Apple Tree Yard

'Once you start you can't stop reading. Terrific.' Helen Dunmore Yvonne Carmichael has worked hard to achieve the life she always wanted: a high-flying career in genetics, a beautiful home, a good relationship with her husband and their two grown-up children. Then one day she meets a stranger at the Houses of Parliament and, on impulse, begins a passionate affair with him - a decision that will put everything she values at risk. At first she believes she can keep the relationship separate from the rest of her life, but she can't control what happens next. All of her careful plans spiral into greater deceit and, eventually, a life-changing act of violence. Apple Tree Yard is a psychological thriller about one woman's adultery and an insightful examination of the values we live by and the choices we make, from an acclaimed writer at the height of her powers. 'There can't be a woman alive who hasn't once realised, in a moment of panic, that she's in the wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong man. Louise Doughty, more sure-footed with each novel, leads her unnerved reader into dark territory. A compelling and bravely-written book.' Hilary Mantel Review There can't be a woman alive who hasn't once realised, in a moment of panic, that she's in the wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong man. Louise Doughty, more sure-footed with each novel, leads her unnerved reader into dark territory. A compelling and bravely-written book. Hilary Mantel Once you start you can't stop reading. Terrific. Helen Dunmore A superb novel. Grown-up, genuinely suspenseful, wonderfully well-constructed, intelligent and provocative. I really didn't want to finish it. And I don't say that very often. Julie Myerson Read until 2am to finish it. Once you start, you just have to keep reading to find out. Emma Brockes Intelligent and captivating, Apple Tree Yard makes you realise how one bad decision can change the course of your life forever. Stylist If a prologue to a novel is to whet the reader's appetite, Louise Doughty provides irresistible temptation with the opening of Apple Tree Yard... A compelling read ... Recollection, interspersed with the growing tension as the trial plays out in the Old Bailey, provides a perfectly dovetailed structure. But within the thriller framework lies a wealth of acutely observed detail, a dissection of social attitudes and an examination of lust, trust, predatory sex, risky behaviour and responsibility ... there is considerably more to Apple Tree Yard than thrilling narrative alone. Herald About the Author Louise Doughty is the author of six novels, most recently Whatever You Love, which was shortlisted for the Costa Novel Award and longlisted for the Orange Prize for Fiction. She has won awards for radio drama and short stories, along with publishing one work of non-fiction, A Novel in a Year, based on her hugely popular newspaper column. She is a critic and cultural commentator for UK and international newspapers and broadcasts regularly for the BBC. She lives in London. "An intelligent, erotically charged thriller with deep moral implications. Yvonne Carmichael, renowned geneticist, public authority, happily married mother of two, sits in the accused box. The charge is murder. Across the courtroom, not meeting her eye, sits her alleged accomplice. He wears the beautiful pin-striped suit he wore on their first meeting in the Houses of Parliament, when he put his hand on her elbow, guided her to a deserted and ancient chapel, and began to undress her. As the barrister's voice grows low and sinuous, Yvonne realizes she's lost herself and the life she'd built so carefully to a man who never existed at all. After their first liaison, Yvonne's lover tells her very little about himself, but she comes to suspect his secrecy has an explanation connected with the British government. So thrilled and absorbed is she in her newfound sexual power that she fails to notice the real danger about to blindside her from a seemingly innocuous angle. Then, reeling from an act of violence, Yvonne discovers that her desire for justice and revenge has already been compromised. Everything hinges on one night in a dark little alley called Apple Tree Yard. Suspenseful, erotically charged, and masterfully paced, Louise Doughty's Apple Tree Yard is an intelligent psychological thriller about desire and its consequences by a writer of phenomenal gifts"-- Provided by publisher **A BIRD IN WINTER - THE NEW NOVEL FROM LOUISE DOUGHTY - AVAILABLE TO PRE-ORDER NOW** THE GRIPPING NOVEL BY LOUISE DOUGHTY, PLATFORM SEVEN, IS SOON TO BE A MAJOR ITV SERIES THE NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER, WITH OVER HALF A MILLION COPIES SOLD Shortlisted for the CWA Steel Dagger for Best Thriller and the Specsavers National Book Awards Crime & Thriller of the Year Yvonne Carmichael has a high-flying career, a beautiful home and a good marriage. But when she meets a stranger she is drawn into a passionate affair. Keeping the two halves of her life separate seems easy at first. But she can't control what happens next. Yvonne Carmichael has worked hard to achieve the life she always wanted: a high flying career in genetics, a beautiful home, a good relationship with her husband and their two grown up children. Then one day she meets a stranger at the Houses of Parliament and, on impulse, begins a passionate affair with him, a decision that will put everything she values at risk. At first she believes she can keep the relationship separate from the rest of her life, but she can't control what happens next. All of her careful plans spiral into greater deceit and, eventually, a life changing act of violence Don't Miss The Gripping New Novel From Louise Doughty: Platform Seven Is Available To Preorder In Paperback Now The Bestselling Psychological Thriller From Louise Doughty Shortlisted For The Cwa Steel Dagger For Best Thriller And The Specsavers National Book Awards Crime & Thriller Of The Year Yvonne Carmichael Has A High-flying Career, A Beautiful Home And A Good Marriage. But When She Meets A Stranger She Is Drawn Into A Passionate Affair. Keeping The Two Halves Of Her Life Separate Seems Easy At First. But She Can't Control What Happens Next.