Know your neighbours?

And, yes, you guessed, the reasons concern a criminal act. Crime fiction, after all, is my passion. Triggered initially by the study of criminal law for a J D (Juris Doctor) law degree decades ago in Los Angeles (winning the Moot Court Prize ­ a surreal Perry Mason­type experience) where I lived for many eventful years. One morning shortly after Finals, for example, a tax law Professor was shot dead right in front of me! I never did discover if he’d upset some former client or just a student with poor grades… arise just from feelings of sympathy for the bereaved family left behind. But for quite different reasons. Something that’s puzzled and intrigued me for decades and I needed to explore in this latest book.

And this latest suspense thriller? Nicola Goodwin never imagines herself as a widow in her mid­30s. Losing her husband to a sudden illness shatters her world, but then she unexpectedly meets up with Matt Collins, her childhood love.

As they reconnect after years apart, Nicola can’t help but fall for him.

DI Barbara Forster seeks answers with the help of Alice Myers, an investigative journalist and creator of an edgy truecrime podcast. As they dig deeper into Michelle’s life, they discover a complex web of secrets and lies that paints a much darker picture, the truth more shocking than anyone imagined.

Throughout it all, Nicola stands by Matt’s side, determined to show he is blameless and salvage their relationship. But with more deaths and the evidence mounting against him, she begins to wonder if she truly knew the man she fell in love with.

In the end, the truth emerges, but at a steep cost. Will Nicola be left alone once again, wondering if it was all worth it...

A story of how a past passion leads to betrayal and a terrible revenge ­ one that still torments the present.

Their affair is passionate and all­consuming, but just as Matt finally decides to leave Michelle, his wife, Michelle disappears without trace. When a body is found and identified as hers, apparently a suicide, Matt’s infidelity is considered the primary reason by her grieving family.

Nora Johnson’s 12 critically acclaimed psychological suspense crime thrillers (www.nora­johnson.net) all available online including eBooks (€0.99; £0.99), Apple Books, audiobooks, paperbacks at Amazon etc. Profits to Cudeca cancer charity.