The Promised World

The Promised World

From the author of The Cure for Modern Life and Once Upon a Day comes a riveting story of suspense about a literature professor whose carefully constructed life is shattered after the death of her twin brother and the unraveling of the secret world they shared.

On a March afternoon, while Lila Cole is working in her quiet office, her twin brother, Billy, points an unloaded rifle out of a hotel window, closing down a city block. 'Suicide by police' was obviously Billy's intended result, but the aftermath of his death brings shock after shock for Lila when she discovers that her brilliant but troubled twin- the person she revered and was closer to than anyone in the world- was not only estranged from his wife, but also charged with endangering the life of his middle child and namesake, eight-year-old William.

In the aftermath of her twin's death, Lila falls apart. Soon her job, her marriage, her carefully constructed past- and even her sanity- are put at risk, as she tries to make sense of the life she knew with Billy and the long-buried secrets of their childhood. As Lila comes face-to-face with who her brother really was she soon realises that another life is in danger and that the past she has come to believe may soon be re-enacted, with the same devastating consequences.

The Promised World is a mesmerising tale of intimacy, betrayal and lost innocence that will haunt readers long after they have turned the final page.

'Tucker is a riveting storyteller whose book brims with a cathartic intelligence about the dark side of families and how we survive' - People Magazine.
'A masterfully told story that delves deep into the human psyche and examine the fragily of the human mind after a tragedy and the powerful, lifelong impact of childhood memories' - Booklist.
'Engrossing and suspenseful, Tucker's remarkable novel unveils the motives behind the curious behaviour and superfluous lies of unusually close-knit fraternal twins... a satisfying, imminently readable novel' - Publishers Weekly.
'A compulsively readable story... nothing is as it appears in this suspenseful, well-crafted look at truth and betrayal... a haunting, harrowing story' - Library Journal.

Lisa Tucker is the bestselling author of The Cure for Modern Life, Once Upon a Day, The Song Reader and Shout Down the Moon. She has also published short work in Seventeen, Pages and The Oxford American. She has advanced degrees in English and Maths and has taught creative writing at the Taos Conference and UCLA. She lives in Santa Fe and Philadelphia with her family.

The Promised World
Simon and Schuster
Author: Lisa Tucker
ISBN: 978073184466
Price: $32.99