Mary O'Sullivan
ISBN: 9781310868177
ASIN: B0155FWOYE
Length: Novel
Genre: Thriller
Price: $4.99
Buy Here: Tirgearr Publishing
When local teenager, Keira Shannon, and her father, business man Gerard Shannon, go missing, the people of Ballyderg town unite to search for them. Rumours of domestic violence, extramarital affairs, and criminal behaviour emerge. The crisis causes families and life-long friends to doubt each other. The only certainty left is that the town has been visited by evil. Or has it? Could it be the evil one has always lived among them, sharing history, laughter and tears? If so, who could it be?
• • •
Maeve Crocker liked to have the radio tuned in as she worked about the house. She didn’t always pay attention to what was on, but she was concentrating now as she listened to a renewed appeal for information on the whereabouts of a missing girl. The fourth to disappear without trace in the past eighteen months. This girl was a student named Andrea McGee. Nineteen years old.
Two months ago, Andrea had caught a bus from the college in Waterford City to her native Dungarvan in the county. Witnesses and CCTV proved that she had arrived safely in the square of her home town at five fifteen in the afternoon. She then left the town on foot to walk the mile to her house on the coast road. But she had not reached home and there had been no contact from her since. A cold shiver crept down Maeve’s back. Andrea, unlike the other girls, was not a prostitute. Her fleeting thought—that the disappearance of the student was more tragic than that of the prostitutes’—filled Maeve with self-disgust. All the girls had parents, siblings, people who loved them. All had a right to be safe.
She switched off the radio, picked up her phone and keyed in her daughter’s quick dial number. It rang a few times before she heard Evelyn’s voice deliver her ‘Sorry I can’t take your call. Leave a message, please,’ recording.
“Evelyn, this is Mom. I just wanted to say hello. I know you’re busy but could you ring me back when you get a chance? Love you.”
She switched off before she said any more. Hysterical things like “Please don’t go out after six in the evening. In fact, don’t go out at all.”
She rang Kaleb then and had as little luck in contacting her son. She left a ‘ring me’ message for him too.
A quick check told her the shepherd’s pie was doing nicely in the oven. She went into the lounge and turned on the TV to catch the early evening news. A photograph of a pretty girl, dark-haired and smiling, filled the screen. Andrea McGee, the missing student. She looked so young, full of hope and promise. Maeve felt a lump of sadness in her throat. A large male hand rested on the girl’s shoulder. Who had been cut out of the picture? A boyfriend? A brother? Her father?
As Maeve moved closer to the screen to see better, a shiver of fear ran through her. She was rooted to the spot, for a fleeting moment cold and terrified as she stared at the girl’s image. The picture faded and so did the inexplicable coldness and fear, leaving Maeve to wonder if she had imagined the terrifying feeling.
• • •
So much has changed since Mary first scribbled childish poems in her copy book. One thing remains the same though, and that is the thrill of writing the opening sentence of a short story or novel.Mary lives in Carrigaline, County Cork, Ireland. While she worked as a laboratory technician, her hobby—her passion—was writing. Busy with her family and job, she grabbed some moments here and there to write poetry and short stories. Gradually, the idea of writing a novel took shape. It was a shock to discover that enthusiasm and imagination are not enough. For the first time, she learned that writing can be very hard work!
Now time has moved on and Mary has seven published novels and a short story collection. All are available in ebook format. Writing is a demanding way of life but one so full of challenge and fulfilment that she cannot imagine a better way to spend her days. The hours speed past as she writes—and re-writes—always in the hope that people will enjoy reading her books as much as she enjoys writing them.
Find Mary Online:
Website - http://www.maryosullivanauthor.com
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/authormaryosullivan
Twitter - http://www.twitter.com/authorosullivan
Tirgearr Publishing - http://www.tirgearrpublishing.com/authors/OSullivan_Mary
