A stunning piece of psychological suspense from the author of Araby.
Two very different women brought together by a secret from the past.
Joan has a tentative grip on the world - she's too trusting, soft-centred, cheery and straightforward, the sort of woman who still keeps teddy bears on her bed. By nature and by profession, Joan is a carer, employed to look after Nina Rawle, a crisp and sophisticated woman, stricken by a long-term illness. There is a very good reason why Joan has been taken on by Nina (nursing skills aside) and Nina's tangled past in Northern Ireland, in which a single and fatal act of political passion played a destructive role, has a great deal to do with it. How and why Nina will reveal herself to Joan, whose part in Nina's past is truly significant, makes for a tense and twisting tale.
This is a quite different novel from Araby. We have here a pure piece of storytelling, a psychological tale with more than a touch of Barbara Vine. The fantastic storytelling skills and exploration of character which made Araby such a gem are in abundance in this new novel.



![Foden, Giles BARGAIN FICTION HARDBACK New Giles Foden: Thirst [2024]](http://chaptersbookstore.com/cdn/shop/files/foden-giles-giles-foden-thirst-2024-9780297869290-1207800916_{width}x.jpg?v=1763678730)
![Severin, Tim FICTION PAPERBACK Tim Severin: Sea Robber [2009] trade paperback](http://chaptersbookstore.com/cdn/shop/files/severin-tim-tim-severin-sea-robber-2009-trade-paperback-1207800931_{width}x.jpg?v=1763678721)
![Crimp, Imogen FICTION PAPERBACK Very Good Imogen Crimp: A Very Nice Girl [2023]](http://chaptersbookstore.com/cdn/shop/files/crimp-imogen-imogen-crimp-a-very-nice-girl-2023-xv81526628916-1207776842_{width}x.jpg?v=1763657850)
![Colgan, Jenny FICTION HARDBACK Jenny Colgan: The Christmas Surprise [2014] hardback](http://chaptersbookstore.com/cdn/shop/files/colgan-jenny-jenny-colgan-the-christmas-surprise-2014-hardback-1207800943_{width}x.jpg?v=1763679432)
