Gripping psychological thriller from Eastbourne author Sheila Bugler

Eastbourne author Sheila Bugler dives into the realms of the psychological thriller with her new book The Stepmother (Hodder & Stoughton, £10.99, published September 24).

It is a day like any other when Sarah arrives at the school gate to pick up her two stepchildren, Izzy and Patrick. But when the twins don’t run out to meet her like normal, Sarah knows something must be wrong.

Sarah can’t believe what she’s hearing when the teacher informs her that her partner, the twins’ father, Mike, removed them from school earlier in the day. All of Sarah’s calls to Mike go to voicemail.

Worse is to come when Sarah is told by police that as she and Mike are not legally married, and he is the children’s father, there is nothing they or Sarah can do. Then she receives a text message from Mike: “Don’t go home. It’s not safe.”

It's a book, her 11th in 13 years, that Sheila thoroughly enjoyed writing: “It's a bit of a change of direction for me. I've written crime before but this one is not from a police perspective. The element of psychological thriller is that it is much more about domestic situations and really the protagonist is an ordinary person in much more of a domestic style drama. I loved writing it. I feel more comfortable with a standalone psychological thriller. It just feels more me than writing a series. I much prefer that standalone element, and with a psychological thriller you can really get into the details about people's motivations and the lies that they tell each other.

“Sarah is a loving stepmother. She is the antithesis of the evil stepmother but she does have her own dark secrets. Mike works in PR. He has his own PR firm specialising in the hospitality industry. He is a very loving father and a really devoted partner. She has difficulty trusting people but she thinks she can trust Mike. But then when he disappears everything falls apart for her.”

What has Mike been hiding? Where are their children? How can Sarah get her family back? Before it’s too late…

The book has already been hailed as a “thriller that wastes no time throwing you straight into every parent’s worst nightmare” and a “gripping, emotionally charged thriller that hooks you from the very first page and refuses to let go.”

“It is set in Blackheath in London, the area in London where I used to live.”

Sheila’s next book will be another standalone thriller coming out in March next year: “I am lucky that I can write fast!”

The Stepmother will be launched on Friday October 2 from 6.30pm at The Lansdowne

Hotel in Eastbourne.