The Family Friend

When Imogen is told she's inherited a country mansion near Bath, she thinks it must be a mistake. She last saw its owner, reclusive artist Dorothea Roe, sixteen years ago: a summer which changed her life for ever. Once Imogen and her partner Josh settle into the house, she dares to hope that this is the start of a new life.Yet Imogen can't stop wondering why a woman she barely knew would leave her everything. And when she discovers a box with her name on it in the artist's abandoned studio, she's sure Dorothea was trying to send her a message before she died. What if her death wasn't an accident? Could it be tangled in Imogen's own dark family history? And why is she feeling watched all of a sudden?

Claire Douglas worked as a journalist for fifteen years, writing features for women's magazines and national newspapers, but had dreamed of being a novelist since the age of seven. She finally got her wish after winning the Marie Claire Debut Novel Award with her first novel, The Sisters. She is a Sunday Times bestseller and a frequent Richard & Judy Book Club pick. Her books have sold over two million copies in the UK alone. She lives in Bath with her husband and two children.