TAMMY LOCKAMY
A yearning to be free. Katherine was just nineteen when she met Basil Duckworth. He was charismatic, worldly, and impossible to resist as he spoke of freedom, adventure, and a life lived beyond the ordinary. With no hesitation, young and somewhat naive Katherine left everything behind and ran off with Basil, believing she had found the man of her dreams.For a while, it felt like the right choice.As they travelled from place to place chasing Basil’s musical career, there were nights filled with laughter, stolen kisses under starlit skies, and promises whispered like prayers. But slowly, almost imperceptibly, something began to shift.A word too sharp. A grip too tight. An apology that felt more like a warning.To add to the constant uncertainty Katherine was experiencing in her personal life, all too soon, bodies are being discovered throughout England, victims of a killer no one can seem to catch. Without warning, someone is brutally killing. The victims leave behind more questions than answers, and as time passes, Katherine becomes obsessed with trying to discover who is behind the growing number of murders.Yet, the more she digs, the more the past creeps in uninvited and unrelenting.Now, many years later, in 1985, Katherine is thirty-one, staring out a window into the thick, ominous woods. The laughter is long gone, and so are the promises.Slumping back in a worn-out leather armchair that has seen better days, she gulps back the last of the strong Irish whiskey in her glass. A fiery liquid, which she had far too much of this night. Yet to cope with her disturbing life, she believes she needs it to escape an existence that is tearing her apart daily.As tears of despair fall heavily from her eyes, questions flood her tormented mind,'How did decisions beyond my control find me in the back of a lorry to deliver me where I am now?'and...'Will the serial killer who brutally murdered Madeline’s husband ever be caught?'To the empty room, she softly whispers, 'One foolish mistake turned everything dreadfully wrong. How can I escape the utter madness that has become my life?'One impulsive choice. Years of silence. And a secret that threatens to unravel everything.***Although part of a series, this novel can be read as a stand-alone.*** Please be advised, this novel contains mature and graphic content and may be triggering to some readers. Not suitable for those under eighteen. 6
