always takes care of me. He usually comes straight back from work. But tonight, our antique clock ticks on through the dark evening, with no sign of him. Then a knock at the door shatters my perfect life. A 12-year-old-girl, Alice from the village, has been found unconscious in the field behind our house. They say she was last seen getting into Richard’s car.

What do you do when you can't run and you can't hide? Lauren's daughter, Zara, witnessed a terrible crime. But speaking up comes with a price, and when Zara's identity is revealed online, it puts a target on her back. The only choice is to disappear. To keep Zara safe, Lauren will give up everything and everyone she loves, even her husband. There will be no goodbyes. Their pasts will be rewritten. New names, new home, new lives. The rules are strict for a reason. They are being hunted. One mistake - a text, an Instagram like - could bring their old lives crashing into the new.

Daniel is everything I ever dreamed of. A handsome, successful doctor who truly swept me off my feet. I can’t wait to get back from our honeymoon and begin our new lives together. Except, rather than taking us back to our flat, Daniel announces we are moving to a new house in a different city. And when we arrive, the house is fully furnished, with plates in the cupboard, pictures on the walls and new clothes in my closet. It’s like someone already lives here. It seems a bit strange. But I know Daniel is just trying to make sure our new life is perfect, right from the start.