In May 1845, Sir John Franklin, commander of HMS Erebus and HMS Terror, departed England to seek a navigable route across the top of the Americas. He and his 128 men never returned. Four years later, Royal Navy Lieutenant Frederick Robinson and Assistant Surgeon Edward Adams are determined to find the men missing in the Arctic. While they are united in purpose, they are divided in ambition. The pious and idealistic Adams strives to save his boyhood hero. Robinson hungers for promotion through the Admiralty ranks.

New to the job and with everything to prove, Crown Prosecution Service lawyer Eve Wren is working on the biggest UK trial in decades. Notorious cult leader Patrick Nye and his followers, known as The Seven, are pleading not guilty to detonating a bomb in a London theatre. Patrick might be charming on the stand, but Eve knows that the evidence never lies. The trial has already started when Eve discovers a piece of evidence that calls the whole case into question.

In the 1920s, three young girls enter a strict, cheerless convent school in a quiet London suburb. Six years later they leave, to change the world … Maureen was the movie star, whose role as Tarzan’s Jane helped rewrite the rules of cinema censorship. Sonia was the aspiring writer who became George Orwell’s wife and the guardian of his literary legacy. And Vivien was the actress as iconic as the roles she played, from Cleopatra to Scarlett O’Hara. Together their careers encompassed glamour and tragedy, triumph and scandal.

Ever since the first murder, Tessa’s once charming and safe hometown has been infected with suspicion and fear. Back then accusations were made in whispers, but without proof, the killer still walks free. And now it’s possible they’ve struck again. If things weren’t complicated enough, Tessa finds herself forced to stay with the one man she had hoped to avoid. Years ago, Garrett Campbell held her heart until he crushed it. Now, he’s a stranger. He’s also her brother’s best friend.

When private investigator Matthew Hill picks up the call from his wife, Sally, his world comes crashing down. Their eight-year-old daughter, Amelie, is missing. One second, she was there, the next, she was gone. It’s the very nightmare they’ve been dreading. Long ago, Matthew left the force after a woman blamed him for her son’s death, promising that he too would one day feel her pain. It’s a threat that’s hung over his family ever since, and now it’s Amelie’s picture on the news.