Front Page Fridays Week-62
Front Page Fridays Week-62
Welcome to Front Page Fridays Week-62. On Fridays I showcase the first page of a new book.
My Front Page Fridays Week-62 guest is Lynda Renham with her brand-new thriller, The Silent House.
Here’s the opening:
Prologue
Caroline parked on the gravel drive and stared at the house. Its charm was instant and disarming; it stole her heart at first glance. She sighed. If only she and Rob could afford something like this. House hunting in Oxfordshire had become increasingly disheartening. Property prices here were far steeper than in Leeds.
As she admired the house, she couldn’t help but recall what her colleague had told her about its history, and she shuddered. Still, that was six months ago. Best not to think about it.
‘The owner wants a valuation,’ her boss had said, handing over the key.
The front garden was wild and overgrown, but Caroline could picture it transformed: flowerbeds bursting with colour, clipped hedges, and a cobbled path leading to a blue front door with a brass knocker and ornate bell.
She slid the key into the lock and stepped inside. The air was cold and stale. That would have to be sorted before any viewings. A warm, inviting atmosphere was crucial, and the musty smell wouldn’t help.
‘Air freshener,’ she muttered, making a note in her planner.
Despite the chill, golden sunlight spilled in through large windows, bathing the rooms in a in a cosy glow. Caroline caught her breath. The lounge looked like a spread from House & Garden. Whoever had lived here clearly had money and taste. Everything was immaculate. With the furnishings included, the house would fetch a good price and a healthy commission for her.
She stepped further inside, and her heel snagged on the Moroccan rug. She stumbled.
‘Shit,’ she said, and groaned. Kneeling, she smoothed the fabric and tucked the loose thread underneath.
That’s when she saw it: a hatch hidden beneath the rug. Frowning, she pulled it back. A key was already in the lock. A basement? That could be a selling point. She lifted the hatch and flicked on her phone’s torch.
A narrow staircase disappeared into the darkness. A waft of stale air rose up, but as she descended, the scent shifted and became thicker, taking on a sour note. She gagged and pulled her scarf over her nose.
At the bottom, a steel door barred her way. The stench was unbearable now. Her hand hovered above the handle. She pulled. The door creaked open.
She stepped inside and froze.
Something clamped around her throat. Not hands; just a tight, invisible pressure. Her breath hitched, then a scream tore from her – raw and ragged, echoing off the walls.
She ran. Tripping, stumbling up the stairs, and crashing into walls, she barely made it outside. Caroline flung herself into the car. The engine roared as she sped away, but her heart was thundering so hard, it drowned out everything else.
About The Silent House
I’m lucky, but that’s exactly what scares me.
I have a handsome husband, a wonderful son, and soon we’ll own our dream home in the Cotswolds too. We’re in a good financial position.
I should be relaxed and happy, so why aren’t I?
What trouble do I sense coming?
Joanna Neal is a highly respected paediatric surgeon, her husband Daniel is a successful finance director – together with their wonderful son, they are the perfect family. The purchase and renovation of a romantic country house in the Cotswolds is set to seal their happiness.
But when Joanna vanishes without a trace on the evening of her 10th wedding anniversary, the beautiful facade begins to turn into a nightmare of blackmail and lies.
Daniel tries everything to get his wife back, putting himself and everyone he cares about in grave danger.
But whilst Joanna is held captive in a gilded cage, it turns out she is not the helpless victim the masterminds expected. And she is burning for revenge …
A gripping domestic thriller from the bestselling author of Remember Me, packed with twists, unreliable narrators and cold-blooded revenge – sophisticated, multi-layered and relentless right up to the very last page.
Purchase Links
German. https://bit.ly/3S6wjBc
France. https://bit.ly/4abThNl
About Lynda Renham
Lynda has always written stories. At the age of 7, she wrote a short piece about her pet rabbit, which her dad sent to a comic she liked, and they published it. Lynda continued writing at school in secret under her desk until the teacher found her notebooks and contacted Lynda’s parents. Later, as an adult, she moved on to novels. In between, she also wrote for News Agencies and had many articles published on various subjects, from Parental Alienation to Childlessness not by choice and her experiences in Cambodia, among others. She went on to write romantic comedy novels before moving on to thrillers.
Lynda has appeared on BBC radio and taken part in discussions. She studied creative writing with the Open University.
Purchase Links for some of Lynda’s other books:Secrets and Lies https://bit.ly/4mgBNmO
Watching You https://bit.ly/46E0eCi
The Girl in the Woods https://bit.ly/4ckfl7B
Remember Me https://bit.ly/3vXDOMk
I hope you enjoyed reading Front Page Fridays Week-61. Please come back next time when I’ll be featuring a different author and the first page of their book.
And please take a look at books already featured on Front Page Fridays:
1. Blood Ribbons by Lin Le Versha
2. Fatal Blow by Brian Price
3. Can I Trust You? by Rob Gittins
4. The Last Bird of Paradise by AJ Aberford
5. Never Forgive You by Hilly Barmby
6. The Mists of Pencarrack Moor by Terri Nixon
7. The Thief of Joy by Stacey Murray
8. Edge of the Land by Malcolm Hollingdrake
9. The Mind of a Murderer by Michael Wood
10. The Midnight Man by Julie Anderson
11. Dark Road Home by Sheila Bugler
12. Her Charming Man by Rachel Sargeant
13. Wedding Bells at the Lakeside Hotel by Linda Huber
14. Dark Island by Daniel Aubrey
15. The Shame by Maureen Myant
16. Dead Mile by Jo Furniss
17. The Violin and Candlestick by David Jarvis
18. New Memories by S.E. Shepherd
19. Young Blood by Victoria Gemmell
20. Private Investigations by Rob Gittins
21. The Car Horn revolution by A.J. Aberford
22. What Lies Beneath by Maureen Myant
23. A Safe Place by Stephanie Carty
24. Fatal Image by Brian Price
25. Run For Your Lies by A.A. Abbott
26. A Walk in the Park by Natalie Kleinman
27. A Storm in a Teacup by Rachael Gray
28. The Midnight Bookshop by Amanda James
29. A Death in the Afternoon by Julie Anderson
30. Justice by Madalyn Morgan
31. Let Me Out by Amanda Brittany
32. A Pocketful of Poisons by Brian Price
33. Tribute by Madalyn Morgan
34. Mistress of the Manor by Cara Clayton
35. Waves of Change in Pelican Crossing by Maggie Chistensen
36. A French Inheritance by Jennifer Bohnet
37. Beneath the Same Moon by AS Andrejevic
38. The Fallen by Maureen Myant
39. The Bad Women by Jennie Ensor
40. Lies Between Friends by AA Abbott
41. Fatal Shot by Brian Brice
42. The Alibi by Katharine Johnson
43. The Croatian Island Library by Eva Glyn
44. If I Were You by Helen Matthews
45. (Not Quite) Done With Dating by Bella Osborne
46. Poison at the Wild Haggis Bookshop by Jackie Baldwin
47. Beattie Cavendish and the Highland Hideaway by Mary-Jane Riley
48. Missing… Rose Malone by Linda Huber
49. Fiasco by Nicola Kelsall
50. 27 Church Street by A.J. Hobart
51. The Girls of Maple Close by Amanda Brittany
52. Growing Old Disgracefully by Karen King
53. Meet Me At Apple Blossom Lane by Anita Faulkner
54. Festival Days by Julie Anderson
55. The Conservatory by Anthony Aberford
56. Her Rising Star by Rachel Sargeant
57. Wonderful by Louise Beech
58. Safe Space by Beck Lewis
59. The Boy in the Photograph by Hilly Barmby
60. One Little Lie by Charlotte Leonard
61. Come Fly With Me by Natalie Kleinman