First published 2011
Louise Delaney arrives at the village charity pool party on a blazing May Sunday with her daughters Amelia and Katie. Her estranged husband Barnaby glares from across the Delaney family pool, furious that the girls chose swimming over their scheduled day with him. Louise brushes off his anger and settles into the sun, daydreaming about Cassian, the magnetic new lawyer she's been seeing. Children splash in the blue water while adults mingle around the pool deck. Then disaster strikes. A terrible accident shatters the perfect afternoon and transforms a simple charity event into something much darker. Louise finds herself caught between three competing forces as the aftermath unfolds. The village splits into factions. Old friendships collapse under pressure. Legal battles emerge, and Cassian's professional expertise becomes personal. Adult egos and desires override a child's welfare. What began as a community gathering becomes a dangerous game where everyone has something to lose.
Genres: fiction, mystery, contemporary, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: Village
Period: May Sunday
304 pages · Paperback · Black Swan