'Sonia, forty-three, is a strikingly attractive wife and mother with a lovely house overlooking the Thames in London. Her life is a picture of perfection and normalcy. But when fifteen-year-old Jez, the gorgeous nephew of a neighbor and friend, shows up on her doorstep one evening, she's prepared to sacrifice it all to keep him. Fiercely drawn to Jez by a compulsion that she scarcely understands, Sonia finds herself holding him hostage in her home, awakening a torrent of memories of a wild and intense teenage relationship that unveil the tragic events at the root of her obsession and build up to a brilliant ending. A fast paced and darkly compelling psychological thriller, KEPT IN THE DARK is a story about the power of obsession and the crime next door, where apparent respectability can hide all manner of sins'--

A seemingly normal middle-aged wife and mother in England takes captive a gorgeous teenage boy, driven by a compulsion she doesn't understand and memories she has worked hard to forget. Simultaneous.

A seemingly normal middle-aged wife and mother in England takes captive a gorgeous teenage boy, driven by a compulsion she doesn't understand and memories she has worked hard to forget. Simultaneous.

A seemingly normal middle-aged wife and mother in England takes captive a gorgeous teenage boy, driven by a compulsion she doesn't understand and memories she has worked hard to forget. Simultaneous.

Greenwich, Londra. In un freddo pomeriggio di febbraio, Sonia apre la porta di casa a Jez, 15 anni, un amico del figlio. Il ragazzo vorrebbe vedere un raro disco di vinile, pensa di restare qualche minuto e andare via. Non uscirà più. Con una folle progressione geometrica, un passo dopo l'altro, Sonia fa in modo che Jez non lasci la casa sul fiume, fino a quando non scoprirà di esserne prigioniero, di non poter chiedere aiuto. La sola possibilità che gli resta è trovare un modo per convivere con lei, con quella donna che lo considera una cosa sua, un oggetto da proteggere, da custodire. Non ha altra strada se non venire a patti con la sua carceriera: del resto, chi lo cercherebbe mai in quella splendida, vecchia dimora in riva al Tamigi? Chi sospetterebbe di una moglie e madre esemplare, che non ha mai mostrato alcun segno di squilibrio? 'La casa sul fiume' è la storia di un'ossessione, di uno smarrimento che affonda le sue radici nei meandri più oscuri della psiche. Ed è la storia di una donna reale e vera come solo il dolore sa esserlo: perché la sua solitudine, i suoi ricordi, i suoi moventi parlano al cuore di ognuno di noi.

Award-winning original fiction for learners of English. On holiday in the Lake District with her new jet-skiing boyfriend, Nick, Laura meets the local vet, Robert. Robert dislikes both Laura and Nick on sight. However, Laura soon discovers why Robert hates people from the city. Slowly Laura and Robert get to know each other better, and she soon has to make a choice: Nick or Robert?

Modern, original fiction for learners of English. Nancy is a security guard at a detention centre for asylum seekers and refugees who have come to Britain to escape persecution in their own countries. Nancy thinks she has everything: a comfortable house, nice furniture, a boyfriend and a beautiful Rolex watch. Then she falls in love with George, an asylum seeker who has nothing, and her world changes completely.

Cambridge English Readers is an exciting new series of original fiction, specially written for learners of English. Graded into six levels - from elementary to advanced - the stories in this series provide easy and enjoyable reading on a wide range of contemporary topics and themes. Fanella bravely faces the challenge of adopting a child alone after her partner leaves her. But then Rod, a teacher who has problems of his own, comes into her life. Fanella has difficult choices and exciting discoveries to make.

Modern, original fiction for learners of English. It's Stephany and Max's first holiday together in Italy and they are staying at the flat of Stephany's friend, Carlos. Max is a little jealous of Carlos and Carlos's wife is certainly not happy to see Stephany. It becomes clear that there is more between Stephany and Carlos than just friendship and the tension rises between the two couples. As Max discovers more about Stephany's past, he begins to wonder if he really knows her at all.