#Blogtour #Extract The Other Twin @LucyVHayAuthor @OrendaBooks

‘A twisty, dark and sexy debut thriller set in the winding lanes and underbelly of Brighton’

The Other Twin is a novel by author and blogger Lucy V Hay. Published by the wonderful Orenda Books, The Other Twin introduces the reader to the murkier depths of social media and the impact it can have on those involved.

I’m joining the blog-tour today with an extract from the opening chapter which I think gives an excellent flavour of what the book entails…Do enjoy!!

Book Info:

When India falls to her death from a bridge over a railway, her sister Poppy returns home to Brighton for the first time in years. Unconvinced by official explanations, Poppy begins her own investigation into India’s death. But the deeper she digs, the closer she comes to uncovering deeply buried secrets.

Could Matthew Temple, the boyfriend she abandoned, be involved? And what of his powerful and wealthy parents, and his twin sister, Ana? Enter the mysterious and ethereal Jenny: the girl Poppy discovers after hacking into India’s laptop. What is exactly is she hiding, and what did India find out about her?

Taking the reader on a breathless ride through the winding lanes of Brighton, into its vibrant party scene and inside the homes of its well-heeled families, The Other Twin is a startling and up-to-the-minute thriller about the social-media world, where resentments and accusations are played out online, where identities are made and remade, and where there is no such thing as truth. 

EXTRACT:

‘I’m not doing this anymore,’ he says. ‘She won’t say anything.’
‘We all know that’s not true.’
He flinches from the silence that follows. Her expression gives
nothing away. But that’s her all over: she can mask the anger
deep inside her. It’s what makes her dangerous. She Who Must Be
Obeyed.
‘And what do you propose we do, instead?’ she says at last, folding
her thin arms.
He grasps for an alternative, but it’s futile: he can come up with
nothing. His body sags in defeat, his eyes cast downwards at the
stone floor.
‘I thought so.’ A shark-like smile crosses her face.
Resentment blooms in his gut. Heat travels up his gullet and cloys
in his throat. He can’t breathe. He doesn’t trust himself to speak. He
clenches his fists, keeping them by his sides, digging his fingernails
into his palms.
‘We’ve been through all this.’ She puts one of her cool, papery
palms to his face. From afar anyone would think it an affectionate
gesture. It’s not.
‘I don’t care,’ he whispers.
‘You know you do,’ she chastises. ‘Think of the others. We all
agreed. Remember?’
White-hot anger blazes through him now. He’d never agreed, not
really. Her gaze flickers to the clock on the wall. Already she is planning
her next move, so sure of her victory over him. He proves her
right; still he says nothing. Such a coward.
‘Just play the game.’

Those words: a mantra, a verbal talisman.

Designed to get them all to fall into line. She’d drilled them until the words would come
unbidden to their own lips. She’d told him he was the protector, the
big man. He had to look out for everyone, present their best side to
the world. No one must know the truth.
It could spoil everything.
He breathes in the sickly vanilla scent of her perfume. He speaks
through gritted teeth. ‘Maybe I don’t want to play the game anymore?’
She blinks, momentary surprise in her eyes. He hasn’t talked
back to her in years. But then she recovers her nerve and stands her
ground, all swagger and bravado. ‘You’re being ridiculous.’
Despite her rictus grin, he sees her realising she no longer has
the upper hand. He meets her shining eyes and enjoys sensing her
apprehension; she thinks he might hit her. He knows he won’t, but
her anxiety pleases him. He is nearly a foot taller, broader across the
chest and shoulder, all muscle. He could grab her by her slim neck
with just one of his hands and strangle her, dangling her above the
floor … If he wanted to. And she knows it.
But his boldness does not last. Like a soap bubble, his defiance
bursts, leaving nothing concrete between them. She knows how
much he fears her wrath; how he will attempt to scrabble to safety.
But his grip is always too weak: he will fall backwards, hopeless, into
her suffocating embrace.
‘You’re supposed to look after them,’ she enunciates each word, so
each one drops like a rock. ‘Remember?’
He feels his courage slide back down into his boots, into the floor
beneath them. His head dips in shame. He swallows as the gloating
steel edge returns to her voice. The familiar ball of pain in his throat
stops him from speaking. The icy fingers of anxiety tear inside his
ribcage, like a tiny creature clawing its way out of his chest.
He nods, acquiescing at last.
‘You’ve done the right thing.’
He can feel the triumph radiating from her. Her bony hand pats
his shoulder, her long nails like a bird’s talons.

If that has whet you appetite, you can read more of The Other Twin by Lucy V Hay following the attached to buy link…

Purchase Link ~ The Other Twin  

Further details of the tour are listed below, aswell as additional information on Lucy V Hay.

Meet the Author:

Lucy V. Hay is a novelist, script editor and blogger who helps writers via her Bang2write consultancy. She is the associate producer of Brit Thrillers Deviation (2012) and Assassin(2015), both starring Danny Dyer.

Lucy is also head reader for the London Screenwriters’ Festival and has written two non-fiction books, Writing & Selling Thriller Screenplays, plus its follow-up Drama Screenplays.

She lives in Devon with her husband, three children, six cats and five African Land Snails.

Website ~ http://www.lucyvhayauthor.com/

Twitter ~ @LucyVHayAuthor