Showing results by narrator "Katie Villa" in All Categories

Willow McAllister is desperate to start over. Quiet town. Blank slate. No attachments. When she meets her friendly new neighbour, Priya, it feels like a lifeline: the start of something good. And then there’s Gabe: charming, funny, easy to talk to. Maybe she’s allowed a little happiness. Maybe she can trust again. But Willow’s instincts have been wrong before. And when she discovers that Gabe and Priya share a past, the cracks start to show. Willow can’t help wondering if Priya’s arrival next door really was by chance. Because coincidences like this? They don’t feel like coincidences at all.

The white-washed Italian villa is perfect. I thought it might feel odd, living in a stranger’s house for the summer, but as my husband and children swim in the infinity pool, I start to relax. And then, in the back of a wardrobe, I find something that shatters everything.... Sparkling green eyes, square jaw, lopsided smile. A young man with his arm around a beautiful woman. The picture is old and faded, but I’d recognize him anywhere. The man is my husband.

As I sit in her dimly lit bedroom, surrounded by flickering candles, I feel the crushing weight of my daughter’s absence. It's been two years since Layla was murdered. The police have searched tirelessly for her killer, but they've found nothing – it's like whoever did it vanished into thin air. My once-perfect marriage is falling apart, we can hardly look at each other anymore. Our ten-year-old son Gale is struggling. He’s changed since she died. He’s more secretive and also…

Our new home was supposed to be a chance to leave our past behind. But was moving here the worst mistake of our lives? All our friends and family were gathered, glasses raised to toast our fresh start. It should have been a night for happiness and celebration. Zac and I had worked so hard for this: our first home together, just minutes from the sea. But the dream quickly turned into a nightmare.

When I accepted a job working as a nanny for David and Julie and their young children, I was excited to be making my own way in the world. I bonded with baby Chloe instantly and would have done anything for her. She had David's thick, dark hair and smiling eyes. I fell in love with her and was excited for my future. But when a terrible mistake led to Chloe disappearing, I was instantly blamed. With no evidence, I was let go and I returned home to rebuild my life. Twenty years later and I am still haunted by what happened.

Carefree, 30-something Mandy thought she’d be married to first love Danny forever. So when she discovers her heartthrob husband has had a fling, she realizes it’s time to make some big changes. But what will Mandy do now she’s single for the first time in her adult life? Determined to find her spark again, Mandy hops on a plane, ready for adventure and a second chance at happiness. Escaping to a sun-drenched Greek island, the glittering blue seas, golden beaches, and delicious cocktails are exactly what she needs.

She’ll do anything for you.... My name is Alex, and my world has been shattered. My husband has left me. My children won’t speak to me. My friend Carrie is the only person I have. She’s the only one I can trust to keep all my secrets. She’d never do anything to let me down. Would she? This dark, gripping psychological thriller will have you holding your breath until the very last minute.

Lizzy Beresford is at home alone when she finds a chilling letter in her kitchen. Someone has been into her home - someone who wishes Lizzy harm. In her little country cottage, with her doting boyfriend, not far from the close-knit village, Lizzy can’t imagine who might want to hurt her. But when the threatening letters keep coming, she starts to suspect everyone around her. Desperate, Lizzy reaches out to her sister, Emma. They haven’t spoken in years, not since the argument that tore them apart. But Emma says: ‘I’ve been receiving letters too....’

Sukey Reynolds is enjoying a quiet period at work, taking time to get her garden in hand, catch up on some cooking, and spend time with her son. Murder is the last thing on her mind. But when she is called to the charming Ivy House to photograph the dead body of a young woman, Sukey feels compelled to drop everything and do all she can to shed light on this baffling mystery. And whilst collecting evidence at a nearby hotel which had a break-in around the same time as the murder, she starts to wonder if the two cases might be linked.

Alice and Seth are a perfect love story: the handsome doctor and his beautiful fiancée. They’re wealthy, well liked and made for each other—the envy of all their friends. Alice can’t wait for the day of their dream wedding. But when she arrives at the altar, she doesn’t recognise the man waiting to marry her. When this stranger insists he’s Seth, her husband-to-be, the entire congregation seems to agree. Even her parents try to persuade Alice to go through with the wedding.

Marianne has a life others dream of. A beautiful townhouse on the best street in the neighbourhood. Three bright children who are her pride and joy. Sometimes her past still hurts: losing her mother early, growing up in foster care. But her husband, Simon, is always there. A successful surgeon, he’s the envy of every woman they’ve ever met. Flowers, gifts, trips to France: nothing is too good for his family. Then Simon says another woman’s name. The way he lingers on it, Caroline, gives Marianne a shudder of suspicion, but she knows it’s nothing - she can’t entertain this flash of paranoia.

Seven-year-old Beatrice has gone missing. Her mother Claire’s whole world has been turned upside down in just one moment, and she can’t stop shaking. She’s desperate to find her precious daughter, but nothing about the day she disappeared makes sense.

Tia never harmed anyone. So why does someone want to destroy her? Tia is walking home with her children, along the lakeside of their quiet, safe town, when she realizes something is wrong with her five-year-old daughter, Rosie. She seems troubled, not at all her usual happy self. But when Tia finally coaxes Rosie to open up, she wishes she hadn’t. Because her sweet daughter asks a question Tia never thought she’d hear. "Mummy, why did you kill someone?"

Emily Winters would do anything for her best friend Josie. Every week they meet for a catch-up at the Old Boathouse - an idyllic little café by the Thames where Josie’s boyfriend Jack works. As the summer draws on, life seems perfect. Emily’s writing career is taking off and she’s throwing herself into the dating scene. There’s just one problem: she compares all the men she meets to Jack. And none of them measure up.

The close-knit community on Unholy Island is protected by ethereal wards, keeping the unusual residents and their secrets safe from prying eyes. But the island is more than a sanctuary for the magically-inclined and the not-quite-human, and when the mayor goes missing, the ramifications threaten the whole world…

When Sukey Reynolds receives news of a death at the elegant Mariners Hotel, she is intrigued. Who could possibly have wanted to hurt Dr. Whistler, a shy and retiring archaeology professor? The dusty documents he was carrying couldn’t possibly be of value, could they? You would never expect this sophisticated establishment to be home to murder. What secrets are hiding inside the charming Mariners Hotel?

Josie loves her new life in the country with Sam. But she has a secret that she doesn’t want anyone to know. Unfortunately, it’s hard to keep anything to yourself in a tiny village. Lizzie is adjusting to motherhood and finding it more demanding than she ever expected. Life has become a haze of sleep deprivation and dirty nappies, and it’s taking its toll on her relationship with Max. Emily has finally got the man of her dreams. However, life with Jack isn’t as straightforward as she expected. A certain ex-girlfriend and money worries wreak havoc on their relationship.

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.

Faye Townsend has planned the perfect summer trip for her family. But returning to the small seaside town her husband grew up in does not go to plan - the rain pours, and the long days become stifling. And then the unthinkable happens.... Her husband, Jake, and her six-year-old son, Dylan, go for an early morning walk along the beautiful, windswept clifftops. They don’t come back.

Gemma Ballantine is getting ready for work one morning when her eldest child comes running down the stairs saying the words every mother dreads. The front door is open. And her six-year-old daughter has disappeared. Frantic with fear, Gemma starts a nail-biting search for her little girl. After what feels like forever, her mother-in-law, Diane, finds Katie wandering lost a few streets away. Relieved to have her youngest child back in her arms, breathing in the sweet scent of her hair, Gemma thinks the nightmare is over. But then her perfect family starts to fall apart....