Undertow

by Elizabeth Heathcote

Overview

An exhilarating debut novel that follows one woman's hunt for the truth when she realizes she might have married a killer

They said her death was a tragic accident. And I believed them…until now.

Carmen is happily married to Tom, although she knows she'll always live in the shadow of another woman—the mistress who ended his first marriage: Zena. Mercurial, mesmerizing, manipulative Zena—a woman who, Carmen begins to discover, had the potential to incite the darkest of emotions. Zena, who drowned in the sea late one night.

Zena seems ever-more present, even in death, and when Carmen unknowingly stumbles on evidence that her husband has not been telling her the whole truth, she can't shake her unease. As she uncovers documents and photographs, a very different tale than the one Tom has led her to believe begins to unfold, and she finds herself increasingly isolated and paranoid. As the twisted events of that night begin to come to light, Carmen must ask herself if it's really a truth worth knowing…even if it destroys her and the lives of the people she loves most.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780778330967
Publisher:	Park Row Books
Publication date:	06/13/2017
Edition description:	Original ed.
Pages:	320
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 7.90(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Elizabeth Heathcote worked as a feature writer and editor on newspapers and magazines for many years before writing her first novel, Undertow. Her jobs have included women’s editor and deputy features editor at the Independent on Sunday, as well as freelance writing for publications such as the Independent, Observer, Guardian, Psychologies and Marie Claire. She lives in London.

Editorial Reviews

★ 03/13/2017
Echoes of Daphne du Maurier’s classic Rebecca reverberate throughout British author Heathcote’s impressive debut. Londoners Carmen and Tom Cawton, who have been happily married for two years, talk about having a child while weathering the challenges of frequent weekend visits with Tom’s three children from his first marriage to Laura. Those visits usually occur at their second home, a beach bungalow in the Norfolk village of St. Jude’s that Tom once co-owned with his one-time mistress, Zena Johnson. Three years earlier, Zena disappeared after going for a swim. Days later her body washed up a mile from the bungalow. St. Jude’s is a gossipy place, and Carmen hears a rumor that some people think Tom murdered Zena. Carmen’s curiosity about Zena turns into an obsession. She snoops through Tom’s possessions and relentlessly compares herself to the charismatic Zena with her film-star looks, causing friction in her marriage. The intense psychological thriller is strengthened by an evocative isolated setting that seems ruled by Zena’s ghost. Agent: Alexandra Machinist, ICM. (June)

Publishers Weekly

"Echoes of Daphne du Maurier's classic Rebecca reverberate throughout British author Heathcote's impressive debut... [An] intense psychological thriller." -Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Buckle up for this gripping psychological thriller." -Marie Claire

"An immersing story . . . The "hidden currents" that keep us submerged in Undertow are not only those of the sea, but the fear and suspicion that swell catastrophically through the most intimate relationships." -Observer

"Absolutely gripping." -Rosamund Lupton, New York Times bestselling author of Sister

"Chilling, twisty and hugely atmospheric. . . This slow-burn tale sneaks up and grabs you by the throat, right when you least it expect it. Brilliant!" -Heat

From the Publisher

05/01/2017
Carmen has been happily married to Tom for two years. She met him soon after Zena, for whom he left his first wife, drowned near their beach home. Zena's tragic demise and Tom's affair with her, were a part of his past that Carmen had accepted. But while visiting their beach house, she overhears a rumor that leads her to believe that maybe Tom hasn't been completely honest with her about Zena's death. Carmen begins to dig into the fatal drowning and uncovers evidence that tells a very different story. But why would Tom lie? Carmen must decide if confronting Tom about his past is worth the toll it will take on her life. With gothic hints of Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca, Heathcote's first novel features a fast-paced, twisty plot. Much of the suspense is built through key players' inability to remember past events. While some of the relationships seem a bit stilted at times, the resolution will leave readers shocked and satisfied. VERDICT Recommended for fans of Gillian Flynn.—Kristen Calvert Nelson, Marion Cty. P.L. Syst., Ocala, FL

Library Journal