The Beach Party by Amy Sheppard
Genre: Psychological thriller, Did Not Finish
Read: 27th August 2022
Audio links:
Published: 30th August 2022
DESCRIPTION:
We were all at the party. Which of us wanted her dead?
As the smoke from the bonfire spirals into the night sky and the cool drinks slip down our throats, none of us can take our eyes off Lacey. She dances in the dunes, her long golden hair damp from her late-night swim, her smile dazzling, her blue eyes closed.
Everyone who is close to Lacey sits by the smoky fire. Her adoring boyfriend, who holds onto her, perhaps a little too tightly. Her little sister, always in Lacey’s shadow, sifting fine soft sand through her fingers, never taking her eyes off Lacey. And me. Sad and full of rage, after an argument forced the man I love to leave the party early.
When the fire burns out, we stumble away from the beach, along the cliff path – faces burned by the wind, hearts full of secrets. But Lacey never makes it home. The next morning, her body is found in the sand dunes, a heart-shaped locket missing from around her neck.
Who would have thought our beach party could end the way it did? Close friends gathered on the last night of a long hot summer – which one of us could have killed the girl everybody loved?
An absolutely gripping psychological thriller with an ending you will NEVER see coming! Strap in for a twisty rollercoaster ride that will keep you turning pages all night long. Perfect for anyone who adored The Holiday, The Guest List or Gone Girl.
EXTRACT FROM CHAPTER ONE:
It was still dark when I turned onto Sophie’s road. Neon green numbers ashed the time in the center of the dashboard: 5:22a.m. I drank the last mouthful of coffee from my travel mug. It tasted strong and metallic. I’d made it in the darkness of my kitchen before I left only ten minutes ago. It seemed like longer.
I hadn’t been to Sophie’s flat for a while. Maybe weeks. There was a time when we were always at each other’s houses. That was before I got a job, before Tom. Tom is Sophie’s boyfriend. He was a friend from home; a friend from Cornwall. At least, that’s what we used to be. I’m not sure what wea are now.
I drove slowly along the tidy Victorian terrace. Sophie’s street looked like all the other London roads in this area. Large imposing properties, half brick, half white-painted stucco. All with wide steps, leading to the front door. Most of them had now been divided into small apartments and studio flats.
I stopped outside Sophie’s building. No parking spaces. I would just wait in the road. There was no traffic, not at this time. That’s why we were leaving so early. I’d told Sophie I would give her a missed call when I arrived. I was a few minutes I was a few minutes early. I craned my neck to look at my reflection in the rearview mirror. Pale and angular. Younger than my twenty-dour years, but only because my tiredness was hidden by dark shadows that cast arcs across my face. My long dark hair, scraped into a pony‐tail, looked black. It made my skin look fragile, like porcelain.
I pressed my cold fingers to my eyes and slowly drew them down my face. I was starting to feel more awake. I reached for my phone and scrolled through the call list. I paused on Sophie’s name. Was it really only four days ago that we’d spoken? Four days since we’d made plans to go to Cornwall. Back to my hometown, Pengully. It had been over two years since I’d made this journey.
Want to read more? Follow the links above to purchase "The Beach Party".
MEET THE AUTHOR:
Her debut novel is out in August 2022. A psychological thriller set in Cornwall called 'The Beach Party'.
Sign up to be the first to hear about new releases from Amy Sheppard here
No comments:
Post a Comment