This time, when he held her hand, they were no longer on their own in a dark room with Rosie’s dead body in front of them. This time the island was merely a smudge on the horizon, a memory, a nightmare. She laced her fingers in his and the warmth of his palm brought a tingling into her own. She wanted to tell him about the hollow trees she had seen that time in a documentary, how the dark spaces can be filled with a fierce burning light …

… but thoughts were beginning to slip from her like eels.

‘I’ll be here,’ Vivian whispered. ‘We’ll all be here. Go to sleep.’

She knew she could no longer keep her eyes from closing. But, with her mother on one side, and Rory on the other, she was no longer afraid. She finally let the darkness take her.

And, that night, in a city far away, in a tiny flat in the bedroom of someone who had been awake for hours, a phone beeped. A message popped up on the screen:

Morpheus. Dream your way to a better you – one sleep at a time.

Gripped by Sleepless? Don’t miss The Safe House, another unputdownable novel from Louise Mumford. Available now!

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Acknowledgements

A book is very much like the performance of a play. What you hold in your hands is the well-rehearsed performance, shining under the stage lights. But behind the scenes there are many people in the shadows making sure it all happens: moving the set, finding the costumes, swiping the gin bottle out of the main actor’s hands …

To those people.

Thanks to Kate, my marvellous agent, who found my story in her slush pile and has championed it ever since. Her support has meant the world to me and I know she is always there: willing me on, cheering me on, and occasionally giving me a gentle shove in the right direction.

To my HQ family. Thank you to my fairy godmother Lisa Milton, who took the time to not only read the whole of my manuscript but also help me shape it. She is truly one of the most generous and supportive women in publishing. And Abi, my editor extraordinaire, who has so carefully dug through my words to help me bring out what I actually meant to say. She is the kindest, bestest editor I could wish for. With eagle eyes.

Thank you though to everyone at HQ who has worked on this book: copyediting, proofreading, cover design and marketing. Their expertise and professionalism is invaluable.