Lisa Stone: The Doctor

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 2019

Copyright © Lisa Stone 2019

Cover design © Alison Groom 2019

Cover photography © Shutterstock

Lisa Stone 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: 9780008322922

Ebook Edition © July 2019 ISBN: 9780008322939

Version: 2019-06-27

‘ The Darkness Within hooked me from the start. Once you start you won’t be able to stop!’

Katerina Diamond, No.1 bestselling author of The Teacher

‘This is a cracking good read that had me hooked from the beginning until the end. Full of murders, spiritualistic intrigue and just a hint of romance. It is quick paced, extremely thought provoking and full of twists and turns. I didn’t want to put this book down.’

Amazon reviewer

‘Fantastic book, couldn’t turn the pages quickly enough!’

Amazon reviewer

‘A well-written and extremely addictive novel that will stick in your head long after putting it down.’

Amazon reviewer

‘I flew through The Darkness Within ; it maintained a dark and gritty atmosphere whilst covering some rather disturbing subject matters. But despite there being some very emotive and hard to read scenes described, I raced through the pages desperate to know how it would end and I certainly wasn’t disappointed.’

Goodreads reviewer

‘A unique plot and storyline – I enjoyed the book immensely. It really makes you think.’

Goodreads reviewer

‘What a powerful novel. I have read all of most of Cathy Glass’s books and here she is writing under a new name Lisa Stone. I love the fact she has branched into crime thriller and I think she has done it really well.’

Goodreads reviewer

‘I really enjoyed this. Interesting and captivating story line, great characters and easy to read – not the subject matter which is difficult, dark and pretty violent, but the style of writing. A gripping thriller.’

Goodreads reviewer

‘ The Darkness Within is certainly a dark and gripping read and one that will win over new fans as well as old.’

Goodreads reviewer

‘With areas that lead us to the dark depths of our own imagination, and parts so well described you could almost be in the same room, The Darkness Within is a struggle to leave unfinished.’

Amazon reviewer

‘Thank you Lisa Stone for making my long train journey feel like a ten minute ride! I will now look forward to your next book.’

Amazon reviewer

‘A great read. The author has a style of writing that makes the words just flow off the page and as the story develops it’s a difficult book to put down as you want to know how it’s all going to end.’

Amazon reviewer

‘Absolutely fantastic, I could not put it down. Cannot recommend this book highly enough. You will become addicted to this author.’

Amazon reviewer

‘An enjoyable chiller for the summer reading pile!’

Goodreads reviewer

‘I loved the premise, it appealed to the horror/sci-fi loving side of me. Lisa understands human relationships and the ugly side of people very well, and this shone through in her work.’

Amazon reviewer

‘ Stalker had me hooked from the beginning and I read it in one session!’

Amazon reviewer

‘ Stalker got better and better, with a few surprises along the way. I’d highly recommend Lisa Stone.’

Amazon reviewer

‘Had my heart pounding towards the end! Couldn’t put it down.’

Amazon reviewer

‘ Stalker is a completely and utterly gripping, engrossing read. What starts off as a case of voyeurism turns into something much darker and sinister, leading up to a fantastic ending. If you want a cracking good crime thriller, then I highly recommend this one.’

Amazon reviewer

Contents

Cover

Title page

Copyright

Praise for Lisa Stone

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Twenty-Four

Chapter Twenty-Five

Chapter Twenty-Six

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Chapter Thirty

Chapter Thirty-One

Chapter Thirty-Two

Chapter Thirty-Three

Chapter Thirty-Four

Chapter Thirty-Five

Chapter Thirty-Six

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Chapter Forty

Chapter Forty-One

Chapter Forty-Two

Chapter Forty-Three

Chapter Forty-Four

Chapter Forty-Five

Chapter Forty-Six

Chapter Forty-Seven

Chapter Forty-Eight

Chapter Forty-Nine

Chapter Fifty

Chapter Fifty-One

Chapter Fifty-Two

Chapter Fifty-Three

Chapter Fifty-Four

Chapter Fifty-Five

Chapter Fifty-Six

Chapter Fifty-Seven

Chapter Fifty-Eight

Chapter Fifty-Nine

Chapter Sixty

Chapter Sixty-One

Chapter Sixty-Two

Author’s note

Suggested topics for reading group discussion

Acknowledgements

Keep Reading …

About the Author

Books by Lisa Stone

About the Publisher

It was pitch-black outside except for the small light coming from the outbuilding at the very end of their neighbours’ garden. Emily could just make out the slither of light through the tall shrubs and trees that flanked their boundary fence. No moon or stars shone in the cloud-laden sky and no wind stirred the foliage. She liked their secluded garden, it had been one of the reasons she and Ben had bought the house, but sometimes it felt just a bit creepy. Especially at night.

‘What do you think Dr Burman does in that outbuilding so late at night?’ she asked Ben as she stood at their bedroom window, gazing out, before drawing the curtains. ‘He’s in there most nights, often until very late.’

‘It’s his man cave,’ Ben replied. ‘His escape. It can’t be easy being a doctor all day, only to come home and have to look after your sick wife.’

‘I suppose,’ Emily said. ‘But I do find him and his wife odd. We’ve been in this house over a year now and they just about manage to say hello. I’ve tried to be neighbourly, but she doesn’t want to know.’