One Small Thing: Phoebe Morgan

I love living in central London, but the only thing I miss is a garden. At home in Suffolk, we are lucky to have one, and during lockdown I’ve been so pleased that back home, my Mum can garden and grow her own vegetables – it’s been really good for her. Here in Islington, all we have is a slightly falling-down rooftop – I know this is more than most and I have been so grateful for it over the last three months.

At the start of lockdown, my boyfriend and I went a little bit mad with ordering seeds – we spent a very happy evening planting them all at the kitchen table – tomatoes, yellow flowers (we call them ‘sunnies’), radishes, leeks, strawberries – you name it, we’d ordered it! We then transferred them outside to little pots that now sit on the roof, and every day we go to check them. It has been so calming to watch them grow, and hopeful, too – when the news feels utterly overwhelming I go out to the roof and gaze at the green stems shooting up through the soil, marvelling at how quickly they have appeared. Yesterday we saw our first strawberries – not ripe, yet, but hopefully they will be soon.

Of an evening I’ve taken to sitting down on the floor of the roof, pink gin in hand, and reading next to the flowers – the sight of the bright buds flourishing makes me feel optimistic for the future and if I’m having a tough day at work or with my writing, ten minutes sitting outside with the plants always makes me feel better. I even said ‘cheers’ to our clematis the other day, which may or may not be a sign that I’m losing the plot… Either way, it’s a small thing, but one that has undoubtedly kept me sane during this difficult time.

You can find out more about Phoebe's work here. The Babysitter is available from Amazon, Waterstones and The Woodbridge Emporium.

Who knew her secret? And what happened that night?

On the hottest day of the year, Caroline Harvey is found dead in Suffolk. Her body is left draped over a cot – but the baby she was looking after is missing.  

Hundreds of miles away, Siobhan Dillon is on a luxurious family holiday in France when her husband, Callum, is arrested by French police on suspicion of murder.

As Siobhan’s perfect family is torn apart by the media in the nation’s frantic search for the missing baby, she desperately tries to piece together how Callum knew Caroline.

What happened that night? Was Caroline as innocent as she seemed – or was she hiding a secret of her own?

The thrilling new book from the number one digital bestselling author of The Doll House and The Girl Next Door.

Praise for The Babysitter:

‘I loved it, those twists!’ B A Paris

‘A cracking page-turner from Phoebe Morgan’ Cara Hunter

‘Fast-moving. Addictive. And all too possible’ Jane Corry

‘A mystery packed with twists and turns – Morgan knows how to ramp up the tension!’ Woman

‘This chilling thriller is packed with tension and twists!’ My Weekly

‘Smart, suspenseful and oh so twisty’ Victoria Selman

‘Another brilliant read – possibly my favourite of hers yet. Tense, twisty and gripping. I was NOT expecting that twist!’ Claire Allan

'Everything I love in a crime novel – a race-against-time mystery full of betrayal, divided loyalties, dubious men and relationships strained to breaking point. Hugely enjoyable and impossible to put down' Jane Casey

‘Smart and sophisticated… This is a dark, chilling thriller oozing with secrets, betrayals and twists’ John Marrs

‘A tense, smart thriller about betrayal, loyalty and the lengths people will go to to protect their carefully constructed lives. The suspense builds beautifully on every page until the final killer twist’ Niki Mackay