About Jane
Jane Bailey has written several novels, her latest two being Sorry Isn’t Good Enough and Stay.
She was chair of the Poetry Cafe at Cheltenham Festivals for many years, and has also been a guest writer there on several creative writing projects (such as First Story and Beyond Words).
Jane is a judge for the Laurie Lee Prize for Writing, set up by Jessy Lee and Katie Fforde. She writes full time and lives in Gloucestershire.
"I simply slung my rucksack on my shoulder and climbed into the car - and into the life - of perfect strangers..."
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"I simply slung my rucksack on my shoulder and climbed into the car - and into the life - of perfect strangers..."
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 beautifully-written thriller that will really get under your skin.’
Mark Edwards
‘From a quietly sinister start this story escalates rapidly; so tense, so creepy! The very definition of a page turner. I loved it.’
Jackie Kabler
‘Such a unique and suspenseful piece of drama, masterfully done.’
Mel Golding
‘A creeping sense of dread from the first page, intoxicating.’
Amanda Reynolds
‘Unbearably dark and chilling. I couldn’t put it down’
Shalini Boland