A BEST-selling Bromsgrove author has written a dark and twisted psychological thriller set in Worcester and inspired by her own experience.
Former BBC producer Sue Watson’s latest book ‘The Empty Nest’ tells the story of a woman whose daughter is away at university, and mysteriously disappears in the first term.
Sue, whose two previous novels hit the top of the best-sellers’ lists in both the UK and America, said her latest work was inspired by her own daughter leaving home to go to university.
She said: “I thought: ‘how crazy is this?
“We’ve nurtured and protected our child all her life, and at the age of 18 we’re driving her to another city, moving her into a house full of strangers and just leaving her there.
“I remember driving home after saying goodbye and felt like I’d left one of my limbs behind.”
She said thankfully her daughter loved university life but the whole experience made her think about children leaving home, the potential fears and the empty nest they had left behind.
“What if there is potential for danger, both outside and inside that nest?”
Sue chose to set the novel in Worcester because she loves the city.
“I’ve set previous novels here, it has so much for the writer, along with the history, there’s the river, the Cathedral, the university and the wonderful mix of people.
“I wanted this story to start here – and end here – but I won’t say any more – no spoilers.”
The Empty Nest, described as ‘a gripping and suspenseful psychological thriller with more twists and turns than a rollercoaster and an ending that will blow readers’ minds’.
It has been published by Bookouture/Hachette and is available to buy as a paperback or ebook on Amazon, Kobo and iTunes.
