Invitation

Rachel Abbott, whose earlier novel Only the Innocent has sold more than three million copies, returns with a tense psychological thriller. Readers who liked Something in the Water, The Woman in the Window or The Silent Patient may find this one similarly unsettling.

Jemma and Matt have long been part of the social circle of Matt's old friend Lucas Jarrett, whose sprawling home overlooks the sea at Polskirrin. Their first visit there was for a small wedding that ended in tragedy, when a young woman's pale body was seen drifting toward the rocks. Jemma has never been able to shake that image. A year later, they reluctantly accept Lucas's request to return and mark the anniversary, an occasion neither of them wants to remember.

Lucas's gathering is not a quiet memorial. One of the guests knows more about that night than they are willing to say, and Lucas has devised a game designed to force the truth into the open. Jemma is certain that she and Matt had nothing to do with the young woman's death, but as the evening unfolds, she begins to wonder. Anyone who sits down to play may find the cost is higher than they expected.