The empty hearth - Kitty Neale

This family saga, packed with dark secrets, from Sunday Times bestseller Kitty Neale, will tug at the heartstrings.

Millie Pratchett's life is not an easy one.

Her dad, coalman Alfie, is a bully, and his vicious temper dominates their small terraced house in Battersea. His teenage children, handsome John and ugly-duckling Millie, have learnt to dodge his moods but Millie lives in fear for her mother, Eileen.

When Alfie's tyranny forces Eileen into an impossible position, a crisis erupts. The Pratchetts' old life collapses around them and a new, darker future looms. But people are not always what they seem; could Millie turn out to be far stronger and more resilient than anyone could have imagined ?

Perfect for fans of Nadine Dorries and Katie Flynn, this is an emotional family saga from the Sunday Times bestselling author of A Mother's Sacrifice and A Family Scandal.