'An intelligent psychological drama with a gasp-making twist' – GOOD HOUSEKEEPING MAGAZINE THRILLER OF THE MONTH
'A sinister, deliciously wicked foray into the dark recesses of our personality. Lynes is a promising addition to the prolific list of stellar writers of psychological thrillers which includes Gillian Flynn, S J Watson, Louise Doughty, Elizabeth Haynes et al. ' – NUDGE BOOK MAGAZINE
When Glasgow journalist Shona McGilvery moves with her partner Mikey and their baby to an idyllic cottage in rural Scotland, they believe that all that lies ahead of them is happiness.
But with Mikey working offshore, the frightening isolation of the Aberdeenshire countryside begins to drive her insane...
That is, until she is rescued by a new friendship with the enchanting Valentina.
She has the perfect home, the perfect man, and a charismatic new best friend – or does she?
As her fairytale life begins to unravel, the deep dark wood becomes the least of her fears...
FINALIST, THE PEOPLE'S BOOK PRIZE FOR FICTION 2017, THE BERYL BAINBRIDGE FIRST TIME AUTHOR AWARD 2017
'A slam dunk of a debut up there with the big hitters. Move over Gone Girl you’ve got company on the top shelf.' – Read & Rated Book Reviews
'Breathlessly exciting.' – Linda’s Book Bag
'Sent chills down my spine ... completely enticing.' – Damp Pebbles
'Oozes with atmospheric tones, vivid descriptions and pure, haunting emotions.' – Reviewed The Book
'One of the best books I have ever read – up there with Gone Girl, We Need to talk about Kevin and The Rapture.' – Diana Morgan-Hill, Author
'Completely captivating ... played havoc with my emotions.' – Maureen, top #100 Goodreads UK Reviewer
'This book is getting a lot of praise and quite rightly so, for a debut book it is quite simply astonishingly brilliant.' – Az UK
'If you like two dimensional characters who act only as you would like or expect them to, this might not be for you; but if you enjoy well written prose that considers themes of trust and isolation, love and friendship, magnifying and distorting human needs, vulnerabilities and dark sides, you won't be disappointed. A great debut.' – Az UK
'I had got... "the feeling"! Yes THAT feeling-the tingly excitement of discovering a book... It turned out to be one of my top holiday reads - a 5* book that kept me glued to my sunlounger.' – My Chestnut Reading Tree, Top 1000 Az Reviewer
'Spine-tingling.' – Country Wives Magazine
'S. E. Lynes has raised the bar when it comes to phenomenal story telling.' – Between Dreams I Read
'The tension is taut without breaking a beat.' – Linda O’Donnell, top #100 Goodreads Reviewer
'The excitement around this book is contagious.' – The Addiction of Books
'A beautifully elegant study of psychopathic manipulation.' – Sara Bailey, Author
'Gives you chills ... A labyrinth of twists to put you off the scent of the truth.' – Laura Prime, Reviewer
'Subtly disturbing and a truly compelling psychological thriller. My only disappointment was that the experience came to an end all too soon, as I read this book at every opportunity.' – Az UK
'Sometimes a book just "knocks your socks off", and this did just that! Valentina is a compelling, sophisticated tale so cleverly woven - it's brilliant!' – Book Blogger Amanda Nason
'An intelligent, well-written, and expertly structured novel of complex emotional entanglements, which I thoroughly enjoyed.' – Az UK
'WOW! Absolutely superb. A proper rollercoaster read. Gripping & entertaining & such an unforeseen twist that I didn't see coming.' – Az UK
'Thrillingly stylish!' – Az UK
'Cracking storytelling!' – Az UK
'A sinister, deliciously wicked foray into the dark recesses of our personality. Lynes is a promising addition to the prolific list of stellar writers of psychological thrillers which includes Gillian Flynn, S J Watson, Louise Doughty, Elizabeth Haynes et al. ' – NUDGE BOOK MAGAZINE
When Glasgow journalist Shona McGilvery moves with her partner Mikey and their baby to an idyllic cottage in rural Scotland, they believe that all that lies ahead of them is happiness.
But with Mikey working offshore, the frightening isolation of the Aberdeenshire countryside begins to drive her insane...
That is, until she is rescued by a new friendship with the enchanting Valentina.
She has the perfect home, the perfect man, and a charismatic new best friend – or does she?
As her fairytale life begins to unravel, the deep dark wood becomes the least of her fears...
FINALIST, THE PEOPLE'S BOOK PRIZE FOR FICTION 2017, THE BERYL BAINBRIDGE FIRST TIME AUTHOR AWARD 2017
What readers are saying about this remarkable debut
'A slam dunk of a debut up there with the big hitters. Move over Gone Girl you’ve got company on the top shelf.' – Read & Rated Book Reviews
'Breathlessly exciting.' – Linda’s Book Bag
'Sent chills down my spine ... completely enticing.' – Damp Pebbles
'Oozes with atmospheric tones, vivid descriptions and pure, haunting emotions.' – Reviewed The Book
'One of the best books I have ever read – up there with Gone Girl, We Need to talk about Kevin and The Rapture.' – Diana Morgan-Hill, Author
'Completely captivating ... played havoc with my emotions.' – Maureen, top #100 Goodreads UK Reviewer
'This book is getting a lot of praise and quite rightly so, for a debut book it is quite simply astonishingly brilliant.' – Az UK
'If you like two dimensional characters who act only as you would like or expect them to, this might not be for you; but if you enjoy well written prose that considers themes of trust and isolation, love and friendship, magnifying and distorting human needs, vulnerabilities and dark sides, you won't be disappointed. A great debut.' – Az UK
'I had got... "the feeling"! Yes THAT feeling-the tingly excitement of discovering a book... It turned out to be one of my top holiday reads - a 5* book that kept me glued to my sunlounger.' – My Chestnut Reading Tree, Top 1000 Az Reviewer
'Spine-tingling.' – Country Wives Magazine
'S. E. Lynes has raised the bar when it comes to phenomenal story telling.' – Between Dreams I Read
'The tension is taut without breaking a beat.' – Linda O’Donnell, top #100 Goodreads Reviewer
'The excitement around this book is contagious.' – The Addiction of Books
'A beautifully elegant study of psychopathic manipulation.' – Sara Bailey, Author
'Gives you chills ... A labyrinth of twists to put you off the scent of the truth.' – Laura Prime, Reviewer
'Subtly disturbing and a truly compelling psychological thriller. My only disappointment was that the experience came to an end all too soon, as I read this book at every opportunity.' – Az UK
'Sometimes a book just "knocks your socks off", and this did just that! Valentina is a compelling, sophisticated tale so cleverly woven - it's brilliant!' – Book Blogger Amanda Nason
'An intelligent, well-written, and expertly structured novel of complex emotional entanglements, which I thoroughly enjoyed.' – Az UK
'WOW! Absolutely superb. A proper rollercoaster read. Gripping & entertaining & such an unforeseen twist that I didn't see coming.' – Az UK
'Thrillingly stylish!' – Az UK
'Cracking storytelling!' – Az UK
