The Tens — Vanessa Jones

A compelling suspense thriller that will have you confronting your own demons Every night since Sophie's thirtieth birthday, she has been jolted out of her sleep by the same nightmare. Then, her husband inexplicably vanishes. She finds solace in a soothing therapist and is on the road to reclaiming her life. That is, until she notices her husband's keyring in her therapist's handbag. When she decides to trail her therapist home, all she wants is to find her husband. But the people in the woods have other ideas… The Tens is a psychological thriller that tackles the theme of mysticism versus madness that won't stop until you've uncovered the truth about Sophie… and yourself. 'The white rock, which was nearly her height, loomed at her with a reflective sheen. The hollows in its side looked like eyes, terrifying and watching. Sophie could hear it laughing at her, like a cartoon character. Menacing mirth that echoed from nowhere but also all around her during a night that was as cold as it looked in the heart of the woods.Despite the fear, Sophie strode up to it and laid her creased hand on the chalky surface, wanting to know if it was real. Her palm slipped upwards and she wobbled on her feet. She could have sworn the rock moved to spite her. Or maybe it was the sudden ferocious wind that had knocked her off balance. She dropped to her knees, as if she were at the mercy of an altar; hoping to be relieved of the haunting of that white rock. Sophie knew she had to get out of there, dizzy with the desire to run away from the rock and the maniacal laughter. But no matter where she turned, she couldn't find any openings in the trees that were beginning to buck in the wild wind. In fact, with every blink, the army of trees hugged tighter together and seemed to circle in on Sophie. Like they were arm in arm, moving forth as one. With the wind all but drowning out the laughter, she pressed her back against the reflective rock and waited…' The Tens has been published in Australian/British English.