He knows.
His words are too accurate and, much as I love my job now, I never wanted to be a teacher back then. Remember, Scott, I wanted to reach for the stars? I had imagined myself as a movie screenwriter, or the editor of Vogue.
‘So do you have a message for Spike, if she’s listening?’
‘I do. I just want to say that I will never forget the day you left, Spike. I have never felt such pain. I stood on the balcony of our apartment and honestly believed my life was over as I watched you walk away. Fortunately for me, a neighbour witnessed my distress and reached out to me – saved me, helped me to rid myself of my old life and start afresh. But you nearly killed me, Spike. I never got over it. I’m not over it now.’
I hear a gentle ‘Aah’ from my mother as the presenter begins to speak.
‘That’s one of the most romantic things I’ve ever heard, Scott. There won’t be a dry eye in the house. Beautifully said.’
Neither the presenter nor my mother has understood at all. They don’t know how it ended, the agony he must have endured as he sailed so close to death, and I know what he’s telling me. It’s nothing to do with the pain of losing me. He’s telling me he’s not forgotten. I’m not forgiven.
But then neither is he.
‘Thanks for calling in, Scott. Especially as it sounds as if you’re in a busy place right now. An airport, from the sound of it. Somewhere in the States?’
‘No,’ he says, the excitement clear in his voice. ‘I’ve just arrived in Manchester. I couldn’t stay away a moment longer, so I’ll be seeing you soon, Spike. We’ve got so much catching up to do.’
*****
To discover more novels by Rachel Abbott, please click here
A letter to my readers
Dear Reader
Thank you for reading The Shape of Lies. It all started with a glimmer of an idea nearly two years ago – the thought of a woman hearing the voice of someone she once loved on the radio threatening to expose her for the person she once was. I knew no more than that – until Anna Franklyn was born.
I have grown to love this woman, in spite of her obvious flaws. She made mistakes, but she made them in the name of love, and I had to ask myself many times what my nineteen-year-old self might have done. I know not every decision I took at that age was wise!
It is always so good to write about Tom Douglas too, especially as in this book we see more of his relationship with his daughter, and with Louisa. Some happy news, some not so happy, and I’m interested to explore what comes next in his life.
One of the joys of writing is the relationship that I have with you – my reader – and I am working hard to improve the ways in which we can communicate. I have set up a special Facebook group – Rachel Abbott’s Partners in Crime – so that my readers can chat not just with me, but with each other about all things thriller-related! If you have never visited the page, you should take a look. The members share some great ideas for books, and are always happy to express opinions about what next to read.
I also send regular newsletters to readers, and try to feature some of my favourite books as well as tell you about my life as a writer; letting you know when I might be at a venue near to you, or when one of my books is on special offer. If you’d like to subscribe, just go to www.rachel-abbott.com/contact and submit your details.
And, of course, I’m on Facebook and Twitter. I haven’t quite got into Instagram yet, but please let me know if that’s where you prefer to hang out and I will do my best to come up with something interesting to post.
I’m going to be out and about at festivals in 2019 – details will appear in newsletters and on the website – and if you get a chance to get along to any of them, please make sure you come and say hello.
I’d love to know what you think about The Shape of Lies, so feel free to tweet me, leave me a message on Facebook or a review on Amazon. Every author loves getting reviews, and I’m no exception.
Thanks again for taking the time to read The Shape of Lies.
Best wishes,
About the author
Rachel Abbott was born and raised in Manchester. She trained as a systems analyst before launching her own interactive media company in the early 1980s. After selling her company in 2000, she moved to the Le Marche region of Italy.
When six-foot snowdrifts prevented her from leaving the house for a couple of weeks, she started writing and found she couldn’t stop. Since then her debut thriller, Only the Innocent, has become an international bestseller, reaching number one in the Amazon charts both in the UK and US. This was followed by the number-one bestselling novels The Back Road, Sleep Tight, Stranger Child, Kill Me Again, The Sixth Window and Come a Little Closer plus a novella, Nowhere Child, which was top of the Kindle Singles chart in the UK for over two years.
In 2015 Amazon celebrated the first five years of the Kindle in the UK and announced that Rachel was its number-one bestselling independent author over this period. She was also placed fourteenth in the chart of all authors. Rachel has now sold over three million books and her novels are translated into over twenty languages.
In 2018, And So It Begins – the first title in a new series featuring Sergeant Stephanie King – was published in hardback by Wildfire Books (a Headline company). It was named by The Times as one of the best crime novels of 2018.
Rachel Abbott now lives in Alderney and writes full time.
Connect with Rachel Abbott online
If you would like to be notified of any new books by Rachel Abbott in the future, please visit http://www.rachel-abbott.com/contact/ and leave your email address.
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Website: http://www.rachel-abbott.com
ALSO BY RACHEL ABBOTT
Have you read them all?
COME A LITTLE CLOSER
They will be coming soon. They come every night.
Snow is falling softly as a young woman takes her last breath.
Fifteen miles away, two women sit silently in a dark kitchen. They don't speak, because there is nothing left to be said.
Another woman boards a plane to escape the man who is trying to steal her life. But she will have to return, sooner or later.
These strangers have one thing in common. They each made one bad choice - and now they have no choices left. Soon they won't be strangers, they'll be family...
When DCI Tom Douglas is called to the cold, lonely scene of a suspicious death, he is baffled. Who is she? Where did she come from? How did she get there? How many more must die?
Who is controlling them, and how can they be stopped?
'Clever, creepy and compelling.'
- Sharon Bolton, author of The Craftsman
'Come a Little Closer is a brilliant crime read. Rachel Abbott is already one of the Queens of Crime, but this dark tale of manipulation, danger and lies adds to her reputation for outstanding storytelling.'
- Kate Rhodes, author of Hell Bay
‘Smart and enthralling.'
– Heat Magazine
‘Captivating! Sinister! Twisty!’
- Angela Marsons, author of Silent Scream
Other novels by Rachel Abbott
The DCI Tom Douglas Series
ONLY THE INNOCENT
A man is dead. The killer is a woman. But what secrets lie beneath the surface – so dark that a man has to die?
THE BACK ROAD
A girl lies close to death in a dark, deserted lane. A driver drags her body to the side of the road. A shadowy figure hides in the trees, watching and waiting.
SLEEP TIGHT
Sleep while you can - you never know who’s watching.
STRANGER CHILD
One dark secret. One act of revenge.
They say you should never trust a stranger. Maybe they’re right.
NOWHERE CHILD
Someone is looking for Tasha. But does she want to be found?
&nbs
p; A standalone novella featuring the same characters as Stranger Child.
KILL ME AGAIN
When your life is a lie, who can you trust?
Another woman will die soon, and it might be her.
THE SIXTH WINDOW
Every instinct told her to run.
Would she ever feel safe again?
The Stephanie King Series
AND SO IT BEGINS
Where does murder begin? When the knife is raised to strike, or before, at the first thought of violence?
Acknowledgements
As always, I have many people to thank for their kindness and generosity in helping me to shape this book and to make it as accurate and exciting as possible.
Top of that list is ex DCI Mark Grey who never seems to be fazed by my increasingly bizarre questions. He is truly a star. I must also thank Mike Gibbs, who read the first version of the poker game in this book and gently pointed out that, as a poker player, I had a lot to learn. I hope that I have it right now, but as always my interpretation of the expert advice may have been modified to suit the story. All errors are entirely mine!
My nephew, Alex Hall, took me to a couple of casinos in Manchester. It was a great way to get a feel for the atmosphere and, along with Rachel, Judith and Dave, it was a good night, so thank you all. And no, I didn’t win anything!
Alan Carpenter of BYXP has excelled himself with the book cover. It wasn’t an easy process, but I am absolutely thrilled with the result – so a massive thank you to Alan for his creativity and endless patience.
A special mention must be made of Jennie Lucas, who won the right to be named in this book as part of an online launch party. Thanks for the name, Jen – it worked perfectly for my bright, bubbly character.
As always my agent, Lizzy Kremer, has been amazing. I know she can be relied on to tell me the truth (even if it’s not what I want to hear) and her advice and guidance has done so much for me over the last seven years. There are some people I just couldn’t do without, and Lizzy is top of that list. Together with the ever-helpful Maddalena Cavaciuti and Harriet Moore, I know that I have the best possible support.
Huge thanks must, in fact, go to the whole team at David Higham Associates, in particular the translation team, headed by Alice Howe, for selling my books into over twenty languages.
Other stars in the line-up are Maura Wilding, publicist extraordinaire, who does a fantastic job of getting people to talk about my books, and Tish McPhilemy – to call her a PA is to significantly undervalue what she does for me. I can’t thank these two wonderful women enough.
I am lucky to have a great team of editors: Clare Bowron, Hugh Davis and Jessica Read, plus early readers Judith Hall, Mark Grey and John Rodgers. Each and every one of you has added to the story.
And where would I be without my fabulous readers? I am overwhelmed by your fantastic support, and thank you all for not only reading my books, but for reviewing them, talking about them to your friends, and for joining me online whenever the opportunity arises. You are the best!
Last but not least, my husband John – who looks after me, reads everything several times, and puts up with yet another set of strangers becoming part of our lives. We talk about my characters endlessly, always as if they are real people – which to me, of course, they are.
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