– No. 6 Sunday Times bestseller
– No. 1 Audible bestseller
– Shortlisted ‘Page Turner’ award, Hearst Big Book Awards 2018
– Shortlisted ‘Most Recommended Read’ award, Dead Good Book Reader Awards 2018
– Longlisted National Book Awards Crime & Thriller 2018

THE FEAR 

The Fear with Karin quote

‘Went to some very dark places, twisting and turning all the way. I found it gripping and horribly believable.’
Ian Rankin

Sometimes your first love won’t let you go…

When Lou Wandsworth ran away to France with her teacher Mike Hughes, she thought he was the love of her life. But Mike wasn’t what he seemed and he left her life in pieces.

Now 32, Lou discovers that he is involved with teenager Chloe Meadows. Determined to make sure history doesn’t repeat itself, she returns home to confront him for the damage he’s caused.

But Mike is a predator of the worst kind, and as Lou tries to bring him to justice, it’s clear that she could once again become his prey…

The million copy Sunday Times bestseller returns with a taut, compelling psychological thriller that will have you glued to the edge of your seat.

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The Fear is not currently available in the USA.

If you live outside of the UK and The Fear is not available in your country you can buy it from the The Book Depository (free worldwide shipping).

‘Chilling, thrilling, relentlessly paced and full of twists that will make you gasp, this novel will keep you guessing right until it’s brilliant, heart-thumping conclusion.’
Heat

‘Dark, twisty and driven by revenge, with a nice sting in its tale.’
Woman & Home

‘Smart, packing a punch to the heart, and dark in all the right places, The Fear has bestseller written all over it. A million dollar new story from a million selling author.’ Sarah Pinborough (author of Behind Her Eyes)

‘A skewering portrait of obsessive love and psychological manipulation, this book gets under the skin from the outset and won’t let you go until you’ve gasped at THAT ending. This is Taylor’s best book yet.’
CJ Cooke (author of I Know My Name)

‘Wow! Such a fast-paced, gripping, tense thriller. My heart was in my mouth at the end. Her best yet!’
Claire Douglas (author of Local Girl Missing)

‘Fans of C.L. Taylor are in for a treat. The Fear is her best yet.’
Clare Mackintosh (author of I Let You Go)

‘Dark, disturbing and addictive.’
B.A. Paris (author of Behind Closed Doors)

‘A terrifying glimpse into a dark subject. This brilliant book stayed with me long after I finished the last page.’
Cass Green (author of In a Cottage in a Wood)

‘A highly original and timely tale that kept me utterly enthralled and entertained from beginning to end.’
Liz Nugent (author of Unravelling Oliver)

‘A total corker! Twisted, unbearably tense and a shock ending.’
CJ Tudor (author of The Chalk Man)

‘AMAZING. Exciting, hard-hitting and impossible to put down. Easily her best yet.’
Mark Edwards (author of Follow You Home)

‘When you finish a book and your lungs hurt because you’ve FORGOTTEN TO BREATHE.’
Miranda Dickinson (author of Searching for a Silver Lining)

‘Dark and disturbing. This is a book I will remember for a long time.’
Rachel Abbott (author of The Sixth Window)

‘A gripping and disturbing psychological thriller, The Fear is as addictive as it is dark.’
Lucy Clarke (author of Last Seen)

‘Just brilliant. A dark, compelling thriller with an ending that chilled me to the core. Not to be missed!’
Nuala Elwood (author of My Sister’s Bones)

‘A tense heart-stopper! CL Taylor’s story-telling goes from strength to strength in this tense tale of revenge gone horribly wrong’
My Weekly

‘Tense, twisty, terrifying—with one of the best premises I’ve read in ages.’
Julie Cohen (author of Together)

‘I lost my entire weekend to it! What an absolutely cracking read…pacy, well written, and anxiety inducing.’
Lisa Hall (author of Between You and Me)

‘The Fear is a compulsive read, that forces the reader to consider just how far they would go to protect themselves and those around them. I could not put this book down!’
Emma Kavanagh (author of The Missing Hours)

‘It’s a close call as the bar’s set so high but this has to be C.L. Taylor’s best yet. SO entertaining, high on the shock-factor and yet totally ‘real’.’
Caz Frear (author of Sweet Little Lies)

‘C.L. Taylor knows how to spin a thriller; clever, compulsive, unflinching, this one gets darker with every chapter. I can heartily recommend.’
Colette McBeth (author of An Act of Silence)

‘Dark, claustrophobic realism – I was completely gripped.’
Mel Sherratt (author of She Did It)

‘The Fear covers very dark territory, but it is handled realistically and sensitively through her excellent writing… I flew through this book, desperate to know how it was all going to pan out as the tension was firmly ratcheted up… Fantastically plotted and perfectly paced, this dark thriller gets a standing ovation from me.’ S.J.I. Holliday (author of The Damsel Fly)

‘Dark, disturbing and entirely believable. I couldn’t put it down. A triumph.’
Rosie Walsh (author of The Man Who Didn’t Call)

Rights

  • World: Madeleine Milburn Agency
  • UK & Commonwealth: HarperCollins/Avon
  • Czech:Domino
  • Danish: Jentas
  • Dutch: Ambo Anthos  
  • French: Marabout/Hachette Libre
  • Hindi: Kottayam Pushpanath Publications
  • Icelandic: Drapa Forlag
  • Latvian: Kontinents
  • Malayalam: Kottayam Pushpanath Publications
  • Polish: Wydawnictwo Albatros
  • Portuguese: Topseller  
  • Swedish: Jentas
  • Talim: Kottayam Pushpanath Publications