by Laura Elliot
The dawn had given way to a full-blooded day when they left Hillcrest. Such a sun, raging through the sky with its lacerating rays. Seagulls swung past them, wings sharp as sabres, as they scavenged for food.
In the interrogation room, Davina held her head high as she faced those who had dared to make such an outrageous arrest. This belief remained steadfast until Sergeant Rachel Darcy slid a mobile phone towards her. Jack Bale, devious unto death. His voice and hers clearly audible as she listened to the recording of their last conversation. How had she forgotten to take his phone with her? Always one step ahead of everyone else, she had faltered on that occasion. Those meetings in that dense undergrowth, all of it recorded, the ems, ums, ahs, huhs and ‘ if you get my meaning’ verbal tics. Every plan outlined, every fear exposed, every promise secured. Keith ─ alone ─ would be charged with the rape of Marianne Mooney and it was her word ─ alone ─ that would put him behind bars. She would be charged with what? Obstruction of justice, destroying evidence, refusing to report a murder, being up close and personal to the victim… this list was ominously long. Rachel Darcy’s inscrutable expression gave no hint of her internal feelings as she nodded and agreed that it was indeed time for Davina to call her solicitor.
Marianne
Crack! The snap of a branch brings her to the window. A deer, she thinks, an elk or a red. The sun is high in the noonday sky, shining like it’s just been minted. The ferry has come into view at last. The new arrivals wait on deck for their first glimpse of Cape Maclure. She has set the table and arranged the flowers, snapdragons mixed with sprigs of lavender, and their scent hangs lightly in the air. The ferry is late, fifteen minutes past the time it should have crossed the fiord, but they will be with her soon, breathless with apologies. She will silence them with kisses. Their time together is too precious to waste on unnecessary words.
Fern and cacti sprout between ancient tree roots, sinews that straddle the garden and thrust a canopy of green towards the sky. The house that has sheltered her has open windows. Light fills every room. To move from seclusion and emerge into the glare of anticipation had been torturous. All those expectant faces looking back at her, willing her not to falter when she said, ‘I am Marianne.’ And when the words came, they winged their way like birds on an updraft towards the audience.
Other voices had reached out to her. Julie Thornton, her eyes reddened by violence, gave her a letter that referred to her as ‘the Mooney incident.’ Davina made promises that had the substance of quicksand. Keith refused to meet her gaze but language had not been necessary to shackle him to a memory. And she had heard another voice; one she had carried inside her head for twenty-five years. It had deepened since then, a voice that could never again be shocked by sights and sounds, yet Shane had sounded anguished when he phoned her from some war-blasted village and said he hoped to see her soon.
On her return to Cape Maclure, she had been grateful to enter its protective shell and take George into her care again. Amaia had been a good companion to him while Marianne was away but she could tell by the weight he had lost that he had missed her.
She is nervous, apprehensive as she waits for their arrival. Dreams do not always come true and she has been a long time dreaming. She hears music from the veranda and George’s voice calling out to her. She has left him alone for too long. He orders her to have courage. As yet, her future has no shape. Impossible to separate it from the days she spends caring for him but she had hope now where, before, there was a broken bridge.
She watches with George from the veranda as the new arrivals leave the harbour. They enter the taxi that will bring them to her. At first, they are too far away to be distinguishable but, as the taxi draws nearer, she can make out their individual shapes. She kisses George on his cheek and leaves the veranda. The front door is already open when the taxi stops. Cases and backpacks are removed and they move towards her with one unified step.
Their voices fill the hall. They remove caps and sun hats, dark glasses are shoved into pockets and hair. Her daughter wears jeans and a tan bomber jacker, a black backpack still slung over her shoulders. She refuses to part with it. Finders keepers, she joked when she showed it to Marianne.
Mam must have taken the backpack from Atonement to her own shelter in the mountains. So many years lost. Marianne aches to think of it, but this is a time to reunite and not relive the past. Rory, as always, is dressed in black; the garb of a man whose soul is still wedded to his ministry. Daniel stands back from the clamorous welcomes. His eyes move between her and her daughter, seeking similarities. How does he feel about this woman who became Adele’s obsession, a thorn in the flesh that broke them apart? He meets her gaze and smiles, nods slightly as if acknowledging that she was worth the pain.
Shane approaches her. How familiar he looks yet how different to the youth she loved. His smooth skin has tautened and his black hair is shot through with grey. His blue eyes, once so open and trusting, have narrowed into a commanding gaze that softens when he shakes her hand. This formality is understandable. He is a guest in her husband’s house and George is a man to be respected.
They settle around him on the veranda. Amaia brings glasses and drinks to the table, adds crackers and cheese, cashews and olives. A leg of lamb seasoned with rosemary roasts slowly in the oven.
George will have sized up Shane by now. As always, he has her future in mind. He knows that his time is near. He does not fear death. His tranquillity is the source of his strength as he prepares to leave her. Adele will stay on in Cape Maclure and, together, they will ease him through his final months. Afterwards, what then?
They have made tentative plans to visit Siobhan Miley, whose Facebook page has become a hive of information, support and discussion. They will fly to London and spend time with Barbara, meet her family, her husband, Charlie, who hid with her in a bale of hay and delivered their first child in an inner-city squat. Then on to Reedstown to see Rachel and her son, Adele’s half-brother. Adele uses his photograph as the screen saver on her phone. Then they will part. Adele will join Daniel at last. Marianne could move with them to Colorado but she can no longer live under the sheltering wing of others. The future may be blurred but she is the one who must mould it into shape.
Shane is showing his camera to George, explaining its functions, and how he uses it to contextualise violence. How he contains it within a frame. He looks across the table towards Marianne, his gaze as rapt as it was during those stolen hours in Blake’s Hollow. Since then, he has seen so much and she has seen so little, yet they both know that violence will only be contained by the courage of the few who dare to call it out.
They came to her through a trail of lupins. Their colours create a speckled palette as far as the eye can see. Birds dart from branches, their iridescent plumage drawing Shane to his feet, his camera ready. The beauty of her surroundings often steals her breath away. Her daughter takes her hand and brings it to her lips. Adele has blessed her with love. She is a mother’s prayer that had finally been answered. The struggle is over and Marianne Mooney is at one with the unfolding of the day.
If you were mesmerized by In My Mother’s Name, discover the absolutely unputdownable The Wife Before Me today. A totally breathtaking page-turner about the darker side of love and what really goes on behind closed doors.
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The Wife Before Me
A twisty, gripping psychological thriller
One evening as the sun is setting, Amelia Madison’s car slides into the sea off Mason’s Pier. Her body is never found.
Two years later, Elena Langdon meets Nicholas Madison. She is grieving the loss of her mother, he is grieving for his wife. Together they can help each other.
Now Elena is living with Nicholas. But Elena doesn’t really know him. She doesn’t know what he is capable of.
And she doesn’t know what really happened to Amelia.
Until the day she discovers the torn page of a letter and the words she reads chill her to the bone.
Elena must find the person who wrote these letters if she is to save herself.
A totally breathtaking page-turner about the darker side of love and what really goes on behind closed doors. This book will have you gripped from the very first page until the dramatic final twist.
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Books by Laura Elliot
In My Mother’s Name
The Wife Before Me
Guilty
Sleep Sister
The Betrayal
The Prodigal Sister
Stolen Child
Fragile Lies
A Letter from Laura
Dear Reader,
Thank you so much for choosing to read In My Mother’s Name. If you did enjoy it, and want to keep up to date with all my latest releases, just sign up at the link below. Your email address will never be shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.
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The story had been nudging at me for a number of years before I decided to explore its contentious themes. It is a work of fiction and was not inspired by any one particular event or location. However, there are elements within the narrative that reverberate with memories of every story I’ve ever heard about women made powerless by circumstances beyond their control, whether it be carried out by one individual, or the combined force of state and Church, aided by a judgemental society.
The only silver lining in this dark cloud of intolerance is that these stories have been heard. They are out there in the open and I, like so many others, have absorbed them into my psyche. It was inevitable that sooner or later they would rise up from the well of my own imagination. I set my story in a more recent era; the infamous laundries were closing down by then, but exploitation does not need a time frame to flourish. Nor does brutality, corruption and the struggle to unearth the sins of the past.
I hope you like what I’ve done with it. In My Mother’s Name is now at the stage when it no longer belongs to me. It has slipped from my fingers into another realm and is open to the interpretations, insights and opinions of you, my reader. The wrench I feel as this transition takes place is tough but temporary. Soon I will be engaged in another book and the characters and plot of In My Mother’s Name will assume a dreamlike quality – but your responses and reviews will keep them alive in my mind.
If you enjoyed my book and would like to contact me through Facebook or my website, I’d be delighted to hear from you. Also, if you’d like to leave a review, it would be greatly appreciated.
Guilty
A gripping psychological thriller that will have you hooked
‘I was gripped from the first few pages and found myself hooked on a rollercoaster ride up to the last few pages … I read it in pretty much one sitting, I just needed to know how the book was going to end’ Donna’s Book Blog
It begins with a phone call. It ends with a missing child.
On a warm summer’s morning, thirteen-year-old school girl Constance Lawson is reported missing.
A few days later, Constance’s uncle, Karl Lawson, suddenly finds himself swept up in a media frenzy created by journalist Amanda Bowe implying that he is the prime suspect.
Six years later …
Karl’s life is in ruins. His marriage is over, his family destroyed. But the woman who took everything away from him is thriving. With a successful career, husband and a gorgeous baby boy, Amanda’s world is complete. Until the day she receives a phone call and in a heartbeat, she is plunged into every mother’s worst nightmare.
An utterly compelling psychological thriller that will keep you guessing to the very last page. Perfect for fans of The Girl on the Train, Gone Girl and Sarah A. Denzil’s Silent Child.
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Sleep Sister
A page-turning novel of psychological suspense
‘Wow. What a book … a roller coaster ride of emotions.’ Goodreads Reviewer
Two childhoods destroyed. One story they will never tell. Until now.
Beth ran away from her family when she was a teenager. She left behind a terrible evil that took her innocence. She also left behind her sister, Sara.
When Beth returns home, she is shocked to discover her terrible secret is not just hers alone…she shares it with Sara. Under the shadow of a remote headland, the sisters make an oath they promise never to break.
Eva’s birth is a mystery that remains unsolved. Years later with her marriage in ruins, and her future uncertain, she realizes that to move forward with her life, she must first understand her past.
But while Eva is drawing closer to the truth about her roots, Beth and Sara’s lives are falling apart, crushed under the weight of the secret they carry. They must confront the past and face the darkness once more. But this time, their story will be heard.
From the bestselling author of The Betrayal, Stolen Child and Fragile Lies, comes a breathtakingly tense and emotional story of the fierce bond between sisters, and a family destroyed by a disturbing secret.
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Also available as an audiobook.
The Betrayal
A gripping novel of psychological suspense
‘I was astounded at how the book ended! Not many books make me say wow at the end, but this one has me repeating it. It is an ending that you won't see coming in a million years.' Kelly's Book Corner
A perfect divorce. A new flame. And a deadly obsession.
Nadine and Jake Saunders were married as teens. Tied to one another by a night of passion that resulted in a pregnancy neither could turn away from.
Now, years later, their children have all flown the nest and the pact they made as teenagers – to give one another the freedom to pursue their own dreams – has resurfaced.
But freedom comes at a price …
While Nadine and Jake begin to untangle their lives from one another, Jake embarks on a passionate affair with a beautiful woman, Karin Moylan. What he doesn’t know is the dark history Karin shares with Nadine.
As lust spirals into dangerous obsession, Jake must break free from Karin. But he must also ask himself how well he ever really knew Nadine. What secret is she hiding? The truth, when it is revealed, could destroy them all.
If you devoured The Girl on the Train, The Husband’s Secret and Gone Girl then make sure THIS is the book you pick up next.
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The Prodigal Sister
An emotional drama of family secrets
Four sisters. Four secrets. One reunion to reconcile the past.
Cathy fled her Dublin home when she was just fifteen years old, and pregnant. Starting a new life in New Zealand with her son Conor, and partner Kevin, she believes the secret she carries will never be revealed…
Rebecca was eighteen when her parents died and she took responsibility for her younger sisters. Years later, she is haunted by fears she hoped she'd conquered.
Freed from family duties, mother of three Julie is determined to recapture the dreams of her youth, but at what price?
Married to a possessive older man, Lauren embarks on a frantic love affair that threatens to destabilise her fragile world.
Anxious to make peace with her three sisters, Cathy invites them to her wedding. But as the women journey together through New Zealand towards their reunion, they are forced to confront the past as the secret shared histories of the Lambert sisters are revealed.
Accompany the Lambert sisters on their unforgettable journey – fans of Jojo Moyes and Liane Moriarty will be spellbound.