After She Fell: A haunting psychological thriller with a shocking twist
A darkly compelling psychological thriller, full of twists and turns, perfect for fans of AFTER ANNA, HE SAID/SHE SAID and AFTER I’VE GONE.There are so many ways to fall…Catriona needs help. Her seventeen-year-old daughter Elena was found dead at the bottom of a cliff near her boarding school. The death has been ruled a suicide, but Catriona isn’t convinced.When her old friend, journalist Alex Devlin, arrives in Hallow’s Edge to investigate, she quickly finds that life at private boarding school The Drift isn’t as idyllic as the bucolic setting might suggest.Amidst a culture of drug-taking, bullying and tension between school and village, no one is quite who they seem to be, and there are several people who might have wanted Elena to fall…
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This is a work of fiction. Any references to real people, living or dead, real events, businesses, organizations and localities are intended only to give the fiction a sense of reality and authenticity. All names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the authorâs imagination or are used fictitiously, and their resemblance, if any, to real-life counterparts is entirely coincidental.
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First published by HarperCollinsPublishers 2016
Copyright © Mary-Jane Riley 2016
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Cover layout design by Micaela Alcaino © HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 2017
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Ebook Edition © APRIL 2016 ISBN: 9780008181093
Version 2017-12-08
For my brothers: Patrick, Robert and Francis.
Table of Contents
Hunched against the wind that knifed through him, and trying to avoid the spray stinging his weathered cheeks even more, he didnât see the body at first.
He had pulled his battered old overcoat tightly around himself, shifted his carrier bag of belongings from one hand to the other, watching as his feet sank into the sand, each footprint filling with water then draining away. He raised his head and, in the early grey half-light, saw what looked like seaweed in the ebb and flow of the sea on the shore. He squinted. Not seaweed, but hair, floating in the water. He moved closer. A girl, and a young one at that, pale face pummelled beyond all recognition and part of her scalp missing. Her body was at an awkward angle to her head â one eye gazing sightlessly up to the dark sky â lying like a broken puppet. Poor lass, he thought, poor, poor lass. He looked up and thought he could see a figure on top of the cliff where the end of the road had fallen into the sea. He thought he could see someone, but he wasnât sure. A seagull wheeled and mewled above him.
The daughter of a top politician took her own life after a history of depression and eating disorders, an inquest has heard.
The body of Elena Devonshire, the 17-year-old daughter of MEP Catriona Devonshire, was found in December at the foot of cliffs in Hallowâs Edge, North Norfolk, close to the school where she was a pupil.
A post-mortem examination revealed Elena died from multiple injuries consistent with a fall. Toxicology tests also showed a small quantity of cannabis in her system.
Yesterdayâs inquest was told that, between the ages of fourteen and sixteen, Elena had suffered from depression, coupled with an eating disorder.
PC Vic Spring from Norfolk Police said a text from the teenager to her mother had been discovered on the teenagerâs phone, found in her bedroom at The Drift â the private boarding school she attended â which âstrongly indicatedâ she had intended taking her own life. âThere was no suspicious evidence leading to her death and no neglect of care exhibited by the staff at her school,â he said.
Norfolk coroner, Sarah Knight, recorded a verdict of suicide.
After the inquest Mrs Devonshire said, although her daughter had been treated for depression and an eating disorder in the past, she had since made a full recovery. âMy daughter was looking forward to getting home for Christmas,â she said.
Ingrid Farrar, one of two head teachers at the co-educational school, said, âOur hearts go out to Mrs Devonshire and Elenaâs stepfather, Mark Munro, at this difficult time. The school has a robust pastoral care policy and we are more than satisfied we helped Elena all we could.â
