Do you blame her? Deborah was a respected hospital manager until a tragedy forced her into retirement. Hounded by the media, then bereaved, she is brittle and reserved. Luca was in prison, now he has hope - a family, a home and the chance to take on Deborah's garden, neglected since her husband's death. Luca, with his youth and grace, has an uncanny ability to know what Deborah needs. He makes the garden live again. Deborah increasingly depends on him. But the past hasn't gone away. Luca's new life is under threat, and some people can't forgive what Deborah did. As events escalate, they are both forced to ask, who can you trust? Praise for The Former Chief Executive 'A taut psychological study of grief, secrets and trying to leave behind your past. Its dark, slightly chilling atmosphere reminded me at times of the books written by Ruth Rendell under the pen name Barbara Vine' - What Cathy Read Next 'This is a well-crafted and enjoyable read. The restrained tone is deceiving - there is a great deal going on here, a lot of it seething away under the surface. The author shows a great amount of skill in resisting the temptation to let everything bubble over' - Alison Williams blog 'A good, clever read, incorporating many layers' - Ashrae, top 500 Amazon reviewer 'Each character, even the seemingly most shallow, has skeletons in their closet that gradually come out, rendering the situation between them increasingly fraught as the plot progresses' - EP Clark blog 'A gently written novel which drew me in so completely that I wasn't consciously aware of the subtle tension build-up, only that I really didn't want to stop reading' - Literary Flits 'The Former Chief Executive is a clever and thought-provoking literary read' - Hair Past a Freckle