Strangers at the Gate

''I love McPherson''s books - the clear and effortless prose, the entirely credible characters, and the wonderfully twisty plots - and Strangers at the Gate is one of her best'' Ann Cleeves Who do you turn to, when everyone''s a stranger and you stop believing what your own eyes see?Finnie Doyle and Paddy Lamb are leaving city life in Edinburgh behind them and moving to the little town of Simmerton. Paddy has landed a partnership in a local solicitors and Finnie''s snagged a job as a church deacon. Their rented cottage is quaint; their new colleagues are charming, and they can''t believe their luck.But witnessing the bloody aftermath of a brutal murder changes everything. They''ve each been keeping secrets about their pasts. And they both know their precious new start won''t survive a scandal. Together, for the best of reasons, they make the worst decision of their lives.And that''s only the beginning. The deep, deep valley where Simmerton sits is unlike anywhere Finn and Paddy have been before. They are not the only ones hiding in its shadow and very soon they''ve lost control of the game they decided to play...Praise for Catriona McPherson:''An unnerving and suspenseful novel'' Karin Slaughter''Just the right mixture of spookiness and mystery'' James Oswald''A gripping thriller'' Ian Rankin''A Gothic feast of a novel, this is a country house book with a difference: contemporary, punchy and disturbing, but using the tricks and twists of the best of Christie'' Ann Cleeves''Go To My Grave is both a classic ''country house mystery'' and a thriller. Atmospheric, with mind-bending twists, a narrator who may or may not be reliable, and an ending that will take your breath away and leave you astonished'' Louise Penny'' . . . drew me in from the very first page, and I stayed up late reading it because I couldn''t wait to find out what happened next. That''s the definition of a good book'' Charlaine Harris, #1 New York Times bestselling author''A tale that shivers with suspense'' The New York Times