Losing a loved one is never easy… But for Rosa Thorn, the death of husband Rob in a hit-and-run accident has had tragic consequences for the whole family. With added money problems, Rosa is forced to take a job as a drama teacher in order to pay for her children’s private school fees. So when a new lodger, a respectable policeman, fits seamlessly into the household, Rosa finally allows herself to believe that they’ve turned a corner. But this faint glimmer of hope is quickly extinguished. Dead, mutilated animals start appearing on the Thorn doorstep. A sinister man is stalking her daughter, Anna, and the body of a young girl is found in the neighbourhood park. Nobody is above suspicion and the more Rosa encounters the friendly façade of urban living, the more she is convinced that there is a terrifying world lurking just under the surface. With a potential murder case to solve, suddenly everybody becomes a suspect… Thorn is a gripping blend of family drama and grizzly mystery, dragging the reader into the complexities of love and loss, and deeper into the depravity of the human mind. ‘An outstanding debut’ – Time Out ‘One of those rare and energetic books you can’t put down yet don’t want to end’ - The Times ‘A compelling, dark-hued psychological thriller that eerily captures some of London’s more sinister undercurrents and sense of menace’ - Guardian ‘In her atmospheric novel Thorn, Vena Cork skilfully builds a sinister feeling of menace surrounding her heroine’ - Sunday Telegraph ‘This gripping, edgy novel is good, believe me. For a first novel, it is better than good. The portrayal of life is awfully well handled and shrewdly characterised… she hooks her reader from the start. Well done, Vena!’ - Colin Dexter Vena Cork is from Lancashire, but has lived in London all her adult life. She attended Homerton College, Cambridge, where she was a member of Cambridge Footlights. She is married to the art critic Richard Cork and lives in North West London.