by Mark Edwards
First published 2026
Patrick accepts Holly's invitation to join her family's luxury vacation in remote Scotland. He expects a peaceful week in the Highlands. Instead, he walks into a family at war. Holly's father Charles, a self-made millionaire, plans to marry Jasmine, a woman in her early forties who looks startlingly like his deceased wife. Holly's siblings Lewis and Miranda despise their future stepmother. They believe Jasmine wants Charles's fortune and will rob them of their inheritance. The resemblance to their mother, who died at forty-two, makes everything worse. Patrick tries to stay neutral as tensions explode around him. Then he realizes Lewis has deadly intentions toward Jasmine. Patrick knows too much. He could expose Lewis's scheme, which makes him a target. The family closes ranks like predators. Patrick must navigate their schemes while protecting himself and potentially Jasmine. Not everyone will survive this Highland retreat.
Genres: fiction, suspense, mystery, adult, adult-fiction, thriller
Vibes: claustrophobic, dark, sinister, suspenseful, tense
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, forced-proximity, trapped-situation, unreliable-allies
Setting: Scotland, Highlands
Period: 21st-century, contemporary
384 pages · Paperback · Random House Canada
Content warnings: death, murder, violence