Domestic Psychological

Jenny Offill’s heroine, referred to in these pages as simply “the wife”, once exchanged love letters with her husband postmarked Dept. of Speculation, their code name for all the uncertainty that inheres in life and in the strangely fluid confines of a long relationship. As they confront an array of common catastrophes - a colicky baby, a faltering marriage, stalled ambitions - the wife analyzes her predicament, invoking everything from Keats and Kafka to the thought experiments of the Stoics to the lessons of doomed Russian cosmonauts.

Grace isn’t exactly thrilled when her newly widowed mother, Jackie, asks to move in with her. They’ve never had a great relationship, and Grace likes her space—especially now that she’s stuck at home during a pandemic. Then again, she needs help with the mortgage after losing her job. And maybe it’ll be a chance for them to bond—or at least give each other a hand. But living with Mother isn’t for everyone. Good intentions turn bad soon after Jackie moves in. Old wounds fester; new ones open.

Honey, I just want you to have everything you ever wanted. That’s what Jacy’s mom always told her. And Jacy felt like she finally did. Newly married and with a baby on the way, Jacy and her new husband, Jed, embark on their first road trip together to visit his father, Dr. Ash, in Michigan’s far-flung Upper Peninsula. The moment they arrive at the cottage snug within the lush woods, Jacy feels bathed in love by the warm and hospitable Dr. Ash, if less so by his house manager, the enigmatic Mrs. Brandt. But their Edenic first days take a turn when Jacy has a health scare.

Newlyweds Lina and Cain don’t make it out to their property on gorgeous Lake Tarawera as often as they’d like, so when Cain suggests they rent the house out to vacationers, Lina reluctantly agrees. While the home has been in her family for generations, they could use the extra money. And at first, Lina is amazed at how quickly guests line up, and at how much they’re willing to pay. But both Lina and Cain have been keeping secrets, secrets that won’t be put off by fresh paint or a new alarm system. And someone has been watching them.

Rosie and Laura are as different as two sisters can be. One is stable and has the perfect family. The other struggles to break free from her troubled past. When Laura disappears after going on a blind date, Rosie takes matters into her own hands. But as Rosie begins to search for her sister, her greatest fears come to the surface. Could Laura be more of a danger than the stranger she meets, or is the night before her last night alive?

About to become parents, my husband and I decided to move to my small hometown to be closer to my family. Everything was perfect until I met our new neighbor—the reason I moved away to begin with. Kelly Van Patten. She's the epitome of beauty. With her radiant blond hair, captivating blue eyes, and a smile so warm and caring, it's no wonder everyone adores her… except me. Even my husband is falling for her charm and manipulation, or worse, falling for her. When Kelly slips and accidentally shows her true colors, I realize something even worse. Does she know what I've been hiding?

It’s as if my heart is bursting out of my chest. Nine-year-old Jubilee, our new adopted daughter, is beaming. She’s the little girl I always wanted and we’re finally taking her home. Three months later. ‘This can’t be happening,’ I say. ‘She can’t be gone. She’s just a little girl, our little girl. She was here in her bed last night. I remember. I . . .’ I feel the panic rising, my worst fear surfacing. What if I brought her home—only to be taken?

It was meant to be a fun reunion, a chance for six friends to reconnect and relive the adventures that brought them together in the first place. But from the moment they arrive on their island home for the weekend, Lyndsey, Sonia, Bobbie, Amanda, Juliet and Val realise that their paradise is filled with peril and there are consequences when you try to outrun the ghosts of your past. As everything starts to fall apart and the friends begin to turn against one another, deep, dark secrets are revealed and an unimaginable horror is unleashed.

The morning of the anniversary of Jess’s disappearance starts like every other for her sister Kate—a rushed school run, a cold cup of coffee, and a quick scan of the news for updates. But when her phone beeps with a message from an unknown number, everything changes. I know what happened to Jess. Finally, Kate’s a step closer to getting answers to the questions that have tormented her for so long. Why was her mother so angry that day? How did her father sleep through his own daughter’s abduction?

Lizzie Riley is sure that the local academy school, with its excellent reputation, is perfect for her eight-year-old son Tom. But there's something strange happening at school. Parents are forbidden from entering the grounds and there are bars across the classroom windows. Why is Tom coming home exhausted, unable to remember his day? What are the strange marks on his arm? And why do the children seem afraid to talk?

Jane Connor is resigned to being the “plain Jane” of her family—pragmatic and dependable—so unlike her beautiful and impetuous younger sister Esme. When Esme calls Jane during a flash summer storm, announcing she’s left her high society husband, Jane is shocked to learn that her sister wishes to stay with her. Could this be an opportunity for them to become close again? The only catch: Esme needs a ride from the city to their small Connecticut hometown, and Jane is terrified of getting on the highway…because of what she did when they were teens.

I wish I could say that the tragedy of little Jack disappearing brought me and Nate closer together. But my husband is more distant from me now than he’s ever been. Perhaps that’s why I don’t ask him exactly where he’s going when he sets off on another business trip. Or perhaps I was too distracted by the woman moving in across the street with bouncing blonde hair and a cherubic toddler boy. He reminds me so much of the child I lost. But his mother doesn’t seem to properly watch him. And I can’t be sure, but I think Nate and this woman share a look of recognition before he leaves.

We arrived at a villa on the Amalfi Coast, ready to enjoy a sun-soaked weekend with our oldest friends—and one new face. By the end of the weekend, my husband is found dead. But how can I mourn him, when on the day of his funeral I discover he was having an affair? The only suspects are the women we went on holiday with. My oldest, closest friends. Do I really want to dig into my husband's secret? Do I really want to know who betrayed me? And as I start to unravel their secrets...do I really believe his death was an accident?

As a family liaison offer, DC Maggie Neville has seen parents crumble under the weight of their child’s death. Imogen Tyler is no different. Her son’s fall was witnessed by the school caretaker, and another pupil is under suspicion/being questioned, but Imogen is paralysed by questions. Why was he at the school so early? Why was he with a girl who wasn’t a friend?

Molly Chatwell has a beautiful house, a handsome husband, two children, and a job she likes. It all seems so perfect, but when her two children leave for university, she realizes her life has become dull and empty. When her husband refuses to go away on a trip with her, Molly decides to go alone. But what should have been a relaxing break turns into a nightmare. Back at home in London, Molly tries to put it all behind her, but when the police arrive at her door and tell her a body has been found with connections to her, she realizes her perfect life is under threat.

Blake's dead. They say his wife killed him. If so...which one? Polygamist Blake Nelson built a homestead on a hidden stretch of land - a raw paradise in the wilds of Utah - where he lived with his three wives: Rachel, the first wife, obedient and doting to a fault, with a past she'd prefer to keep quiet. Tina, the rebel wife, everything Rachel isn't, straight from rehab and the Vegas strip. And Emily, the young wife, naïve and scared, estranged from her Catholic family. The only thing that they had in common was Blake. Until all three are accused of his murder.

Amelia was deeply in love with her husband, Sam. Until she discovered he was having an affair with her younger sister, Cara. Ever since, Amelia has had to sit by at family events while her sister and ex-husband flaunt their passionate relationship. Tired of being seen as a loser, Amelia hires stunningly handsome actor, Damon Chase, to stand in as her boyfriend. A plan that works better than she ever hoped as pathologically competitive Cara throws herself at Damon, causing an acrimonious breakup with Sam.

If there’s a healthy way to grieve, Erin Gaines hasn’t found it. After her husband’s sudden death, the runaway success of the tech company they built with their best friends has become overwhelming. Her nerves are frayed, she’s disengaged, and her frustrated daughter, Shorie, is pulling away from her. Maybe Erin’s friends and family are right. Maybe a few weeks at a spa resort in the Caribbean islands is just what she needs to hit the reset button…

Even the littlest lies can have the biggest consequences... On the night of her mother's wake, only one thing brings Ruby comfort; the knowledge that her mother's killer is safely behind bars. But guilt is eating away at fragile younger sister Sophie, who brought their mother's killer into their lives. This is why Ruby is glad that Sophie is with her supportive boyfriend Ewan, despite Ruby's doubts about him. He's been Sophie's rock, not only taking care of her, but her little kids, too.

After losing everything in a devastating house fire, the cracks in Justin and Megan's marriage are starting to show. A move to the country should be the fresh start they desperately need, but the old lodge on the Treloar estate, with its crooked chimneys and dark foreboding walls, is more sinister than Megan ever imagined. She tries to make the best of it for her husband's sake, but the house is haunted by the secrets of Justin's past.