The Family

The Family
Louise Jensen

Could one mother’s mistake cost her daughter everything? ‘This gripping psychological thriller slowly lures you in, then keeps you guessing about who’s good – and who really isn’t – all the way to the end’ Heat ‘Twisted and suspenseful, each layer of deception is peeled back for maximum dramatic impact’ Woman’s Weekly ‘A very good study of vulnerability, and how our best intentions can often lead us astray’ The Guardian ‘A fast-paced, unputdownable read’ Candis ‘Enchanted by danger’ Woman ‘A clever, addictive thriller about family, loss and lies. Packed full of secrets and twists, it will keep you guessing until the final page’ Alice Feeney ‘Raced through it in a day! Creepy and compelling’ B A Paris * * * * * ONCE YOU’RE IN, THEY’LL NEVER LET YOU LEAVE. At Oak Leaf Farm you will find a haven. Welcome to The Family. Laura is grieving after the sudden death of her husband. Struggling to cope emotionally and financially, Laura is grateful when a local community, Oak Leaf Organics, offer her and her 17-year-old daughter Tilly a home.  But as Laura and Tilly settle into life with their new ‘family’, sinister things begin to happen. When one of the community dies in suspicious circumstances Laura wants to leave but Tilly, enthralled by the charismatic leader, Alex, refuses to go.  Desperately searching for a way to save her daughter, Laura uncovers a horrifying secret but Alex and his family aren’t the only ones with something to hide. Just as Laura has been digging into their past, they’ve been digging into hers and she discovers the terrifying reason they invited her and Tilly in, and why they’ll never let them leave… * * * * * Readers love The Family: ‘If you like a tense, edge of your seat thriller then this one is for you, I highly recommend it’ ‘Utterly gripping, the characters were believable raw and real’ ‘What a fabulous read! Couldn't put it down’ ‘The thrilling ending left me shocked’ ‘Kept me hooked and guessing until the very end’

LOUISE JENSEN is a global No.1 bestselling author of psychological thrillers. Louise has sold over a million English language books and her novels have been sold for translation to twenty-five territories, as well as being featured on the USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestsellers’ lists. Louise was nominated for the Goodreads Debut Author of 2016 Award and The Guardian’s Not the Booker 2018. The Gift has been optioned for TV and film.

Louise lives with her husband, children, madcap dog and a rather naughty cat in Northamptonshire. She loves to hear from readers and writers and can be found at www.louisejensen.co.uk (http://www.louisejensen.co.uk), where she regularly blogs flash fiction and writing tips.

Also by Louise Jensen (#ulink_4ae6a12c-8031-546e-9f30-509238b94f64)

The Sister

The Gift

The Surrogate

The Date

The Family

Louise Jensen

ONE PLACE. MANY STORIES

Copyright (#ulink_7014e0f5-2d23-5507-92a9-d7d984143feb)

An imprint of HarperCollins Publishers Ltd

1 London Bridge Street

London SE1 9GF

First published in Great Britain by HQ in 2019

Copyright © Louise Jensen 2019

Louise Jensen asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.

Ebook Edition © September 2019 ISBN: 9780008330118

Note to Readers (#ulink_557638e2-d250-561d-97c9-2d27efb3ab3e)

This ebook contains the following accessibility features which, if supported by your device, can be accessed via your ereader/accessibility settings:

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Page numbers taken from the following print edition: ISBN 9780008330101

For Tim,

This one had to be for you!

With love x

For I know the plans I have for you

JEREMIAH 29:11-14

Contents

Cover (#ud28e509e-c8c6-5d3a-940f-d1b87a4947fe)

About the Author (#u83b277a5-169c-5832-bbae-273da2fd4c1e)

Also by Louise Jensen (#ulink_46c935a8-9a11-50e9-b886-52259b80dbd9)

Title Page (#u7fb95f36-ab2f-53a9-91c7-5d6e4fdf7a16)

Copyright (#ulink_34808d41-bae6-54fe-8224-fcaab24d9898)

Note to Readers (#ulink_9525214a-a3ef-5ddb-8389-6abf383a87e4)

Dedication (#uabb14fb4-7008-5789-8929-45c6ad2bc39c)

Epigraph (#ufd0324d9-52ec-518e-b53e-37b32598bb74)

Prologue (#ulink_525d7f12-5f2e-52d9-90bf-1d9a669dac1b)

Part One: The Cause

Chapter One (#ulink_c0315a78-340a-5489-8b29-474635e3fe9f)

Chapter Two (#ulink_4f7505c0-736f-596a-994b-22469d8f1b89)

Chapter Three (#ulink_e2a3b7d0-190d-5eb5-bd13-ce8eb007b7b3)