A dark, captivating novel of family secrets, desperate ambition and the deepest betrayal . . .

To become a Claybourne girl, she'll have to betray one first.

1938. Gillian Larking, lonely and away at boarding school, is used to going unnoticed. But then she meets Violet Claybourne, her vibrant roommate who takes Gilly under her wing. Violet is unlike anyone Gilly has ever met, and she regales Gilly with tales of her grand family estate and her two elegant sisters. Gilly is soon entranced by stories of the Claybournes, so when Violet invites Gilly to meet her family at Thornleigh Hall, she can't believe her luck.

But Gilly soon finds that behind the grand façade of Thornleigh Hall, darkness lurks.

Dazzled by the crumbling manor and Violet's enigmatic sisters, Gilly settles into the estate. But when a horrible accident strikes on the grounds, she is ensnared in a web of the sisters' making, forced to make a choice that will change the course of her life forever. Because the Claybournes girls know how to keep secrets, even at the cost of one of their own.

'A riveting must-read' Booklist starred review

'Will resonate long after the final page has been turned.' The New York Journal of Books. 

'Gothic fiction at its darkest and finest. Fans of Shirley Jackson will find this novel mesmerizing.' Erika Robuck, THE INVISIBLE WOMAN

'A story reminiscent of Atonement. It absolutely wrecked me.' Chelsea Iverson, THE WITCHES AT THE END OF THE WORLD

'A gripping gothic mystery that evokes the elegance of Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby.”—Sulari Gentill, THE WOMAN IN THE LIBRARY

'—part gothic mystery, part psychological suspense, The Undoing of Violet Claybourne will settle deep into your bones and stay there long after the last page.' Ashley Tate, TWENTY-SEVEN MINUTES

'With echoes of the novel Atonement, Critchley does an excellent job of of portraying an upper-class English family's decaying grandeur. This is a solid page-turner.' Historical novel society

A dark, captivating novel of family secrets, desperate ambition and the deepest betrayal . . .

TO BE ONE OF THEM, SHE WILL DO WHATEVER IT TAKES.

1938. Gillian Larking is used to blending in and going unnoticed, until she is befriended by her new roommate at boarding school, the vibrant and spirited Violet Claybourne. As the Christmas holidays approach, Gilly can't believe her luck when Violet invites her to spend them at her home, the crumbling Thornleigh Hall.

At Thornleigh, Gilly is dazzled by the family's faded grandeur, and above all by Violet's beguiling older sisters who seem to accept her as one of their own. But following a terrible incident in the house's grounds, Gilly begins to realise the Claybourne sisters aren't quite what she thought they were. And if she's to survive in their world, she may have to become just like them . . .

'Atmospheric and gripping' Good Housekeeping 

'One to curl up with' Heat magazine

'Brilliantly claustrophobic' The Daily Mail 

'Pulls pulls the reader into its dark depths like quicksand. I couldn't put it down' Hester Musson, author of THE BEHOLDERS

‘A moving tale of class, duplicity and the irreversible consequences of betraying a friendship. I devoured this wonderful book.’ Jo Leevers, TELL ME HOW THIS ENDS

'Dark, chilling and tightly plotted, this is the perfect read for a winter's night' Sarah Clegg, author of THE DEAD OF WINTER

'An evocative, gothic treat, cleverly crafted. Emily's writing is exceptionally transporting.' Amanda Geard, THE MIDNIGHT HOUSE

'Utterly spellbinding.' Louise Hare, THIS LOVELY CITY 

'With shades of Sarah Waters and The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox, this is a riveting story about sisters, secrets and the lengths people will go to fit in with others. I raced through it because I struggled to put it down!' Caroline Bishop, THE LOST CHAPTER

'It's difficult to say what I loved most about this book: The dark and immersive plot that becomes more gripping and sinister with every turn of the page; the wonderful characters... And those twists!... I absolutely adored it' Louise Douglas, THE HOUSE BY THE SEA

'—part gothic mystery, part psychological suspense, The Undoing of Violet Claybourne will settle deep into your bones and stay there long after the last page.' Ashley Tate, TWENTY-SEVEN MINUTES

'A Fabulously unsettling tale.' Kate Collins, A GOOD HOUSE FOR CHILDREN

A mystery she can't remember. A friend she can't forget.

I kept your secret Lucy. I've kept it for more than sixty years . . .

It is 1951, and at number six Sycamore Street fifteen-year-old Edie Green is lonely. Living alone with her eccentric mother - who conducts seances for the local Ludthorpe community - she is desperate for something to shake her from her dull, isolated life.

When the popular, pretty Lucy Theddle befriends Edie, she thinks all her troubles are over. But Lucy has a secret, one Edie is not certain she should keep . . .

Then Lucy goes missing.

2018. Edie is eighty-two and back living in Ludthorpe. When one day she glimpses Lucy Theddle, still looking the same as she did at fifteen, her family write it off as one of her many mix ups. There's a lot Edie gets confused about these days. A lot she finds difficult to remember. But what she does know is this: she must find out what happened to Lucy, all those years ago . . .

A mystery she can't remember. A friend she can't forget.

I kept your secret Lucy. I've kept it for more than sixty years . . .

It is 1951, and at number six Sycamore Street fifteen-year-old Edie Green is lonely. Living alone with her eccentric mother - who conducts seances for the local Ludthorpe community - she is desperate for something to shake her from her dull, isolated life.

When the popular, pretty Lucy Theddle befriends Edie, she thinks all her troubles are over. But Lucy has a secret, one Edie is not certain she should keep . . .

Then Lucy goes missing.

2018. Edie is eighty-two and back living in Ludthorpe. When one day she glimpses Lucy Theddle, still looking the same as she did at fifteen, her family write it off as one of her many mix ups. There's a lot Edie gets confused about these days. A lot she finds difficult to remember. But what she does know is this: she must find out what happened to Lucy, all those years ago . . .

Twelve year-old Patrick is sent to put the Christmas decorations away in the garage (his mum is frightened of spiders) where he comes across a huge polar bear in the chest freezer. How did Monty get there? And who is Monty? Official name, Wilbur Ambrose Cedric Reginald Montague, the Third; Monty to his friends. A polar bear who talks like he might have swallowed a dictionary as well as a library - he has read more books than Patrick knew existed -and whose stomach is always rumbling. ALWAYS. But how is Patrick going to feed him on his pocket money that does not stretch much further than a few tins of sardines?