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Product Description

[Read by Alison Larkin]

Smart, stylish, and suspenseful, The House on the Cliff announces the arrival of a winning female protagonist in Jessica Mayhew and an exciting new crime writer in Charlotte Williams. -- Jessica Mayhew is a successful therapist with a loving family. But the arrival of a new client, actor Gwydion Morgan, coincides with a turbulent moment in her life: her husband has just confessed to a one-night stand. Gwydion, the son of a famous stage director, is good-looking and talented but mentally fragile. When Jessica receives a frantic call warning that he is suicidal, she decides to make a house call. The Morgans live in a grand clifftop mansion overlooking the Welsh coast. It seems a remote paradise, but there's something sinister about it: the family's former au pair drowned in the bay under mysterious circumstances. In her quest to help Gwydion, to whom she's grown increasingly attached, Jessica becomes ensnared in the Morgan family mystery.

From Booklist

Welsh psychotherapist Jessica Mayhew is a self-confessed 'nosy parker' who's after the truth even when she's at risk. She also acknowledges her human frailties, notably her susceptibility to the charms of a new client, young actor Gwydion Morgan (described as 'sex on a stick' by another woman), soon after Jessica's lawyer-husband, Bob, confesses to a one-night stand. Gwydion seeks Jessica's help for his button phobia and a repeated disturbing dream, which evolves into a recovered memory from his childhood about the role his charismatic, womanizing father, director Evan Morgan, had in the presumably accidental death of the family's Swedish au pair years earlier. As Jessica's involvement with the Morgan family increases, so does her dilemma about testifying in a probable trial in which Bob also has taken a part. Jessica is an appealingly fallible character struggling with both her professional and personal life (including a rebellious 16-year-old daughter) who is humanized by stepping out of bounds. Williams' first crime novel features an appropriately moody setting, a suspenseful climax, and a winning protagonist likely to attract trouble. --Michele Leber

Review

'A tightly focused psychological drama. . . . The setting provides the perfect backdrop for a tale of raw emotions and explosive rage. I look forward to more outings for Williams's cool, clever, yet flawed psychological sleuth.' (The Independent on Sunday)

'An accomplished debut. . . . A pacey, intriguing psychological thriller.' (The Guardian)

'Williams's first crime novel features an appropriately moody setting, a suspenseful climax, and a winning protagonist likely to attract trouble.' (Booklist)

'This solid domestic suspense debut, nicely seasoned with gothic elements, should please Gone Girl fans and those who crave a real page-turner. . . . Readers will admire how Williams has created such believable characters and how she weaves effectively psychological theories throughout.' (Library Journal (starred review))

About the Author

Charlotte Williams, after having studied philosophy in college, went on to work as an arts journalist, writing for newspapers and magazines, and making documentaries for the BBC. More recently, she has been working in radio drama, writing original plays and adaptations.