Laura Wolfe

You think you know the people next door… What if they know you better? I always dreamed of moving back home to Ridgeview Pines, with its white fences and sloping lawns. I wish it had happened under different circumstances, but now I’m here I feel safe and ready for a fresh start with my little family. The first thing I do every morning is pick up my phone and check The Neighbor List—our local message board. Maybe the people next door know a little too much about where their neighbors are and what they’re doing, but it’s safer that way, isn’t it? And my husband—he wouldn’t dare sneak behind my back with so many eyes watching. Just when I’m beginning to relax, a woman I’ve known since I was small is found dead on the white tiles of her bathroom floor. I watch messages of condolence flood my screen. No one else suspects a thing. But I know that among all these friendly people, watching out for one another, someone knows more than they’re sharing. And I wonder—how far back do they remember, and who’s next? An utterly gripping psychological thriller that will keep you up all night. Perfect for fans of The Couple Next Door, The Woman in the Window and Behind Closed Doors.

Bailey stood on the stage, her crown glittering under the high school lights as she blew kisses to those glaring beneath her. Despite the celebrations, something didn’t feel right. She wasn’t supposed to be prom queen, and someone would make her pay for it… Twenty years ago, my best friend, Bailey , was found dead by the train tracks, half of our friendship locket missing from her pale neck. She never took that off. Officially, it was ruled a tragic accident – but I knew better. She’d been crowned prom queen only hours earlier, and someone’s jealousy had finally gotten to them. Now I have been forced to return to my childhood home, to the small lakeside town, and the group of friends I grew up with. Back to the scene of the crime that ruined my life, and stole my best friend away from me forever. I need a fresh slate, but I am seeing Bailey everywhere. A quick flash of her locket on a woman in a café surely can’t be a coincidence? As I walk along the street, I avoid the suspicious stares of my former classmates. Everyone here thinks I had something to do with Bailey’s death. Sure, we did things we shouldn’t have as teenagers, but who didn’t? But when I start to hear noises in my house and receive threatening notes, I realize someone here never wanted me to come back, and they’ll do whatever it takes to keep me away… Someone in this small town murdered my best friend the night she was crowned prom queen, and now they’re after me. We all have our secrets, but who would kill for them?

I’d grown desperate for company since the discovery of the dead woman in town… Gloria lives alone in an old farmhouse surrounded by empty land, miles from the nearest town in northern Michigan. Widowed and grieving her husband, mourning her broken relationship with her estranged son, lonely Gloria searches for answers in self-help books and has only faded photographs and stacks of unpaid bills for company. Her days all look the same. Then the dead body of an unidentified young woman is found on the beach near Gloria’s house. When freelance travel writer Beth arrives with her trailer to live on Gloria’s land, Gloria is relieved not to be alone. The police have no suspects in the murder and fearless Beth makes Gloria feel safe. Then Gloria discovers Beth is a widow too: the women become closer and begin to share their secrets. But soon Gloria starts to wonder… what does she actually know about Beth? About what brought her to this isolated spot? About how her husband really died? Is it a coincidence that she’s arrived just as this small town has seen its first murder in decades? Gloria thought that Beth had told her all her secrets. She was wrong. A deeply compelling suspense novel that will have you hooked, Two Widows is a gripping thriller that will keep you up all night. Perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell, The Couple Next Door and The Woman in the Window.

When Mara’s dream job turns into her worst nightmare, she realizes it’s not only her livelihood at stake. It’s also her life. Real estate newbie, Mara Butler, can’t believe her luck when she lands a position with one of Chicago’s top realtors, Jacqueline Hendersen. But Jacqueline’s polished exterior conceals her crooked moral compass and relentless quest to win the prestigious Top Producer Award. Under Jacqueline’s tutelage, Mara earns enough money to pay for her new condo and her sister’s mounting medical bills. Meanwhile, she entangles herself in her mentor’s unorthodox methods of creating business. When a competing realtor ends up dead, Mara fears she might be Jacqueline’s next victim. Backed into a corner by her involvement in Jacqueline’s scandals, Mara faces a high-stakes dilemma. Will she risk everything she has attained, or play along in Jacqueline’s murderous game? Because there can only be one Top Producer.

News spreads fast. Gossip spreads faster. Deadly secrets spread fastest of all. Jane Bryson obeys the rules. A long-standing science teacher at Ravenswood High School, she lives a simple life with her husband Craig and Moose the black Labrador. When free-spirited new English teacher Elena Mayfield joins Ravenswood, Jane’s excited to have a friend who is ready to challenge authority, and Elena’s soon shaking things up. When Elena starts a controversial club, Jane is ready to support her. When Elena begins an illicit romance with a colleague, Jane is there to help her shield her secret. When people begin asking questions about Elena, Jane backs her all the way. But the morning after the annual fundraiser, Elena’s body is found crumpled on the soccer field. It soon becomes clear that not everyone found Elena charming and funny. A thousand people were at the fundraiser: there’s a town full of suspects and a long list of motives. Who was angry with Elena? What had her curiosity and rule-breaking uncovered? Who wanted to shut her up? Who has told lies they would kill to hide? A totally gripping psychological suspense novel that you won’t be able to put down, She Lies Alone is a compelling thriller that will keep you turning the pages. Perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell, Ruth Ware and The Woman in the Window.

You can always trust your closest friends. Can’t you? This trip was a chance to reconnect away from our busy lives. The five of us used to be so close—going right back to our college days, when we shared a rickety house and all our favorite clothes, as well as every high and low of our lives—but that was then. Now, the thought of three days in a small cabin far from anywhere, surrounded only by water and trees, with my four oldest friends makes my stomach sink and my hands sweat. Because if they knew what I’d done—the betrayals I’ve committed—they’d never forgive me. And neither would you. The straight-A student, the sports star with a bright future ahead of her, the sheltered girl who blossomed away from her family and the hippie child who was going to save the world. Their lives have turned out so differently to how we pictured all those years ago. I try not to think about why. But then danger strikes, and too late I discover I’m not the only one keeping secrets. And I wonder: who will go furthest to keep the truth hidden? Gripping, addictive and totally unputdownable, The Lake House will have you reading late into the night. Perfect for fans of The Girl on the Train, The Woman in the Window and Big Little Lies.

I switched on the bedroom light, casting a glow across the apartment. No one was there. But then the locks on my front door caught my eye. I thought I’d locked them both, but now one was open… When I moved into the apartment with my little daughter Lily, it was meant to be a new beginning for us. We would be right in the heart of downtown, in a building with its own doorman. For the first time in a long time we were safe, away from my ex-husband. But just as we settle into our new lives a letter arrives for someone called Annie. The neighbors tell me to ignore it. She’s just the woman who lived here before me, who moved out one day without a word. Curious, I open it anyway and am shocked by what I read. It says Annie wasn’t safe. It said she needed to get out. Now, I can’t escape the idea that someone is watching us. I feel I can’t trust my neighbors. And I can’t help but think… Something happened to Annie. Something bad. And Lily and I are not nearly as safe here as I thought we were… A totally unputdownable gripping thriller, perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell, Shari Lapena and Gillian Flynn.