Helen Callaghan's tips for tackling the difficult second novel

lies_snippet.jpg

Features

Helen Callaghan’s tips for tackling the difficult second novel

Night Falls, Still Missing

THE STUNNING NEW PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER FROM THE AUTHOR OF DEAR AMY AND EVERYTHING IS LIES 
 
'I read it almost in one sitting. It's totally compulsive' SABINE DURRANT 
 
'An edge-of-your-seat, suspense-filled psychological thriller' 5***** READER REVIEW 
_______ 
 
On a cold, windswept night, Fiona arrives on a tiny, isolated island in Orkney. 
 
She accepted her old friend's invitation with some trepidation - her relationship with Madison has never been plain sailing. 
 
But as she approaches Madison's cottage, she sees that the windows are dark. The place has been stripped bare. 
 
No one knows where Madison has gone. 
 
As Fiona tries to find out where Madison has vanished to, she begins to unravel a web of lies. 
 
Madison didn't live the life she claimed to, and now Fiona's own life is in danger . . . 
_______ 
 
'A gripping, atmospheric and dark thriller' Sun 
 
'A masterclass in tension, coupled with the most atmospheric settings' Woman's Weekly

I read it almost in one sitting. It's so good, such a wonderfully evocative setting and a plot that drives through as relentlessly as that Orkney rain. I love how she completely conveys the world of the archaeological dig, and her characters are so carefully drawn, so that you never quite know who to like, who to trust - very clever. It's totally compulsive

A masterclass in tension, coupled with the most atmospheric of settings

A gripping, atmospheric and dark thriller

Extremely gripping . . . a cleverly observed book about female friendship

Included in 'This Week's Hot Read'

A terrific, tricky premise and the suspense thriller readers hope for - a tense plot, imaginative twists, and smart writing

Enthralling. The writing is brilliantly shocking

Engaging and utterly thrilling. The breathtaking finale is the most exciting and terrifying thing I have read in a very long time

bestselling author of Into the Darkest Corner

"Please come. I need your help..." 
 
Fiona and Madison have been best friends since childhood. So when Madison sends her an unexpected call for help, Fiona doesn't hesitate to come to her aid. Madison, an archaeologist, works at a dig on a tiny Orkney island, where the icy North Sea wind warns of a coming storm. 
 
But when Fiona gets off the ferry, Madison isn't there to meet her. She's missing. 
 
Madison's colleagues claim to know nothing about her disappearance. But in such a tight-knit group, how can Fiona know that one of them isn't responsible? As Fiona begins her search, she soon unravels a web of lies. Madison didn't live the life she claimed to, and now Fiona's own life is in danger...

From the Sunday Times bestselling author of Dear Amy

Everything Is Lies

From the author of the thrilling Sunday Times bestseller Dear Amy 
______________ 
 
What if your parents had been lying to you since the day you were born? 
 
Sophia's parents lived quiet, ordinary lives. At least she thought so, until she came home to discover her worst nightmare. 
 
No matter what the police say, Sophia is certain her mother didn't try to kill her father - but clearing her name will draw Sophia deep into a past she never imagined. 
 
A past that hides a dark and twisted secret . . . 
 
Because if everything you've been told is lies, then how dangerous is the truth? 
______________ 
 
 
Praise for Helen's breakout thriller, Dear Amy 
 
 'Riveting' Sunday Times 
 
 'An accomplished psychological twister' Daily Mail 
 
 'A brilliant book . . . superb' Rachel Abbott 
 
 'The most exciting and terrifying thing I have read in a very long time' Elizabeth Haynes 
 
'A tense plot, imaginative twists and smart writing' Julia Heaberlin 
 
 'Thrilling' Sun 
 
'You'll be hooked' Fabulous

An enthralling and compelling page-turner with twists that kept me guessing. The ending is brilliantly shocking. I absolutely loved it

One of the first 'must-read' books of 2018, by an author who's definitely on her way to great things

I sat on the edge of my seat while reading this

You'll struggle to separate the villains from the victims right up to the last pages of this absorbing psychological thriller

The suspense thriller readers hope for - a tense plot, imaginative twists, and smart writing

Tense . . . satisfying. Are we, perhaps, in a new Golden Age of women crime writers?

I knew from the first page that this was going to be a brilliant book, and I wasn't wrong. A superb debut psychological thriller with an unusual and original premise which keeps the reader hooked until the last page

Engaging and utterly thrilling. The breath-taking finale is the most exciting and terrifying thing I have read in a very long time

Sophia's parents have lead quiet, unremarkable lives. At least that is what she's always believed. 
 
Until the day she arrives at her childhood home to find her mother hanging from a tree in the garden. Her father lying in a pool of his own blood, near to death. 
 
The police are convinced it is an attempted murder-suicide. But Sophia is sure that the woman who brought her up isn't a killer. To clear her mother's name Sophia needs to delve deep into her family's past - a past full of dark secrets she never suspected were there . . .

The Sunday Times Bestselling Psychological Thriller

Dear Amy

THE UNMISSABLE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER WITH A SHOCKING TWIST 
 
'Haunting . . . this story will stay with you' Jane Corry, author of My Husband's Wife &amp; The Dead Ex 
 
Would you risk your life to save a stranger? 
___________ 
 
A local schoolgirl has been missing for weeks when Margot Lewis, agony aunt of the 'Dear Amy' advice column, receives a letter: 
 
Dear Amy, 
 
I've been kidnapped by a strange man. 
I don't know where I am. 
 
Please help me, 
Bethan Avery 
 
This must be a hoax. Because Bethan Avery is another young girl, who went missing twenty years ago. 
 
As more letters arrive, Margot becomes consumed by finding the sender and - unlike the police - convinced that the girls' disappearances are connected. 
 
Solving this puzzle could save someone's life - but could it also cost Margot her own? 
___________ 
 
'A first-rate psychological thriller. It's simply impossible to guess what's coming next' Irish Independent 
 
'Terrific - delivers suspense, twists and smart writing' Julia Heaberlin, author of Sunday Times bestselling Black-Eyed Susans 
 
'Skilfully handled. An accomplished psychological thriller' Daily Mail

Would you risk your life to save a stranger? 
Discover what happens next in the Sunday Times bestselling psychological thriller, Dear Amy . . .

Dear Amy sets up a terrific, tricky premise and then delivers the suspense thriller readers hope for-a tense plot, imaginative twists, and smart writing

I knew from the first page that this was going to be a brilliant book, and I wasn't wrong. A superb debut psychological thriller with an unusual and original premise which keeps the reader hooked until the last page

Dear Amy is accomplished, engaging and utterly thrilling; beautifully written, with a narrator who manages to be both vulnerable and fierce at the same time. I found myself cheering her on at every gut-wrenching turn. The breathtaking finale is the most exciting and terrifying thing I have read in a very long time

This haunting tale takes you down unexpected paths in search for the truth

A local schoolgirl has been missing for weeks when Margot Lewis, agony aunt of the 'Dear Amy' advice column, receives a letter. 
 
Dear Amy, 
 
I've been kidnapped by a strange man. 
I don't know where I am. 
 
Please help me, 
Bethan Avery 
 
This must be a hoax. Because Bethan Avery is another young girl, who went missing twenty years ago. 
 
As more letters arrive, Margot becomes consumed by finding the sender and - unlike the police - convinced that the girls' disappearances are connected. 
 
Solving this puzzle could save someone's life - but could it also cost Margot her own? 
 
'A first-rate psychological thriller. It's simply impossible to guess what's coming next' Irish Independent 
 
'Terrific - delivers suspense, twists and smart writing' Julia Heaberlin, author of Black-Eyed Susans 
 
'Haunting . . . this story will stay with you' Jane Corry, author of My Husband's Wife 
 
'Skilfully handled . . . an accomplished psychological twister' Daily Mail

Margot Lewis is the agony aunt for The Cambridge Examiner. Her advice column, Dear Amy, gets all kinds of letters - but none like the one she's just received: 
 
Dear Amy, 
I don't know where I am. I've been kidnapped and am being held prisoner by a strange man. I'm afraid he'll kill me. 
Please help me soon, 
Bethan Avery 
 
Bethan Avery has been missing for nearly two decades. This is surely some cruel hoax. But, as more letters arrive, they contain information that was never made public. How is this happening? Answering this question will cost Margot everything...

Helen Callaghan

I read it in almost one sitting. Such a wonderfully evocative setting...it's totally compulsive

A gripping, atmsopheric and dark thriller

Enthralling. The writing is brilliantly shocking

Following their father's death, Cass and her sister Sid will do whatever it takes to keep their family's dive school afloat. 
 
It used to be the go-to destination in Cornwall for those keen to explore the ocean's hidden depths. But when Cass returns from a long trip, she's shocked to discover how bad things have become. 
 
The business is in decline. Sid's new boyfriend has far too much control over the accounts - and her sister. 
 
Then, Cass discovers a body in the water. And as more girls go missing, she wonders just how far someone will go to keep their secrets buried...

Helen Callaghan

Praise for The Drowning Girls

PRAISE FOR HELEN CALLAGHAN

I read it in almost one sitting. Such a wonderfully evocative setting...it's totally compulsive

A masterclass in tension, coupled with the most atmospheric of settings

PRAISE FOR HELEN CALLAGHAN

I read it in almost one sitting. Such a wonderfully evocative setting...it's totally compulsive

A masterclass in tension, coupled with the most atmospheric of settings

PRAISE FOR HELEN CALLAGHAN

I read it in almost one sitting. Such a wonderfully evocative setting...it's totally compulsive

A masterclass in tension, coupled with the most atmospheric of settings

Books by Helen Callaghan

Articles featuring Helen Callaghan

Helen Callaghan’s tips for tackling the difficult second novel

Follow penguin

Follow ladybird

Follow puffin

Sign up to the Penguin newsletter