The Things We Carry

Book 1: The Town

by Kate Anslinger, Lighthouse Pen LLC, Virtual Voice

Genres: Suspense; Romantic Suspense; Domestic Thrillers

Synopsis

A page-turning, domestic drama that tells the gripping story of two families faced with a tragedy that could change them forever.

Two couples.
Two daughters.
Two sons.
One tragedy.
Too many secrets.

Lauren Rivers has it all.

Two beautiful daughters, a doting husband, and a home that belongs on the cover of a magazine. She also has roots that run deep in the esteemed beach town of Flagport, Massachusetts.

When Evie Sullivan moves across the street, the two become fast friends. Evie is nothing like Lauren's other friends. She's quiet, contemplative, and holds steady to her modest upbringing. These are the things that Lauren loves about her new best friend.

But that all changes when Lauren's teenage daughter, Lily, is in a car accident. As Lauren races to the hospital to see the daughter she's always put on a pedestal, she runs into Evie's family. What she finds out next will threaten their friendship forever. Fears set in, secrets come to the surface, and one of the women must come to terms with her past.

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Release date: August 1, 2023

Publisher: Lighthouse Pen, LLC

Print pages: 262

Sample

After

APRIL 2021

Lauren

My eyes tear open with a start. Buzz, buzz, buzz.
I slap a hand on the nightstand, my palm landing on the dancing phone with impressive aim.
Twelve-thirty a.m. The time glows on the screen, teasing my thoughts.
Like any mother of two teenage daughters, I’m thrown into the worst-case scenarios and a
parade of tragic moments march through my head like soldiers in formation. Rape, drugs,
alcohol, accident.
Thirty minutes past Lily’s curfew. Maybe she’s stranded some‐ where and needs a ride? She is
the only one of her friends who doesn’t sample sips of alcohol at the high school parties, or so she
says. The truth is, I believe her. She’s always been so disciplined, so self-aware and organized.
The strait-laced kid who sifts through the popular circles, thanks to her good looks and outgoing
personality.
With one press of the green circle, a crackle comes through the receiver, followed by the stern
vocal cords of a man. The voice of an authority. “Mrs. Rivers?”
The title before my name catapults me upright, the quick movement sending a thousand bubbles
to my brain, followed by a wave of nausea.
“Yes, that’s me.” I push the words into the phone. Ryan, with lips parted, snores peacefully beside
me, a sleeping trait that I’d grown used to in nearly twenty years of marriage.
Tap tap tap. The wind outside pushes the branches against the glass in rapid succession. I focus
on the sound; its soothing repetition easing the fear that’s swelling inside me, as the next words hit
my ear with blunt force. “This is Officer Wright from the Flagport Police Department. There’s
been an accident.” ...