Sam Carrington - I Dare You

Published by AVON

A Division of HarperCollins Publishers Ltd

1 London Bridge Street

London SE1 9GF

www.harpercollins.co.uk

First published in Great Britain by HarperCollins Publishers Ltd 2019

Copyright © Sam Carrington 2019

Cover design by Claire Ward © HarperCollins Publishers Ltd 2019

Cover photographs © Shutterstock.com

Sam Carrington 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 ebook on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, 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: 9780008331375

Ebook Edition © December 2019 ISBN: 9780008331382

Version: 2019-10-18

‘Sam Carrington has done it again. One Little Lie is a twisty, gripping read. I loved it.’

Cass Green, bestselling author of In a Cottage In a Wood

‘Expertly written … with plentiful twists and unforgettable characters. An insightful and unnerving read.’

Caroline Mitchell, bestselling author of Silent Victim

‘A kick-ass page turner … I was knocked senseless by the awesome twist.’

John Marrs, #1 bestselling author of The One

‘I LOVED Bad Sister . Tense, convincing and complex, it kept me guessing (wrongly!)’

Caz Frear, bestselling author of Sweet Little Lies

‘This book is not only gripping, but it explores the mother/daughter relationship perfectly, and ends with a gasp-out-loud twist’

Closer

‘I devoured this story in one sitting!’

Louise Jensen, bestselling author of The Sister

‘How do you support victims of crime when you live with unresolved mysteries of your own? Psychologist Connie Summers is a fascinatingly flesh-and-blood guide through this twisty thriller.’

Louise Candlish, Sunday Times bestselling author of Our House

‘Keeps you guessing right to the end’

Sue Fortin, author of Schoolgirl Missing

‘I read One Little Lie in one greedy gulp. A compelling thriller about the dark side of maternal instinct and love – I couldn’t put it down!’

Isabel Ashdown, author of Beautiful Liars

‘A gripping read which moved at a head-spinning pace … I simply couldn’t put this book down until I reached the dramatic and devastating conclusion.’

Claire Allan, USA Today bestselling author of Her Name Was Rose

‘I was fascinated by the cleverly written threads linking the psychologist, police, criminal and victim. Utterly original and thought provoking … This cries out to be made into a TV series.’

Amanda Robson, Sunday Times bestselling author of Guilt

‘Engrossing psychological suspense about the effect of a murder on the mother of a teenage killer. Sam Carrington had me hooked!’

Emma Curtis, bestselling author of One Little Mistake

For Doug

Chill out. You’ll live longer.

Ginger, Ginger broke a winder

Hit the winder – crack!

The baker came out to give ’im a clout

And landed on his back

– 19th-century British nursery rhyme which is believed to have given rise to the childhood prank game Knock, Knock, Ginger (also known as Knock Down, Ginger and other regional variations)

Contents

Cover

Title Page

Copyright

Praise for Sam Carrington

Dedication

Epigraph

Prologue: 1989

Chapter One: 2019: Anna

Chapter Two: 2019: Lizzie

Chapter Three: 1989: Bovey Police Station, outskirts of Mapledon

Chapter Four: 2019: Anna

Chapter Five: 2019: Lizzie

Chapter Six: 1989: Bovey Police Station

Chapter Seven: 2019: Anna

Chapter Eight: 2019: Lizzie

Chapter Nine: 1989: Bovey Police Station

Chapter Ten: 2019: Anna

Chapter Eleven: 2019: Lizzie

Chapter Twelve: 1989: Brook Cottage Store, Mapledon

Chapter Thirteen: 2019: Anna

Chapter Fourteen: 2019: Lizzie

Chapter Fifteen: 1989: Mapledon

Chapter Sixteen: 2019: Anna

Chapter Seventeen: 2019: Lizzie

Chapter Eighteen: 1989: Mapledon

Chapter Nineteen: 2019: Anna

Chapter Twenty: 2019: Lizzie

Chapter Twenty-One: 1989: Blackstone Close

Chapter Twenty-Two: 2019: Anna

Chapter Twenty-Three: 2019: Lizzie

Chapter Twenty-Four: 1989: Fisher residence

Chapter Twenty-Five: 2019: Anna

Chapter Twenty-Six: 2019: Lizzie

Chapter Twenty-Seven: 1989: Hayes residence

Chapter Twenty-Eight: 2019: Anna

Chapter Twenty-Nine: 2019: Lizzie

Chapter Thirty: 1989: Blackstone Close

Chapter Thirty-One: 2019: Anna

Chapter Thirty-Two: 2019: Lizzie

Chapter Thirty-Three: 1989: Mapledon Church

Chapter Thirty-Four: 2019: Anna

Chapter Thirty-Five: 2019: Lizzie

Chapter Thirty-Six: 1989: Blackstone Close

Chapter Thirty-Seven: 2019: Anna

Chapter Thirty-Eight: 2019: Lizzie

Chapter Thirty-Nine: 1989: Blackstone Close

Chapter Forty: 2019: Anna

Chapter Forty-One: 2019: Lizzie

Chapter Forty-Two: 1989: Mapledon Churchyard

Chapter Forty-Three: 2019: Anna

Chapter Forty-Four: 2019: Lizzie

Chapter Forty-Five: 1989: Fisher residence

Chapter Forty-Six: 2019: Anna

Chapter Forty-Seven: 2019: Lizzie

Chapter Forty-Eight: 1989: Mapledon Park

Chapter Forty-Nine: 2019: Anna

Chapter Fifty: 2019: Lizzie

Chapter Fifty-One: 1989: Brook Cottage Store

Chapter Fifty-Two: 2019: Anna

Chapter Fifty-Three: 2019: Lizzie

Chapter Fifty-Four: 1989: Mapledon Primary School

Chapter Fifty-Five: 2019: Anna

Chapter Fifty-Six: 2019: Lizzie

Chapter Fifty-Seven: 1989: Mapledon

Chapter Fifty-Eight: 2019: Anna

Chapter Fifty-Nine: 2019: Lizzie

Chapter Sixty: 1989: The Plough, Mapledon

Chapter Sixty-One: 2019: Anna

Chapter Sixty-Two: 2019: Lizzie

Chapter Sixty-Three: 1989: Hayes residence

Chapter Sixty-Four: 2019: Anna

Chapter Sixty-Five: 2019: Lizzie

Chapter Sixty-Six: 1989: Fisher residence

Chapter Sixty-Seven: 2019: Anna

Chapter Sixty-Eight: 2019: Lizzie

Chapter Sixty-Nine: 1989: Brook Cottage Store

Chapter Seventy: 2019: Anna

Chapter Seventy-One: 2019: Lizzie

Chapter Seventy-Two: 1989: Mapledon Church

Chapter Seventy-Three: 2019: Anna