Today (14th April 2022) we have a number of books to delight readers from authors Rachel Hancox, Georgina Skull, Laure Van Rensburg and Michael J Malone. Each author has written a bespoke piece for Female First so read on to find out more about their books and click on the link to their individual pages.
Books out today
The Shadow Child by Rachel Hancox
Eighteen-year-old Emma has loving parents and a promising future ahead of her. So why, one morning, does she leave home without a trace?Her parents, Cath and Jim, are devastated. They have no idea why Emma left, where she is - or even whether she is still alive. A year later, Cath and Jim are still tormented by the unanswered questions Emma left behind and clinging desperately to the hope of finding her.Meanwhile, tantalisingly close to home, Emma is also struggling with her new existence - and with the trauma that shattered her life.
For all of them, reconciliation seems an impossible dream. Does the way forward lie in facing up to the secrets of the past - secrets that have been hidden for years? Secrets that have the power to heal them, or to destroy their family forever ...
The Shadow Child is a book of hope and reconciliation, of coming to terms with trauma and learning to love again. Most of all, it’s about how you can never quite escape from the shadows of your past - especially when one of those shadows is a child ...
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Regrets of the Dying by Georgina Skull
Georgina Scull was 37, living in New Zealand with her husband and their young daughter, and expecting their second child. There was a problem with the pregnancy. Georgina was 5 minutes away from an almost certain death.
In the aftermath she found herself consumed with regret; with all the things she hadn’t done or had failed to do. Searching for a way to move on, her brush with mortality ignited an overwhelming desire to speak with others who faced their own end. This book is the result.
Regrets of the Dying is a unique collection of stories from people all over the world. From different backgrounds, of different ages and each with an incredible tale to tell. This is not a book about dying and the end of life. It’s about all the ways life can be lived, the choices we make and the things we wish we’d said or done.
Georgina had two caveats when finding people to interview for this book: they needed to be over the age of 70 or living with a life-limiting medical condition. The interviewees come from all corners of the globe and range in age from 28 to 94. Amongst those who have told their stories with unfiltered honesty are Alan, a hardworking company executive who put financial stability above family time; Millicent who harboured a life-changing secret which threatened to tear her family apart; and Kathy, who clung onto a bad relationship for 36 years in the hope it would improve. There are many others, all sharing their innermost secrets, their deepest fears and their biggest regrets.
Regrets of the Dying explores what it feels like to know you’re running out of time. It forces us to question what is really important, and what we might let go of. It asks each of us what we’d define as a life well-lived. The book includes the author’s top ten tips for living a less regretful life. Your bucket list may never look the same again. Georgina Scull divides her time between Cambridge and London. She is an award-nominated writer and this is her first book.
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Nobody But Us by Laure Van Rensburg
Steven Harding is a handsome, well-respected professor.
Ellie Masterson is a wide-eyed young college student.
Together, they are driving south from New York, for their first holiday: three days in an isolated cabin, far from the city.
Ahead of them, the promise of long, dark nights - and the chance to explore one another's bodies, away from prying eyes.
It should be a perfect, romantic trip for two.
Except that he’s not who he says he is.
But then again, neither is she…
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Quicksand of Memory by Michael J Malone
Someone has been watching, with chilling plans for revenge ... An emotive, twisty, disturbing new psychological thriller by the critically acclaimed author of A Suitable Lie and In the Absence of Miracles.
Jenna is trying to rebuild her life after a series of disastrous relationships.
Luke is struggling to provide a safe, loving home for his deceased partner’s young son, following a devastating tragedy.
When Jenna and Luke meet and fall in love, they are certain they can achieve the stability and happiness they both desperately need. And yet, someone is watching. Someone who has been scarred by past events. Someone who will stop at nothing to get revenge...
Dark, unsettling and immensely moving, Quicksand of Memory is a chilling reminder that we are not only punished for our sins, but by them, and that memories left to blacken and sharpen over time are the perfect breeding ground for obsession, and murder...
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