What's the general synopsis for the story?
A woman, Nora, travels north from London to visit her sister, Rachel, who lives in a country town called Marlow. Their mother died years ago and they avoid their father. The sisters are very close - they recently spent some time in Cornwall and are now planning to move there. Nora is eager to get out of London, which is too full of painful memories of her breakup with Liam. She is so attuned to her sister that she spends the train ride picturing her sister preparing for her visit, all the details of Rachel's food preparation fill Nora's head. Rachel isn't waiting when Nora arrives at the station. Nora is running late, for one thing, and it isn't part of their routine for Rachel to meet her.
As Nora makes her way to Rachel's house, she thinks about Rachel's German Shepherd. On her last visit, Nora gave the dog a bath and is eager to spend more time with her furry friend. The lights in the house are welcoming. Nora is hungry and shivering, more than ready for a hot meal and an evening listening to Rachel's stories of her work as a nurse practitioner.
The story is full of twists, and it includes some flashbacks to a defining incident in Rachel's life. I really like the writer's style - she makes you envision each scene in vivid detail, without becoming wordy. I've seen this book compared to GONE GIRL. There is a murder, a gruesome attack and one upsetting death that instantly sucks in the reader. It's not a long book so it doesn't require a huge investment of time. Well worth the read!