One Dark Summer: the gripping new crime thriller that will keep you up all night, perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell

Sarah Hornsley

Jul 2026 · Hachette UK

Ebook

320

Pages

Eligible

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About this ebook

'I absolutely devoured One Dark Summer. It had me gripped from the very first page and didn't let me go until the end . . . totally captivating'
Angela Marsons, #1 million-copy bestseller

'A deeply absorbing novel with a wonderfully atmospheric setting. Beautifully written and thrillingly plotted, this is a terrific summer read'
B P Walter, bestselling author of The Dinner Guest

'The impact of extreme domestic abuse is at the heart of this unsparing novel, which brilliantly evokes the recent past'
The Times

Lily has spent her whole life not knowing the truth.
Now, one island will change everything.

When she was four years old, Lily's mother, Penny, walked out the family home and never returned. Growing up, Lily tried to block out the pain of betrayal. But years later, when Lily learns her mum's family used to own a holiday home on Osea Island, she can't resist booking a last-minute trip, hoping to finally find a connection to her mother.

But Osea is no ordinary place. Tidal and remote, it keeps its secrets close.

As Lily begins to peel back layers of the past, she uncovers a web of silence, betrayal, and pain stretching back twenty-five years. The island holds the truth of what really happened to Penny and why she never made it back home.

But some secrets aren't buried in the past. Nor are they still on the island. Some are closer than Lily ever imagined.

Readers are absolutely hooked on One Dark Summer

'A stormy setting, and equally stormy ending makes all the pieces of this book fall into place. Totally absorbing' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'This psychological thriller blossoms like a flower as the petals bloom' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'I really really enjoyed this read. It felt deeper than a thriller' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'I could not put this down, a one sitting read' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'Wow. This was a stormy read, literally and metaphorically!' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Praise for Sarah's Hornsley's thrillers
'Suspenseful, addictive, twisty' Fionnuala Kearney
'Unsettling in the best way' Roxie Cooper
'satisfyingly complex, twisty and twisted' James Oswald
'A fresh take on a legal thriller' Amy McCullough
'Atmospheric with a killer twist' Catherine Cooper
'A tangled, twisty thrill-ride' Cressida McLaughlin
'A first-rate psychological thriller' Guy Morpuss

'I absolutely devoured One Dark Summer. It had me gripped from the very first page and didn't let me go until the end . . . totally captivating' Angela Marsons, #1 million-copy bestseller 'A deeply absorbing novel with a wonderfully atmospheric setting. Beautifully written and thrillingly plotte...

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About the author

Sarah Hornsley started her career in publishing in 2012 at Orion Books, followed by a short stint in script development before becoming a literary agent in 2015, joining PFD in 2021. She was selected for The Bookseller Rising Star list in 2019. She lives in Essex with her family, and writes alongside working as an agent. Her first novel, Bad Blood, was published in 2025. Rights have sold in multiple territories and it has been optioned for television.

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