C.L. Taylor - The Fear

Published by Avon an imprint of

HarperCollins Publishers Ltd

1 London Bridge Street,

London, SE1 9GF

www.harpercollins.co.uk

First published in Great Britain by HarperCollins Publishers 2018

Copyright © C.L. Taylor 2018

Cover photographs © Henry Steadman

Cover design © Henry Steadman 2018

C.L. Taylor asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

A catalogue copy of this book is available from the British Library.

This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.

Source ISBN: 9780008118099

Ebook Edition © March 2018 ISBN: 9780008118105

Version 2019-01-11

‘Fans of C.L. Taylor are in for a treat. The Fear is her best yet.’

Clare Mackintosh

‘Claustrophobic and compelling.’

Karin Slaughter

‘A skewering portrait of obsessive love and psychological manipulation, this book gets under the skin from the outset and won’t let you go until you’ve gasped at THAT ending. With characters so real you feel you ought to text them and a plot that keeps you tearing through the pages, this is Taylor’s best book yet.’

C.J. Cooke

‘A thoroughly enjoyable read, a highly original and timely tale that kept me utterly enthralled and entertained from beginning to end.’

Liz Nugent

‘I loved The Fear ! It’s my favourite of C.L. Taylor’s novels now. I couldn’t put it down. Tense, twisty, terrifying – with one of the best premises I’ve read in ages.’

Julie Cohen

‘Many thrillers claim to be compelling: The Fear absolutely is. Breathtakingly bold, shockingly tense, you won’t be able to tear yourself away from this book. It’s dark, emotionally-charged and filled with characters who will make you question everything you think you know about them. The Fear will delight C.L. Taylor’s fans and win her an army of new ones. What a book!’

Miranda Dickinson

‘What an absolutely cracking read! Pacy, well-written,

and anxiety inducing.’

Lisa Hall

‘ The Fear is a compulsive read, that forces the reader to consider just how far they would go to protect themselves and those around them. I could not put this book down!’

Emma Kavanagh

‘Dark and disturbing: this is a book I will remember

for a long time.’

Rachel Abbott

‘A terrifying glimpse into a dark subject. This brilliant book stayed with me long after I finished the last page.’

Cass Green

‘It’s a close call as the bar’s set so high but this has to be C.L. Taylor’s best yet. SO entertaining, high on the shock-factor and yet totally ‘real’.’

Caz Frear

‘ The Missing has a delicious sense of foreboding from the first page, luring us into the heart of a family with terrible secrets and making us wait, with pounding hearts for the final, agonizing twist. Loved it.’

Fiona Barton

‘ Black Narcissus for the Facebook generation, a clever exploration of how petty jealousies and misunderstandings can unravel even the tightest of friendships. Claustrophobic, tense and thrilling, a thrill-ride of a novel that keeps you guessing.’

Elizabeth Haynes

‘A dark and gripping read that engrossed me from start to finish.’

Mel Sherratt

‘Kept me guessing till the end.’

Sun

‘Haunting and heart-stoppingly creepy, The Lie is a

gripping roller coaster of suspense.’

Sunday Express

‘5/5 stars – Spine-chilling!’

Woman Magazine

‘An excellent psychological thriller.’

Heat Magazine

‘Packed with twists and turns, this brilliantly tense thriller

will get your blood pumping.’

Fabulous Magazine

‘Fast-paced, tense and atmospheric, a guaranteed bestseller.’

Mark Edwards

‘A compelling, addictive and wonderfully written tale.

Can’t recommend it enough.’

Louise Douglas

‘An intriguing and stirring tale, overflowing with family drama.’

Lovereading.co.uk

‘Astoundingly written, The Missing pulls you in from the very first page and doesn’t let you go until the final full stop.’

Bibliophile Book Club

‘ The Lie is an utterly gripping psychological thriller that you won’t forget for a long time. Dark, creepy and wonderfully written.’

Alba in Book Land

‘Tense and gripping with a dark, ominous feeling that seeps through the very clever writing … all praise to C.L. Taylor.’

Anne Cater, Random Things Through My Letterbox

‘C.L. Taylor has done it again, with another compelling masterpiece.’

Rachel’s Random Reads

‘In a crowded landscape of so-called domestic noir thrillers, most of which rely on clever twists and big reveals, [ The Missing ] stands out for its subtle and thoughtful analysis of the fallout from a loss in the family.’

Crime Fiction Lover

‘When I had finished, I felt like someone had ripped my heart out and wrung it out like a dish cloth.’

By the Letter Book Reviews

‘Be prepared to be consumed by The Escape – you’ll want to read it in one sitting. Just brilliant.’

Bookliterati

‘Incredibly thrilling and utterly unpredictable! A must read!’

Aggie’s Books

‘A gripping story.’

Bibliomaniac

‘ The Accident had me gnawing the inside

of my mouth!’

Beady Jan’s Bookshelf

‘Another hit from C.L. Taylor … so cleverly written and so absorbing that I completely forgot about everything else while reading it. Unmissable.’

Alba in Book Land

To my friend Scott James

who never backs down from a dare.

Table of Contents

Cover

Title Page

Copyright

Praise for C.L. Taylor

See What Bloggers Are Saying About C.L. Taylor …

Dedication

Chapter 1: Lou

Chapter 2: Wendy

Chapter 3: Lou

Chapter 4: Lou

Chapter 5: Chloe

Chapter 6: Lou

Chapter 7: Wendy

Chapter 8: Lou

Chapter 9: Chloe

Chapter 10: Wendy

Chapter 11: Lou

Chapter 12: Lou

Chapter 13: Lou

Chapter 14: Chloe

Chapter 15: Lou

Chapter 16: Wendy

Chapter 17: Lou

Chapter 18: Chloe

Chapter 19: Lou