Clare Leslie Hall – författare

​*****AMAZON'S BOOK OF THE YEAR​​​*****INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES AND NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERREESE WITHERSPOON'S BOOK CLUB PICK FEARNE COTTON'S HAPPY PLACE BOOK CLUB PICK'An unforgettable story of love, loss, and the choices that shape our lives . . . but it's also a masterfully crafted mystery that will keep you guessing until the very last page. Seriously, that ending?! I did not see it coming'REESE WITHERSPOON'This story of a love affair is so addictive it could be at home with the thrillers . . . A simmering book of secrets, scandal and devastating consequences' The i'I defy you not to be in tears by the end of this book' HARRIET TYCE, author of Witch Trial'Excellent . . . a vivid, forceful love story which plays out at the pace of a thriller' Irish Times'In this surprising romantic novel, there are decisions to be made that are heartbreaking and real, yet amid the gentle pastoral setting . . . it has all the pace of a literary thriller. A dazzling debut' Woman and Home'Beautiful . . . So moving on the subject of how a tiny decision can have cataclysmic consequences' Good HousekeepingEveryone in the village said nothing good would come of Gabriel's return. And as Beth looks at the man she loves on trial for murder, she can't help thinking they were right. Beth was seventeen when she first met Gabriel. Over that heady, intense summer, he made her think and feel and see differently. She thought it was the start of her great love story. When Gabriel left to become the person his mother expected him to be, she was broken. It was Frank who picked up the pieces and together they built a home very different from the one she'd imagined with Gabriel. Watching her husband and son, she remembered feeling so sure that, after everything, this was the life she was supposed to be leading. But when Gabriel comes back, all Beth's certainty about who she is and what she wants crumbles. Even after ten years, their connection is instant. She knows it's wrong and she knows people could get hurt. But how can she resist a second chance at first love? A love story with the pulse of a thriller, Broken Country is a heart-pounding novel of impossible choices and devastating consequences.'Lyrical, brutal and passionate. I devoured it'MIRANDA COWLEY HELLER, author of The Paper Palace'Evocative, sensitive and compelling . . . Fires directly at the heart and hits the mark'DELIA OWENS, author of Where the Crawdads Sing'Broke my heart then mended it again. An epic, tortured love story. Bring tissues'JENNIE GODFREY, author of The List of Suspicious Things'I stayed up until 4am to finish it, something I haven't done in years. It's a page-turner, but also beautifully written'FLORENCE KNAPP, author of The Names 'A love story like no other'CHRIS WHITAKER, author of All the Colours of the DarkREADERS LOVE BROKEN COUNTRY ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'This book is everything. Love, heartbreak and hope''Will break you into pieces and then put you back together again''I was absolutely gripped and didn't want it to end''If I could give more than five stars, I would. Perfect'

A life-changing love story. A devastating decision.1972. Alice Garland can't take her eyes off Jacob Earl. With his black curls and snakeskin boots, the lead singer of the Disciples commands the stage. It's the beginning of a passionate relationship. For a while it feels like they're at the centre of something electrifying. But it doesn't take long before the dream starts to fall apart.2000. Even the arrival of his gorgeous baby son can't stop Luke feeling like an outsider. When he finds his birth mother, Alice, it seems like he's found the missing piece in his life. And she seems delighted to be a grandmother.But Alice is still battling with demons of her own - she's still not forgotten the heart-breaking event that forced her to give up Luke.She will do anything to stop history repeating itself.'I lost sleep over this. Beautifully told . . . I loved it' JANE CORRY, author of My Husband's Wife'Haunting and heart-rending' VICTORIA SELMAN, author of Truly Darkly Deeply'The grip of a thriller, but the emotional depth of a tragic love story. A heart-wrenching novel about families and love that will stay with me for a very long time' FRANCESCA JAKOBI, author of BitterPreviously published as MINE under Clare Empson

Her silence destroyed him. Only the truth will set them free. A page-turning story of love, obsession and guilt with a jaw-dropping twist, from the author of Broken Country. Catherine has experienced something so traumatic that she can't speak. Or won't speak. The doctors say the only way forward is to look into her past.Fifteen years ago, Catherine met the love of her life at university. Lucian was charming, adored her and she was drawn into the hedonistic and careless lifestyle of his wealthy friends. They were inseparable - then one morning Catherine left him without a word. She married, had two children, and was convinced she'd moved on. But when they are unexpectedly reunited, the memories of their intoxicating love affair come rushing back. They could be that boy and girl again, and this time get it right. To do that, Catherine will have to tell Lucian why she left all those years ago.She's lived with the truth. But can he? 'Dark, addictive and ultimately heart-breaking' RUTH HOGAN, author of The Keeper of Lost Things'Taut and sophisticated, not a word wasted. I loved this book' FRANCESCA JAKOBI, author of Bitter'Elegant and pacey. Brideshead recalibrated by way of Big Little Lies' LEX COULTON, author of Falling Short

IT WAS A SECRET AFFAIR. UNTIL IT WAS A PUBLIC SCANDAL.'Lyrical, brutal and passionate. I devoured it' MIRANDA COWLEY HELLER, author of The Paper Palace'Evocative, sensitive and compelling . . . Fires directly at the heart and hits the mark' DELIA OWENS, author of Where the Crawdads Sing'Broke my heart then mended it again. An epic, tortured love story. Bring tissues'JENNIE GODFREY, author of The List of Suspicious Things'A love story like no other' CHRIS WHITAKER, author of All the Colours of the DarkEveryone in the village said nothing good would come of Gabriel's return. And as Beth looks at the man she loves on trial for murder, she can't help thinking they were right. Beth was seventeen when she first met Gabriel. Over that heady, intense summer, he made her think and feel and see differently. She thought it was the start of her great love story. When Gabriel left to become the person his mother expected him to be, she was broken. It was Frank who picked up the pieces and together they built a home very different from the one she'd imagined with Gabriel. Watching her husband and son, she remembered feeling so sure that, after everything, this was the life she was supposed to be leading. But when Gabriel comes back, all Beth's certainty about who she is and what she wants crumbles. Even after ten years, their connection is instant. She knows it's wrong and she knows people could get hurt. But how can she resist a second chance at first love? A love story with the pulse of a thriller, Broken Country is a heart-pounding novel of impossible choices and devastating consequences.READERS LOVE BROKEN COUNTRY ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'This book is everything. Love, heartbreak and hope''Will break you into pieces and then put you back together again''I was absolutely gripped and didn't want it to end''If I could give more than five stars, I would. Perfect'

​*****AMAZON'S BOOK OF THE YEAR​​​*****INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES AND NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERREESE WITHERSPOON'S BOOK CLUB PICK FEARNE COTTON'S HAPPY PLACE BOOK CLUB PICKAMANDA LAMB BOOK CLUB PICK'I stayed up until 4am to finish it, something I haven't done in years. It's a page-turner, but also beautifully written'FLORENCE KNAPP, author of The Names'An unforgettable story of love, loss, and the choices that shape our lives . . . but it's also a masterfully crafted mystery that will keep you guessing until the very last page. Seriously, that ending?! I did not see it coming'REESE WITHERSPOON'This story of a love affair is so addictive it could be at home with the thrillers . . . A simmering book of secrets, scandal and devastating consequences' The i'Excellent . . . a vivid, forceful love story which plays out at the pace of a thriller' Irish Times'In this surprising romantic novel, there are decisions to be made that are heartbreaking and real, yet amid the gentle pastoral setting . . . it has all the pace of a literary thriller. A dazzling debut' Woman and Home'Beautiful . . .So moving on the subject of how a tiny decision can have cataclysmic consequences' Good Housekeeping'Wistful love meets murder . . . a tear-jerker' GraziaEveryone in the village said nothing good would come of Gabriel's return. And as Beth looks at the man she loves on trial for murder, she can't help thinking they were right. Beth was seventeen when she first met Gabriel. Over that heady, intense summer, he made her think and feel and see differently. She thought it was the start of her great love story. When Gabriel left to become the person his mother expected him to be, she was broken. It was Frank who picked up the pieces and together they built a home very different from the one she'd imagined with Gabriel. Watching her husband and son, she remembered feeling so sure that, after everything, this was the life she was supposed to be leading. But when Gabriel comes back, all Beth's certainty about who she is and what she wants crumbles. Even after ten years, their connection is instant. She knows it's wrong and she knows people could get hurt. But how can she resist a second chance at first love? A love story with the pulse of a thriller, Broken Country is a heart-pounding novel of impossible choices and devastating consequences.'Lyrical, brutal and passionate. I devoured it'MIRANDA COWLEY HELLER, author of The Paper Palace'Evocative, sensitive and compelling . . . Fires directly at the heart and hits the mark'DELIA OWENS, author of Where the Crawdads Sing'Broke my heart then mended it again. An epic, tortured love story. Bring tissues'JENNIE GODFREY, author of The List of Suspicious Things'Had me hooked from start to finish . . . a really great book' DAWN O'PORTER, author of Cat Lady'A love story like no other'CHRIS WHITAKER, author of All the Colours of the DarkREADERS LOVE BROKEN COUNTRY ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'This book is everything. Love, heartbreak and hope''Will break you into pieces and then put you back together again''I was absolutely gripped and didn't want it to end''If I could give more than five stars, I would. Perfect'