Closing In by Sue Fortin

Harper Impulse/ Publication 15 May 2014
Digital first £2.99 (Paperback to follow)

Fight, Flight, Freeze or Fawn?

Helen has had to leave everything she’s ever known behind; her home, her family, even her own name.

Now, returning to the UK as Ellen Newman, she moves to a small coastal village, working as a nanny for Donovan, a criminal psychologist. Attractive, caring and protective, this single father and his sweet daughter are a world away from Ellen’s past. She thinks she’s escaped. She thinks she’s safe.

But something is wrong. Strange incidents begin to plague her new family, and their house of calm is about to become one of suspicion and fear. Who can be trusted? Who is the target? Who is closing in?

For fans of Emily Barr & Rosamund Lupton

Excerpt

The French Marseillaise sounded out on Donovan’s phone; the tune he had specifically assigned to Amanda, his soon to be ex-wife. As he drove into Felpham village, he flirted with the idea of ignoring it. However, previous experience told him this would be futile. She would simply keep ringing. With much reluctance, Donovan hit the accept button for the hands free kit.

‘Amanda.’
‘Donovan.’ Their usual minimalistic greeting. ‘I’m in the UK this week. In fact, I’m going to be in the UK a lot more. Sebastian and I are relocating to London.’
Donovan’s eyes snapped to the handset as if it would confirm what he had just heard. ‘London? Permanently?’ He tried to keep the surprise out of his voice. It never did to let Amanda think she had the upper hand on anything.
‘That’s right. Now, I expect to be able to see Isobel far more often. In fact, it’s something my solicitor will be writing to your solicitor about. I envisage joint custody, Isobel to spend equal time with both of us and in the long term, I’m looking to her living with me.’
Donovan brought the car to halt worthy of emergency stop status. ‘What?’ He managed to grind out. Joint custody. Izzy living with Amanda. No way.
‘It’s really quite simple, Donovan,’ replied Amanda, her tone clipped and matter of fact. ‘I’m Isobel’s mother. I’m going to be back in the UK and I want her living with me. It’s how it should be. An eight year old girl living with her father may be nice now, but as she grows up she will need her mother for all sorts of reasons. You’re an intelligent man, Donovan, use your brains.’
‘Wait a minute. When did you decide all this? What’s wrong with France and lover boy’s chateau all of a sudden? You can’t just announce you’re coming back and Izzy is going to live with you. As I have sole custody I don’t think it’s a case of simply handing her over. She’s with me for a very good reason.’ Donovan manoeuvred his car over to the side of the road.
‘All that’s in the past now,’ snapped Amanda. ‘I’m not going to get into an argument with you, Donovan. I’ll be in touch about seeing Isobel soon.’
The line went dead.
Donovan cursed out loud. Amanda back on the scene. Great. Exactly what he could do without. He pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes for a moment. Then taking his usual pragmatic approach, Donovan decided there was little he could do about it tonight. He needed to get home. It had been a long day and he was shattered. However, Amanda’s words refused to relent from their continuous loop replaying in his mind.

About the Author

Lover of cake, Dragonflies and France. Hater of calories, maths and snakes. Sue was born in Hertfordshire but had a nomadic childhood, moving often with her family, before eventually settling in West Sussex.

Sue is married with four children, all of whom patiently give her time to write but, when not behind the keyboard, she likes to spend her time with them, enjoying both the coast and the South Downs, between which they are nestled.

To find out more about Sue visit her blogs www.suefortin.wordpress.com  and www.theromaniacs.co.uk Twitter : suefortin1. Facebook : Sue Fortin Writer's Page

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