‘Five!’ he shouts, and the crowd picks up the countdown. ‘Four! Three!’
‘Ready?’ Ffion says. She looks down the shore, to where Seren and Caleb are bunched with the other teenagers.
‘Two! One!’
‘Ready,’ Elen says. They run, eyes bright with cold, with adrenaline. They wade into the lake, and, when they’re deep enough, they plunge, mind over matter through the low-lying mist. Cold clamps a vice around their chests, mouths opening in shock as their breath is wrenched away. Keep moving, keep moving! Ripples become waves, the movement of people this way and that, as the wind picks up and sends shivers across shoulders.
Out in the centre of the lake, far below the kicking legs of Cwm Coed’s New Year’s Day swimmers, is Angharad’s red-sailed boat. Every few months, a piece of it will wash up in one of the many coves around Llyn Drych, but – for now – the hull lies wedged between the rocks at the bottom of the lake.
Close to the boat, a black plastic bag is tied tightly to a heavy weight. It lies half-buried in silt, the rope so tightly knotted, it could never come free. Weed has grown around the rope and tiny fish flick round it, biting, nibbling.
One day, the rope will fray, and the bag will begin to move through the water.
One day.
But not yet.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
As always, I owe a great debt to many people, without whom this novel would not have been written. My thanks go to Anna Morgan, who endured endless discussions over lunch and while we swam in the very lake which inspired the story; to Emma Norrey, who offered invaluable thoughts on character; to Simon Thirsk, for talking to me about palindromic poetry and mirror structure; to the artist Sarah Wimperis, whose paintings influenced much of the imagery in this book; to Nia Roberts, for checking my Welsh （and more）; and to Colin Scott, for more than I have room to mention.
Forensic pathologist Amanda Jeffery was kind enough to discuss poisons, head injuries and post-mortem findings. All departures from reality are down to me, made for the purposes of plot and entertainment. To that end, I’d like to thank Lisa Jewell for her advice on research, which has transformed my writing process.
I have been out of the police service for almost as many years as I was in it, so I’m indebted to my ‘crew in blue’ for their patience, when I ask yet another question to which I should know the answer. Huge thanks to Katy Barrow-Grint, Katie Clements, Jennifer Fox, Claire Thorngate, Kelly Tuttle, Sarah Thirkell, Beth Walton and Fran Whyte, for the virtual incident room. Yes, I know that’s not how it would happen in real life . . .
Cwm Coed and The Shore are fictional, but the beautiful lakes and mountains of North Wales are very real and I feel incredibly lucky to now call them home. Thank you to the friends and neighbours who have been so welcoming. Diolch chi i gyd.
Each of my books is the product of hard work and passion from my publishing teams around the world. Thank you to Cath Burke; to my editors, Lucy Malagoni, Tilda McDonald and Rosanna Forte; to publicists Kirsteen Astor, Millie Seaward and Emma Finnigan; and marketing team extraordinaire Gemma Shelley and Brionee Fenlon. Thank you to Hannah Methuen and her sales team; to Andy Hine, Kate Hibbert, Helena Doree and Sarah Birdsey in rights; to cover designer Hannah Wood; the queen of copy-editors, Linda McQueen; to brilliant editorial manager Thalia Proctor; and to all the unsung heroes in contracts, accounts, distribution and more. I know how hard you all work to put my books into the hands of readers.
I’m grateful to Shana Drehs and Molly Waxman at Sourcebooks Landmark, in the US, and to all my overseas editors, who publish me with such care and enthusiasm.
The Clare Mackintosh Book Club continues to grow, and I love reading all your posts and emails. Thank you to Ella Chapman and Sam Suthurst for making my newsletters sparkle; to Lynda Tunnicliffe and Sarah Clayton for keeping the Facebook group under control; and to my book club community for all the recommendations, laughs and reviews. If you haven’t yet joined, you’ll find details at claremackintosh.com – I’d love to see you there.
Thank you to my agent at Curtis Brown, Sheila Crowley, and to Emily Harris and Sabhbh Curran; you’re truly the best in the business. Thank you to my family, who let me escape to Lake Vyrnwy for a week between lockdowns, when I temporarily lost the ability to write; and to Ann-Marie and Rob for sharing the tranquillity of Glan-y-Gro.
And finally, thank you for reading this book. If you enjoyed it, I hope you’ll leave a review, choose it for your book club, or recommend it to a friend. Word of mouth remains the best possible way to share stories, and I’d love you to share this one.