A kidnapped bride and buried secrets. Mel Greenway is refusing to let the past stay dead.

In post-war Britain, Avonby estate is a crumbling relic full of forgotten history. Lady Melinda 'Mel' Greenway, a former army mechanic and the family's poor relation, seeks solace in its overgrown gardens. But then Avonby bride-to-be Lorelie Courtney is forcibly abducted on the eve of her wedding.

With local residents closing ranks and the investigation grinding to a halt, Police Investigator Derrin Bradley turns to the one person he trusts to help him uncover the truth. But Mel and Derrin's clandestine relationship is becoming harder to hide and as Mel investigates Lorelie's troubled past, she uncovers a former fiancé, years of abuse, and secrets that someone is desperate to keep hidden. But the deeper she digs, the more her own traumatic memories begin to surface, threatening her judgement, her relationship with Derrin, and her position in the Avonby household.

With time running out, and Mel and Derrin suspecting that Lorelie's disappearance is connected to their own military past and to a history Derrin has long tried to forget, Mel finds herself captured and fighting for survival.

To escape before it is too late, she must rely on her mechanical ingenuity, courage, and determination to uncover the truth.



Samantha Lee Howe began her professional writing career in 2007 and has been working as a freelance writer for small, medium and large publishers ever since. She is a multi-award winning screenwriter and a USA Today Bestselling author.

Samantha's breakaway debut psychological thriller, The Stranger In Our Bed, was released in February 2020 with Harper Collins imprint, One More Chapter. The book rapidly became a USA Today bestseller, and has now been turned into a feature film for USA, Canada, China, the UK, and various countries in Europe. It won Best Thriller at the National Film Awards.

Samantha lives in South Yorkshire with her husband, Historian, Writer and publisher, David J Howe and their cat Skye. She is the proud mother of a lovely daughter called Linzi.