It's been eight years since Amy Brunswick was institutionalised for the murder of five people, including her own father. Now a teenager, and having undergone extensive rehabilitation and psychological evaluation, she is released from Whispers Ward and now faces integration into the world beyond, an environment she has been absent from for more than a decade. With no one for support and a few pounds in her pocket, she faces a fresh start, one that gives her a chance to redeem for her earlier sins.
But she isn't alone.
Despite the rehabilitation, the presence of Charlotte is still buried deep within Amy. Her imaginary friend has taken a back seat, but the evil spirit remains, untouched and maturing. And despite the psychological evaluations, Amy hasn't forgotten who incarcerated her, either.
No, she hasn't forgotten about her mother, the woman who dumped her at Whispers Ward eight years earlier. A mother who abandoned her for a fresh life with a new family, a new husband, a new house and three new children. A woman who disowned her first daughter in shame, and moved on because she couldn't handle the responsibility. Remembering the past brings Charlotte to the surface once more, but Amy is her own woman now. She can handle her own business, can stand on her own two feet, and doesn't need the help of her imaginary friend any more.
Which is when Amy decides to find her mother for a little reunion...
Genre: FICTION / HorrorThe conclusion to The Charlotte Chronicles, Amy was critically acclaimed on release. Since the novel was a result of popular reader feedback, the title was anticipated through promotion and buzz, not to mention the popularity of the previous instalments in the series. A few lucky readers even found themselves killed off in the book itself.
Highest Amazon Chart: #2 in Horror/Thriller
Much like the other titles in the series, Amy is immensely popular at conventions, and sold really well on release, which had a knock-on effect to Charlotte and Awakening. At the time of writing this, it's the highest ranked title of the trilogy on Amazon (Top 450 in Horror/Thriller). Of all my titles, The Charlotte Chronicles is my most demanded for a foreign language translation.
Dr Stone nodded. "So you believe she is innocent?"
"No, I believe she's a very troubled soul, someone who lost her childhood and most of her teenage years to a mistake … five mistakes. She hasn't spoken much during her stay here, so we might never know why she did what she did. But, I think her stay has certainly cured her. Her instinct to kill has subsided, if we exclude last night's incident. I believe she is sane, that she's cured, and that she can make it out in the world given the chance."
"Maybe. Does she have any family?"
Zoe closed the file and lifted a post-it note from the back cover. "Her mother. She has since moved on, remarried, and has a new life outside of Lake Whisper. She filed documents to keep her daughter away from her and to not disclose her location, should Amy ever be released."
"Ah yes, I have the file in my safe. She asked me to keep it secret, locked away, to keep her daughter from ever finding her. She paid me a hefty sum too."
Dr Stone chuckled. "Great parenting, huh?"
Zoe nodded, adding "I don’t blame the woman."
"Family complicates things, trust me."
Zoe nodded.
She butted the files into a neat pile and leaned back in the chair. She watched Dr Stone as he bobbled in his seat, the springs squeaking beneath his moderate weight. He laced his fingers together. "So, do we release her?"
Zoe paused. "What about last night? If we release someone less than twenty-four hours after they killed someone, it could raise a few eyebrows."
"It could have us shut down," the doctor retorted.
