The Missing Woman: Utterly gripping psychological suspense with heart-thumping twists

by Georgina Cross

  The reporters are no longer swinging by my house but they periodically camp outside Tish’s front porch waiting for her to make a comment. But she doesn’t give them the satisfaction. She also doesn’t want Mark to think she might be talking.

  With my driveway clear—no sign of reporters or Monica’s Escalade screeching to a stop, or worse, Mark leaping at me from the garage—I step quickly to the mailbox. If I spot a neighbor, I’ll backtrack. I’ll duck inside and avoid small talk.

  But the coast is clear and I reach for my mail. It’s been days since I checked and inside are a ton of bills. Among the pile, several envelopes, a couple of catalogs, and something else that sticks out in the middle. Glossy card stock looking different from everything else in the stack.

  A postcard.

  On the front, a glorious image of Lake Tahoe. My breath catches in my throat.

  It’s a photo of Lake Tahoe, captured in all its splendor. White firs lining the shore with tall sugar pines and their long, pendulous cones hanging from branches. At the center, shimmering blue water—the gorgeous lake that’s as deep in color as the blue opal charm I’m once again wearing on my wrist. The bracelets we purchased so long ago. The jewelry I’m wearing to remember Sabine.

  I turn the postcard over but there are no words. No message. Just a single letter: S.

  My heart hammers against my chest.

  Sabine.

  Is this her? Is this her way of telling me she’s all right?

  Did she really get away? Mark made it sound like he killed her but she’s traveled to Lake Tahoe. She’s safe. She sent me a postcard of the one place we loved, a picture of the lake so I would know it’s her.

  Memories of us standing together on the shoreline rush to my head. Wonderful times we shared with her parents.

  I can’t believe it—she’s returned. She’s made it. I press the postcard against my chest and inhale a huge, consuming breath.

  Sabine can take refuge there. She can remember her parents and take the time needed to heal from memories of when she was a teenager, what happened to her. She can recover from a marriage that nearly ended her life.

  I lift the postcard to my face and let my finger run across the picture. I hope she’s found the same lake house, the chalet retreat with its quaint red door and alpine roof and endless views of the water. The house she said she wanted us to return to as adults.

  My heart blooms until I feel it could burst, a warmth and a happiness spreading to my cheeks.

  This postcard means everything. I can rest again. It’s Sabine’s way of telling me she’s alive.

  But something catches my attention—the tiniest of scribbles in the bottom right corner. Two words she’s written, so small that I almost overlooked them. A message for only me to see.

  I read her message.

  Got him, she says.

  Mark is arrested. I’m still standing in the driveway when Tish calls, shrieking into the phone for me to turn on the news. I rush back inside, discarding the stack of mail and tossing it to the floor. Sabine’s postcard, however, I keep crushed against my chest.

  A gasp as I see the breaking news alert flash across the screen. The sight of Mark Miller—the man in handcuffs. Being led away by the police.

  The reporter says someone who wants to remain anonymous sent them a video—the same video they’ve already turned over to the police. It shows Mark in his home office where he’s directing members of his team to cover up the money trail. Instructions for them to hide every dollar he’s stolen. A flippant comment from Mark that no one will catch him.

  My breath is coming out shallow but steady. On the other end of the line, Tish is whooping for joy and crying while I keep my eyes locked on the screen, hot tears streaking down my face.

  This is really happening. Mark Miller is going away for good.

  She got him. We both did.

  If that last twist left you utterly breathless and desperate for more, don’t miss Georgina Cross’s The Stepdaughter! It’ll have you hooked on page one and you will never guess the SHOCKING twist!

  Get it here!

  The Stepdaughter

  It’s a normal afternoon when I walk out the patio doors of our kitchen to check on Mia, my stepdaughter, who is swimming in our backyard pool. But she’s gone. My heart stops when I see the back gate is open, her pink, fluffy towel lying folded on a chair. I was just feet away. Why didn’t I hear her scream? Who took our little girl?

  My husband can’t understand how I could have let his daughter disappear. And when the police come asking questions, I wish I could wind back time to that normal afternoon when I was cooking lasagna for my family, Mia’s favorite. I can tell the officers don’t believe me: they’ve cast me as the evil stepmother.

  I just wish I could understand the messages I’ve found from my husband on Mia’s phone: I’m so sorry, I still love you. And why his wedding ring is found at the bottom of the pool after Mia disappeared. He never told me it was missing. What else is he hiding?

  But the detective keeps asking me where I was during those ten minutes when Mia vanished. And I can’t tell her my secret. From the way she’s looking at me, I know she thinks I did something to my stepdaughter. Mia and I haven’t always been that close and sometimes she drives me nuts, just like any normal teenager, but I would never hurt her.

  I just need you to believe me.

  A twisty novel packed with unputdownable suspense about the power and damage of secrets we hide. Perfect for anyone who was totally hooked by The Mother-in-Law, Kerry Fisher and Big Little Lies.

  Get it here!

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  Books by Georgina Cross

  The Stepdaughter

  The Missing Woman

  Available in audio

  The Stepdaughter (available in the UK and in the US)

  A Letter from Georgina

  Thank you so much for reading The Missing Woman. Inspired by a neighborhood where I used to live, I’ve highly exaggerated the situation, thinking what fun it would be to create a suspenseful story between two neighbors who have nothing in common, at least at surface-level, but end up sharing a mysterious look. I wanted to explore how that solitary moment could carry so much weight between two women and explode into a gripping storyline. I hope you enjoyed the twists and turns as much as I enjoyed writing them.

  If you’d like to keep up to date with all my latest releases, please sign up at the following link. Your email address will never be shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

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  One of the best parts about writing comes from hearing the reactions from readers. Did you work out the next twist? Did you figure out what happened to Sabine? Did you enjoy the story of friendship, the power of forgiveness, of people coming together and protecting each other during times of need? If you did, I would absolutely love it if you could leave a short review. Getting feedback from readers is amazing and it also helps to persuade other readers to pick up one of my books for the first time.

  Thank you so much for reading!

  With much appreciation,

  Georgina

  www.georgina-cross-author.com

  goodreads.com/georginacross

  bookbub.com/profile/georgina-cross

  Acknowledgments

  It was a dream to publish my first book and now to be able to launch my second book into the world is very special. I am forever thankful.

  Thank you to Rachel Beck, my agent with Liza Dawson Associates, for your attention to detail and endless support. I believe it’s a testament to you that so many of your clients are now friends. We call you The Best Agent Ever!

  To my editor, Maisie Lawrence at Bookouture, your edits and critical eye are propelling my writing forward in such important ways.
I’m truly growing as an author in big thanks to your hard work and fabulous collaborations with me. Thank you.

  To all my friends and family who bought my first book, The Stepdaughter, and are now eagerly reading my second, you guys are the best and you continue to blow me away with your support. Thank you for your kind words and for taking the time to read my work. Your excitement is what encourages me to keep writing.

  Thank you to all my newfound readers near and far. It’s astonishing to write something and know that people are picking up copies of my book around the world. I went from being pleased if a next-door neighbor read a few pages to absolute delight that others are discovering my words too. Thank you for your support and for leaving such fantastic reviews!

  The author support groups I’ve found online and the friends I’ve made in writing, thank you for being an incredible source of camaraderie, knowledge, and shared experiences. We are learning from one another, and more importantly, cheering on each other. These groups include the 2020 Debuts, 2021 Debuts, Bookouture Authors Lounge, Women’s Fiction Writers Association, On Submission, Agent Rachel Beck and her crew, especially authors Rea Frey (your emails and messages mean so much) and Nicole Angeleen (your friendship is special plus your gift for making edits and early suggestions are truly game-changers for improving my work), and a shout-out to the original group from back in the day: Writing Bootcamp Buds. We’ve been together since the beginning.

  To my beloved Susie, I think you knew I always wanted to keep writing but I wasn’t sure how I was going to do it with two small boys. When you passed away and I wrote about that experience, something healed inside. My endearing letter to you. Writing that short story is also what reignited a passion for me to write again, a catharsis and a distraction, and I thank you for that gift (although I’d much rather be sitting with you and sharing a beer). I miss you and love you, Susie-Q.

  To my parents, Kelvin and Cecilia, my sister Davinia, my gorgeous nephews Leo and Elliot, my Aunties Rosie, Liz, and Beryl in England, my E-E Grace and dozens of aunts and uncles and cousins in Malaysia, and my best friends from Alabama and Louisiana, I love you! You are the original support team. The ones who know me best and the crew that keeps shouting about my books from the rooftops. Thank you all! I couldn’t do this without you.

  To my husband, David, thank you for supporting me from the first day I sat down to write and the day I called announcing the first book deal. Champagne and cake! Thank you for every kiss on my forehead every time you check on me as I type.

  And to our sons, Reece, Liam, Andrew, and Matthew, you are the reasons why your dad and I do what we do. You are our everything. We have big dreams for each of you. Thank you for continuing to tolerate my cooking, for remembering to hang up your bath towels, and especially for the day Reece said to me while I worked, “Mom, I respect the grind.” I hope all of you achieve everything you work hard to accomplish too.

  Published by Bookouture in 2021

  An imprint of Storyfire Ltd.

  Carmelite House

  50 Victoria Embankment

  London EC4Y 0DZ

  www.bookouture.com

  Copyright © Georgina Cross, 2021

  Georgina Cross has asserted her right to be identified

  as the author of this work.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publishers.

  eBook ISBN: 978-1-83888-941-8

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places and events other than those clearly in the public domain, are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.