I’m delighted to wish Caroline England ‘Happy Publication Day’ on the launch of her latest novel The Return of Frankie Whittle. The setting of the book is taken from Caroline’s experience of strolling around a modern gated community built on the site of a Victorian workhouse. It had been inhabited by poor and destitute ‘inmates’, who had to obey strict rules for fear of such punishments as confinement in the stocks, or in the dungeon, or worse…So be aware if you go through these particular gates. Once you enter, will they ever let you leave?
What’s the Book About?
Frankie Whittle has it all: a career in the City, a gorgeous husband and a baby on the way. It’s the perfect life, but it’s built on sand. In one terrifying night, everything she has worked so hard for unravels.
She needs a fresh start. When she discovers the very place she was born has been converted into a beautiful gated community, it feels like serendipity. After all she’s been through, has she found her dream home?
They say you should never go back, that the past is a foreign country, filled with devastating secrets. How far will those around her go to keep their secrets safe?
What’s the word on the street?
‘After a less than idyllic childhood Frankie is determined to be the best mum she can be. But what little she knows of her family’s dark past is nothing compared to the danger the future holds. Her happy life is about to disintegrate around her. An unsettling psychological thriller that taps into our deepest fears – Frankie needs you.’ – PAUL BURKE Crime Time FM
‘Full of twists and turns, I couldn’t put this down. A taut, claustrophobic thriller that left me breathless. Great stuff!’ -SIMON McCLEAVE
‘Brilliant – I loved it. When Caroline England writes a novel under Guy Hale’s Bullington Press imprint, you know in your bones you’re in for one hell of a good read. And The Return of Frankie Whittle is an absolute scorcher. A beautiful and insightful slow-burner of a story, infused with tension and a menace that constantly plays around your peripheral vision, it builds inexorably into a taut, suspenseful thriller layered with depths of intrigue and laced with sudden revelations that send you off in totally unexpected directions. Frankie is a tough, determined character who won’t be beaten… or led. Seriously recommended.’ – CHRIS LLOYD
‘There’s an ominous sense of impending disaster from the start of this creepy thriller and when the shocks come they’re deeply disturbing and unsettling. Real shades of Rosemary’s Baby and as a big Ira Levin fan that’s a real compliment. Top work.’ – TREVOR WOOD
‘Serpentine, unsettling to its core, and just-one-more-chapter gripping, it will leave you gasping and thrilled.’ – ROB PARKER
‘A dark, gripping, claustrophobic thriller with a terrifying premise that will leave you gasping the whole way. Thriller fans will be hooked.’ – A. A. CHAUDHURI
‘Full of twists, unpredictable and gut-wrenching, The Return of Frankie Whittle held me spell-bound until the last word.’ – KAARON WARREN
‘A rich tapestry of characters with secrets and lies that fold into each other. I thoroughly enjoyed The Return of Frankie Whittle’ – JANE ISSAC
About the Author
Caroline England was born and brought up in Sheffield and studied Law at the University of Manchester. She was a divorce and professional indemnity lawyer before turning her hand to writing. As well as The Return of Frankie Whittle, out in February 2025, Caroline is the author of domestic psychological thrillers The Stranger Beside Me, The Sinner, Truth Games, Betray Her, the top ten ebook bestseller My Husband’s Lies, and her debut, Beneath the Skin. She also writes gothic-tinged thrillers under the pen name CE Rose, namely The House of Hidden Secrets, The House on the Water’s Edge, The Shadows of Rutherford House and The Attic at Wilton Place. She lives in Manchester with her family.
