Orla Bayne

Childhood soulmates, Holly and Georgia, are in their first term at university in Edinburgh. But when impressionable Georgia is drawn to an elite clique of young women, Holly is sceptical, sensing a more sinister bond between them than friendship.

After shocking events, Holly finds herself more suspicious than ever that something is wrong at Solasta Finance and at the heart of the clique. Georgia is more distant than ever and everyone seems to be pretending there’s a perfectly reasonable explanation for everything that’s happened. When Georgia announces that she’s been accepted onto the internship scheme and is moving into the girls’ house, Holly finds herself cut off. Stuck in halls with only Elizabeth for company, she decides to get proactive. As she digs deeper into the glittering world of Alistair McDermid, Jude and her girls, Holly finds herself increasingly suspicious of their behaviour but at the same time drawn to the life they represent. When banker Rory takes a very personal interest in Holly, she might have found her perfect invite to the party.

Holly is ready to start her new life as part of Jude’s clique. But as Georgia continues to push for a competitive position at Solasta, Holly remains suspicious – a feeling that gets even stronger when she starts to receive warning messages from a mysterious stranger. As the pressures mount on Georgia, Jude and her other girls pull tight, clinging to their old loyalties and turning a blind eye to the extraordinary circumstances around them. On an evening out, things come to a head and both new and old friendships find themselves tested to breaking point.

Just as Holly is getting comfortable in her new life in the clique, a devastating discovery makes her question everything - the girls, Jude, Alistair, even Rory. As she plumbs the depths of everyone’s secrets and lies, Holly discovers greater danger and damage than she ever suspected.

Holly’s been taken right to the edge and now she’s doubting every choice she’s made along the way – who she’s trusted, how she’s acted. The stakes are sky high and there’s nowhere left to turn. With everything seemingly out on the table, everyone must account for their behaviour and the part they’ve played in the terrible events of this first term – some will step up and some will slink away. But even now, there’s one more card to play and broken as she is, Holly will have to forge forward in the final battle to save Georgia from the darkness that has embroiled them all.

With her worst fears confirmed, Holly must now take matters into her own hands to get justice. But as her alliances shift and groups close ranks, Holly finds herself torn between relationships old and new and unsure who, if anyone, she can trust. Her vigilante actions lead to shocking consequences.