From Louise Millar, the acclaimed author of The Playdate , comes a gripping psychological thriller where one woman’s streak of bad luck may be something far more sinister. A MAGNETIC AND CHILLING NEW THRILLER FROM HIGHLY ACCLAIMED AUTHOR LOUISE MILLAR Kate Parker has weathered unimaginable horrors—her parents died in a traffic accident on her wedding night, and her husband, Hugo, was murdered in a tragic break-in gone wrong. All she has left is her young son, Jack, and determined to make a better future for him, she attempts to pull her life back together. But are she and her son safe? *Starred Review* Kate Parker’s extraordinarily bad luck—both parents killed in a freak traffic accident on her wedding day, her husband murdered at home five years later—has left her wary about everything and overprotective of her 10-year-old son, Jack. Even her concerns about such warning flags as recent burglaries and a creepy neighbor’s behavior are considered just skittish Kate’s overreactions, especially by her in-laws, who threaten to raise Jack themselves. Kate’s sole and virtually obsessional solace lies in finding statistics showing the probability of danger in everyday life. So she’s instantly attracted to the book Beat the Odds and Change Your Life, left casually in a juice bar, and to its author, Jago Martin, an Edinburgh professor guest-lecturing at Oxford, who offers to help Kate deal with her anxiety. The risky activities Jago proposes actually make Kate feel alive again—the unlikely result of a pathological plan fueled by revenge. Fans of Millar’s accomplished debut, The Playdate (2012), won’t be surprised to find that things are not always what they seem here and that paranoia may indeed be just increased awareness. As Millar makes truth elusive and builds suspense, she is establishing herself in the top tier of writers of psychological thrillers. --Michele Leber "A deliciously disturbing read, with paranoia seeping from every page." -- Alex Marwood “Taut, chilling and utterly brilliant- my thriller of the year.” -- Lisa Jewell "As Millarmakes truth elusive and builds suspense, she is establishing herself in the toptier of writers of psychological thrillers." ― Booklist (starred review) "Louise Millar’s Accidents Happen is everything I hope forin a suspenseful read – chilling, complex and intense. Millar’s riveting novel,with its frightening premise and twists and turns kept me frantically turningpages late into the night." -- Heather Gudenkauf ― New York Times bestselling author of The Weight of Silence Louise Millar began her journalism career in various music and film magazines and spent seven years at Marie Claire as senior editor and contributing editor. She has written for Mojo , Marie Claire , Red , Psychologies , The Independent , Glamour , and The Guardian , among others. She lives in London with her husband and daughters. Accidents Happen 1 Something had happened. Something unexpected. He could tell by the maverick puff of gray smoke that hung above the M40 motorway; by the kaleidoscope jam of cars glinting under an otherwise blue sky; by the way the drivers craned their necks out of windows to see what was up ahead. Jack kicked his soccer boots together in the backseat, feeling carsick. “Where are we?” “Nearly there. Oh, will you get out the bloody way! What is wrong with these . . . ?” He glanced up to see his mother glaring in the rearview mirror. Behind them in the slow lane, a truck jutted up to the back of their car, its engine growling. “Him?” Kate nodded crossly. “He’s right up my back,” she complained, clicking on her indicator and looking for an empty space in the adjacent lane. Jack rubbed his face, which was still sticky and red from running around the soccer field. The May afternoon hot air that blew in the window was mucky with exhaust as three thick rows of traffic tried in vain to force their way toward Oxford. “I can’t even see his lights now. . . .” A sharp spasm gripped Jack’s stomach. It made the nausea worse. He returned to his computer game. “Mum. Chill out. They probably have sensors or something to tell them when they’re going to hit something.” “Do they?” She waved to a tiny hatchback in the middle lane that was flashing her to move in. “What, even the older ones?” “Hmm?” he replied, pressing a button. “Jack? Even old trucks, like that?” He shrugged. “I don’t know. I mean, they don’t want to hit you, Mum. They don’t want to go to jail.” Without looking up, he knew she was shaking her head. “Yeah, well, it’s the one who’s not thinking that you’ve got to worry about, Jack. Last year, this British couple got killed by a French truck doing the same thing—he was texting someone in a traffic jam and ran right over them. He didn’t even know he’d done it, they were so squashed.” “You told me,” Jack said. He flicked the little man back and forward, trying to get to the next level, trying to take his mind off his stomach. “Oh,