In reality, there was no accidental death of Jake and Dylan. The blood on the rocks and Dylan’s ‘fake’ baseball cap – that was simply staging on the cliff carried out by Louis. In fact, the blood on the rocks wasn’t even Jake’s. Faye and Lainy gave the police DNA on toothbrushes provided by Louis. Louis had obtained another father and son’s DNA from an area outside Europe. Otherwise, with Dylan’s DNA in the system, if he was ever to flag up on the system anywhere in the future, then all the alarm bells would start going off. This way, Dylan can start afresh with a new name and a new life and no risk of anyone connecting him back to his former life.
And of course, Jake didn’t run off to France to be with his lover. There was no lover. Louis pretended to be Jake, using his passport to take Dylan across the Channel. He paid a beautiful ‘work’ colleague to meet them at the ferry port to act as Jake’s lover. And Faye paid Louis to get rid of Jake. For good. The rest was done to throw the police off the scent. To prevent them looking elsewhere for possible suspects. To prevent them turning their suspicions on Faye and Lainy.
Louis told them that in delicate situations like this you could never be too careful. Never too thorough. He said that it’s better to do more than you need, than not enough. Follow the logic through and leave no loose ends. Louis said it had served him well so far, and it was why he was confident of never getting caught. Lainy agrees with this logic. She likes the sound of Louis. Although she’s never spoken to him personally, she’s beyond grateful for what he’s done for her and for Faye.
After Lainy initially came up with the idea to make her brother pay, Faye took quite a bit of convincing to get on board with the plan. After all, murder is not something you undertake lightly. But eventually, after another terrifying round with her husband’s fists, Faye called round to see Lainy. She was in a terrible state – shaking and hysterical – and so she finally agreed to it. Faye had been friends with this Louis chap for years, and he was more than happy to oblige. And for a drastically reduced fee. Which is a good job, because otherwise they would never have been able to afford it.
Luckily, Faye had quite a bit of money stashed away from her cash-in-hand freelance sideline. Jake’s control over her finances was the reason she set up this secret business in the first place – so she could earn her own spending money. And that money – saved carefully and secretly over the years – was the means she used to gain her freedom. So, ironically, his controlling behaviour gave Faye the means to ultimately escape him.
Lainy feels a little bad that she didn’t tell Faye the whole truth about what happened all those years ago on the clifftop. But really, it makes no difference who pushed who. And the fact still remained that Jake was abusing Faye and he deserved to pay for that. And if getting rid of Jake also happened to tie in with Lainy’s wishes, then that was simply an added bonus.
Because although most of what Lainy told Faye was the truth, she may have omitted a teeny tiny fact. Okay, maybe a couple of teeny tiny facts. The first of those facts being that back when they were teenagers, Owen did not at any time tell Lainy he liked her.
Just before she and Owen were interrupted by Jake at the top of the cliff path, Owen asked her something. Something that crushed Lainy’s hopes. That made her feel small and irrelevant. He asked her if Rose was going out with her brother. Because, actually, Owen really liked Rose, but he didn’t want to ask her out if she was already seeing Jake. Lainy had to pretend that she was fine with this revelation. She had to swallow down her grinding disappointment and look nonchalant. She had to act as though she was happy that he had chosen to confide in her. When inside she was twisting up and dying. Heartbroken.
She had been so excited after Owen had raced up the path to be with her. She had foolishly believed it was because he liked her. Because he really wanted to walk her home and be her boyfriend. But of course it wasn’t that at all. Owen was using Lainy to find out if Rose was interested in Jake, because he’d seen the two of them spend all evening together. This was the first time Lainy had experienced the cold, sinking pain of unrequited love.
And it was more than she could handle.
So, when Owen had ended up breaking free from her brother’s grip and had found himself standing on the edge of the ravine, it hadn’t taken too much thought for Lainy to give him a good hard shove. Of course, she’d regretted it the second she’d done it. It was a moment of madness, a way to take back control of her emotions. She never imagined that her action would lead to his death. But she can’t deny that in that instant, when her splayed hand pushed against his chest and she caught the utter surprise and shock on his face, she had enjoyed the power rushing through her bloodstream. The feeling of vengeance. She told herself it was her survival instinct kicking in. A way to banish the dark feelings that were threatening to drown her.
But then, afterwards, her brother had held it over her. He had saved her skin that night, telling Kayla that Lainy had acted in self-defence after Owen’s supposed attempted rape. But Lainy knew that Jake wouldn’t be able to leave it there. One day he would use it against her. And she couldn’t let that happen. But unfortunately, a suitable situation to shut him up had never presented itself. Not until Jake’s abuse of Faye had provided the perfect opportunity. And the best part was that Faye organised the whole thing. So that if the authorities ever discovered what had happened to Jake, none of it could be traced back to Lainy. It must have been fate. Serendipity or some such thing.
With a grunt, Lainy hauls the suitcase off the bed and starts lugging it down the stairs. She now realises that the one loose end in this whole sorry episode is Kayla – she’s the only person left who saw what happened on the clifftop. She’s like an unexploded bomb buried in the sand. Maybe she’ll stay that way forever. But the chances are, that after their little altercation on the beach last week, she’ll eventually go off with an almighty boom, destroying Lainy and Faye and everyone around her in the process. Lainy has to stop that from happening.
But that’s going to take a little more thinking about.
If The Marriage Betrayal had you completely gripped, you won’t be able to put down The Perfect Family by Shalini Boland. When Gemma's beautiful little girl goes missing, it’s only the beginning of the nightmare, as her perfect family starts to fall apart…
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Get it here!
The Perfect Family
‘Mummy, she’s gone…’
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Gemma Ballantine is getting ready for work one morning when her eldest child comes running down the stairs, saying the words every mother dreads.
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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.
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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.
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But then her perfect family starts to fall apart.
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And she realises it’s only just beginning…
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From the top ten bestselling author of The Secret Mother and The Child Next Door, this completely addictive psychological thriller of secrets, lies and betrayal will make you gasp out loud at the heart-stopping final twist. If you loved Gone Girl, The Girl on the Train and The Sister this book is for you.
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Get it here.
Hear more from Shalini
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Books by Shalini Boland
The Secret Mother
The Child Next Door
The Silent Sister
The Millionaire’s Wife<
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The Perfect Family
The Best Friend
The Girl from the Sea
Available in audio
The Secret Mother (UK listeners | US listeners)
The Child Next Door (UK listeners | US listeners)
The Silent Sister (UK listeners | US listeners)
The Perfect Family (UK listeners | US listeners)
A letter from Shalini
Thank you so much for reading my eighth psychological thriller. I loved writing it and I especially enjoyed my day trips out to Swanage and Durlston Head to research this stunning stretch of coastline. I can highly recommend a holiday there if you ever get the chance. I’m sure it will be nothing like Faye and Lainy’s experiences!
If you’d like to keep up to date with my latest releases, just sign up here and I’ll let you know when I have a new book coming out.
I’m always thrilled to get feedback about my books. Hearing your thoughts helps me to become a better writer, so it’s very important to me. If you have the time, I’d be really grateful if you’d be kind enough to post a short review online or tell your friends about it. It also helps new readers to discover one of my books for the first time.
When I’m not busy making up conversations with fictional characters, I adore chatting to my real-life readers, so please feel free to get in touch via my Facebook page, through Twitter, Goodreads or my website.
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Thanks so much!
Shalini x
www.goodreads.com/ShaliniBoland
www.someonewotwrites.blogspot.com
The Secret Mother
‘Absolutely addictive and brilliant with an end I didn't see coming. This is one book you have to read and it gets 5 huge stars from me!!!!’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
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'Are you my mummy?’
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Tessa Markham returns home to find a child in her kitchen. He thinks she’s his mother. But Tessa doesn’t have any children.
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Not anymore.
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She doesn’t know who the little boy is or how he got there.
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After contacting the police, Tessa is suspected of taking the mystery child. Her whole life is turned upside down. And then her husband reveals a secret of his own…
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Tessa isn’t sure what to believe or who to trust. Because someone is lying. To find out who, she must confront her painful past. But is the truth more dangerous than Tessa realises?
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An absolutely unputdownable psychological thriller with a twist that will make you wonder if you can ever trust anyone again. If you loved Gone Girl, The Girl on the Train and The Sister this book will have you hooked.
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Get it here!
The Child Next Door
‘Don’t take my baby.’
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Kirstie Rawlings is jolted awake by a child crying. Racing upstairs to check on her new-born, she is plunged into every parents’ worst nightmare. She hears an unknown voice in the baby monitor, saying: ‘Let’s take the child – and go.’
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Is someone trying to steal her little girl?
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In the bedroom, her daughter is safe asleep in her cot. Is the voice coming from a nearby house? But there aren’t any other children living on her quiet country road…
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The police don't believe her. And neither does her husband.
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Kirstie knows something isn’t right. She thought she could trust her neighbours, now she isn’t sure.As she unravels the secrets of the people living on her street, Kirstie’s perfect life begins to fall apart.
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Because someone is hiding a terrible lie. And they will do anything to stop Kirstie uncovering the truth. But is the danger closer to home than she thinks?
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From the top ten bestselling author of The Secret Mother, this completely gripping psychological thriller will make you wonder what really goes on behind closed doors. And will keep you guessing from the first page until the final shocking twist.
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Get it here!
The Best Friend
‘I can tell we’re going to be the best of friends…’
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When Louisa Sullivan takes her little boy to his first playdate at a new friend’s house she doesn’t realise life is about to change for her family. Because she’s about to meet Darcy Lane.
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Darcy is a woman who has everything – a dream house, a powerful husband and enviable wealth.
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She’s the perfect wife.
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The perfect friend.
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The perfect liar.
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From the top ten bestselling author of The Secret Mother and The Child Next Door, this utterly gripping psychological thriller will have you up all night reading. If you loved Gone Girl, The Girl on the Train and The Wife Between Us this book is for you.
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Get it here!
The Millionaire’s Wife
‘I am completely and utterly speechless… Oh wow, absolutely triple wow… literally had me on tenterhooks… I thought I was going to fall off my chair.’ Mixing Reality with Fiction
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Everyone has their secrets. But this one could destroy your marriage.
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When Anna Blackwell opens an email from an unknown sender, the shocking image attached shatters her perfect world. A woman has been killed. And Anna knows who did it. The past is catching up with her.
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Is it her turn next?
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To protect herself and her husband Will, she must tell him the terrible truth about her first love. But as the secrets of her life unravel, Anna begins to realise that she is not the only one who has been living a lie.
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Anna doesn’t know who to turn to: her best friend, her parents, her husband. But she knows that her ex-lover is dangerous and she must stop him, before it’s too late…
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From the bestselling author of The Secret Mother and The Child Next Door, this utterly unputdownable psychological thriller will have you gasping at every twist. If you loved Gone Girl, The Girl on the Train and The Sister this book is for you.
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Get it here!
The Girl from the Sea
‘I can’t remember anything. Not even my own name.’
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When Mia James is washed up on a beautiful, sun-drenched beach she has no idea who she is or what happened to her. She doesn’t even recognise her own face – until a man comes forward claiming to be her boyfriend and providing her with an identity.
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As Mia tries to adjust to the perfect life she was living before her accident, she quickly realises that something is wrong. Why is everyone around her lying to her? What don’t they want her to remember?
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From the top ten bestselling author of The Secret Mother and The Perfect Family, this completely addictive psychological thriller will have you racing through the pages until the final jaw-dropping twist. If you loved Gone Girl, The Girl on the Train and The Wife Between Us this book is for you.
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Get it here!
The Silent Sister
She used to be your best friend. Now she’s your worst enemy.
The Marriage Betrayal Page 22