Sandycove acquires Jennifer Bray's debut novel in three-way auction

"During a beachside getaway with her sister, Susannah is acting strangely and suddenly disappears without a trace. The next morning, a body is found on a nearby beach. To Lucy’s relief, it’s not Susannah. But where has Susannah gone? And why does the dead woman’s name appear in the manuscript for Susannah’s next novel?

"Lucy is forced to step back into her old role, desperately trying to uncover the truth behind Susannah’s disappearance before suspicion falls on their family. Her investigation resurrects not only ghosts from her own past but reveals that both Susannah and their estranged sister Tara have secrets they desperately want to keep hidden, secrets that go back to their childhoods."

Bray has worked as a journalist for 16 years for publications including the Times, the Sunday Times, the Sunday Tribune and the Irish Daily Mail. She is now a political correspondent for the Irish Times, and appears on Irish and UK television and radio as well as on the in-house podcast, "Inside Politics".

Deevy said: "Jennifer’s novel is wonderful – atmospheric, pacey, tense and plotty, an evocative story about family, the fall-out of love going sour in times past and it returning to haunt the present. Readers who know Jennifer’s fluent savvy political reporting will not be surprised to see the same combination of acuity and lightness of touch in her fiction. Her novel is that precious thing – a one-sitting read – because you simply cannot stop turning the pages."

Bray said: "I can’t wait to see this book in the hands of readers, and on bookshelves! I hope readers fall in love with the magic and beauty of Dunmore East the way I did, as this stunning coastal town not only inspired the story, but is where I wrote most of it. I’m in great hands with Penguin Sandycove, and can’t wait for what’s to come."