The Cuckoo Sister: An absolutely gripping psychological thriller from Alison Stockham for 2023

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Beautifully written, interesting & completely gripping . . . This is definitely one that would be perfect for book clubs’ Little Miss Book Lover 87

Claire Askew (2016 winner) All the Hidden Truths (2016 winner) was published by Hodder & Stoughton. One of my Kindle First jobbies this month and I LOVED it !! Yes, the odd mistake in it but overall it was terrific. An author I'll be keeping a beady eye upon. Maggie has everything her sister Rose always wanted. A handsome husband and two adorable children, Emily and Elliot.

The main question here is, where does Rose draw the line? As time goes on and Maggie is not found, Stephen and Rose settle into what Rose perceives as her perfect life. The life she feels she deserves. But when Maggie is found, everything is thrown into chaos. Catherine Chanter (2013 winner) The Well was translated into twelve languages. Published in UK by Canongate Books. The novel is now being adapted as a film for direct MGM and Hello Sunshine. An emotional and relatable story.’ Louise Douglas, author of The Room in the Attic and The Lost Notebook A brilliant concept delivered with real emotional depth and clout. I felt for each and every character in this story of family, guilt and deepest desires’ Gytha Lodge, author of Little Sister, Lie Beside Me, Watching From The Dark& She Lies in Wait

The decisions that are made to come to some sort of agreement, well that did not sit right with me. The one character that felt real was Laura who found their whole way of dealing with things would end in tears…. Beautifully written, interesting & completely gripping . . . This is definitely one that would be perfect for book clubs' Little Miss Book Lover 87Emma Hughes No Such Thing as Perfect (shortlisted 2019) was published by Century in 2021, and her second novel It’s Complicated will be coming out in 2023.

It’s a brilliant intense read' Elspells‘Beautifully written, interesting & completely gripping . . . This is definitely one that would be perfect for book clubs’ Little Miss Book Lover 87 One day she has a horrific accident waiting to happen at home which affects the children. She provides first aid and takes them to A&E and calls her sister and husband. In her distress she walks away from the hospital feeling it was in the best interests of the children and disappears from their lives. Since its foundation in 2010, the Prize has been a starting point in numerous entrants’ success stories giving them the platform to launch successful and ongoing careers as novelists, including: It was challenging to keep your emotions at bay reading about the 2 Sisters and why Maggie and Rose both did as they did,the reasoning behind it and the fallout from both of their major life decisions,it was easy sometimes to tut and say ‘well I wouldn’t have done that’ but then as the book goes on you begin to realise things are not as clear cut as you would think and the decisions they both made were not made on a whim at all but many factors are in play…..I don't want to say more on the plot or what happens other than it is intriguing and the author writes both viewpoints sympathetically and passionately Tim Bates, Head of the Books Department & Literary Agent at Peters Fraser and Dunlop, commented, " Among a very high-quality shortlist, one entry stood out for its originality and confidence. Hannah Stapleton’s BLUE TEARS is a stylish, fresh and, at times, disconcerting debut novel. Hannah has created a fascinating view of the world, and her novel is both provocative and gripping. She is a worthy winner. " The Fiction Prize and its authorsA brilliant concept delivered with real emotional depth and clout. I felt for each and every character in this story of family, guilt and deepest desires' Gytha Lodge, author of Little Sister, Lie Beside Me, Watching From The Dark & She Lies in Wait However, the most disappointing feature is that there is no medical, social services or legal intervention. A new mother disappears without trace, her phone found in the street, and the police only manage to find a couple of cctv images and give in? No news coverage, even locally? A bit unrealistic in Britain I think. This intriguing tale is told from the point of view of both sisters, in first-person chapters. Both sisters put the welfare of the children first, but their own personal desires bubble underneath. Neither are particularly likeable. Not really a thriller, the story is more a domestic drama with a weak husband in the periphery. It is quite a slow book with the ideas and arguments being repeated often with no conclusions in a circular fashion. Not much happens either. But what Rose doesn’t see is that Maggie is struggling. Every day is a fog of sleep loss and mess made by two tiny children. Left alone in her distress by husband Stephen, Maggie drifts ever closer to the edge. Frances Maynard (2016 shortlist) award-winning novel The Seven Imperfect Rules of Elvira Carr was published by Sourcebooks.