The Sanctuary

This well-crafted suspense novel from British author Duckworth (The Perfect Father) sets the hook with an arresting first line: “Did you know the number 1 cause of death in pregnant women is murder?” Four women sign up for a luxury, three-day prenatal retreat, held at a farm called the Sanctuary located in “deepest darkest Devon.” Owned by midwife Selina and her partner, Will, the Sanctuary offers yoga, cooking demonstrations, counselling, healing crystals, and nature walks. The guests are Nicky, pregnant at 42 with her third child; Nicky’s much younger half sister, Bonnie, who has yet to say who the father of her unborn child is; blunt-talking Poppy; and Georgia, a journalist who has been offered a free stay in exchange for what Selina hopes will be a positive review. Things soon begin to go mysteriously, and sometimes dangerously, wrong. Are these pranks, or are they merely a prelude to something more sinister? Duckworth nicely doles out each woman’s secrets as she keeps the reader guessing who the murder victim will be, though the ending is a bit limp. This is quick, easy, and undemanding entertainment. Agent: Caroline Hardman, Hardman & Swainson (U.K.). (June)