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Rachel Abbott
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The Back Road (Tom Douglas Thrillers Book 2) Kindle Edition

by Rachel Abbott (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.1 out of 5 stars 33,518 ratings

From the author of the bestseller Only the Innocent.

In a quiet country village, secrets abound.

When a young girl, Abbie Campbell, is knocked over and left for dead on the back road of the village of Little Melham, waves of shock ripple through the small community and a chain of events, which threatens to expose long-kept secrets, is triggered.

For Ellie Saunders, the truth about that night puts both her marriage and the safety of her children in jeopardy—she has to protect her family, no matter what the cost. And Ellie isn’t the only one with something to hide. She and her sister Leo believe they have put their troubled childhood behind them, but Leo’s quest for the truth reveals a terrible secret that has lain hidden for years.

Ellie’s neighbour, former detective Tom Douglas, has escaped to Little Melham in search of a quiet life, but finds himself drawn into the web of deceit as his every instinct tells him that what happened to young Abbie was far more than a tragic accident.

In this gripping novel, the peaceful English countryside belies the horrible truths that lurk beneath the trimmed hedgerows, behind the closed doors of smart sitting rooms and within unspoken conversations.

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  1. Book 2 of 12
    Tom Douglas Thrillers
  2. Print length
    479 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    Thomas & Mercer
  5. Accessibility
    Learn more
  6. Publication date
    October 8, 2013
  7. File size
    2.4 MB
  8. Page Flip
    Enabled
  9. Word Wise
    Enabled
  10. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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There are 12 books in this series.

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  1. How easy it is to blame the present on the past, and allow history to shape the future. How many of us justify our current behaviour by reference to events long gone?
    Highlighted by 355 Kindle readers
  2. For some people, life is like that. They filter out the positive and focus on the negative. They make assumptions about what somebody else is thinking, and believe only in the worst possible outcome.
    Highlighted by 335 Kindle readers
  3. Accept that your history has changed you. Rejoice in your survival. Let the wounds heal to form a stronger, more resilient you, and remember that forgiveness is not something we do for other people — we do it for ourselves. So forgive yourself for being a victim.
    Highlighted by 329 Kindle readers
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Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Half-sisters Ellie and Leo have done a good job hiding the pain they experienced as children in a dysfunctional family, and now that they are grown up, they continue to maintain the façade. Ellie has a picture-perfect life but has recently initiated an affair. Leo is a successful life coach but can’t manage her own happiness. Added to the mix are several coupled-up friends of Ellie’s with plenty of their own dysfunctions. When a teenage girl in their sleepy British village is the victim of a hit-and-run, everyone finds themselves desperate to keep covering up various secrets. Local detective Tom Douglas arrives on the case and quickly realizes there’s more to this than a simple accident. He digs around and realizes the victim, who is in a coma, was actually abducted before she was run over, so there are two criminals he must now track down. Abbott creates a tangled web of deception, secrets, and red herrings that culminates in a shocking and satisfying, if a bit complicated, conclusion. Readers who miss Caroline Graham’s Chief Inspector Barnaby series will likely enjoy this mystery. --Rebecca Vnuk

Review

"Rachel Abbott will keep you guessing long into the night and just as soon as you’ve figured it out...think again! The truth is...you will love this book." —Suspense Magazine

“An absorbing mystery of love, deceit, secrets, and murder…truly a spellbinding novel of suspense.” —Mysterious Reviews

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00BSZVVL8
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Thomas & Mercer
  • Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 8, 2013
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2.4 MB
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 479 pages
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1477857755
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Book 2 of 12 ‏ : ‎ Tom Douglas Thrillers
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.1 out of 5 stars 33,518 ratings

About the author

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Rachel Abbott

Rachel Abbott

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Rachel Abbott's debut thriller, Only the Innocent, was an international bestseller, reaching the number one position in the Amazon charts both in the UK and US. This was followed by the number one bestselling novels The Back Road, Sleep Tight, Stranger Child, Nowhere Child (a short novel based on the characters from Stranger Child), Kill Me Again, The Sixth Window, Come a Little Closer, The Shape of Lies, Right Behind You and Close Your Eyes. The new thriller in the Tom Douglas series - No More Lies - was released in February 2023.

In 2018 Rachel released the first book in a new series - And So It Begins. This was followed by The Murder Game in 2020 (The Invitation in the US).

Rachel's novels have now been translated into over 20 languages and have sold over 5 million copies.

In 2015 Amazon celebrated the first five years of the Kindle in the UK, and announced that Rachel was the number one bestselling independent author over the five-year period. She was also placed fourteenth in the chart of all authors. Stranger Child was the most borrowed novel for the Kindle in the first half of 2015.

Rachel now lives in Alderney - a beautiful island off the coast of France - where she devotes her time to her love of writing fiction. For more information, see Rachel's website at www.rachel-abbott.com, or follow her on Facebook or Twitter.

Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
33,518 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book's storyline full of mystery and intrigue with many twists and turns, keeping them reading until the end. The writing quality receives positive feedback, with one customer noting how well the author describes everything. While some customers love the characters and find it easy to follow, others struggle to keep track of the many characters and find it hard to follow along. The pacing receives mixed reviews, with some describing it as fast-paced while others find it painfully slow, and customers disagree on the emotional depth of the book.

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SuspensefulReadabilityWriting qualityInterestCharacter developmentPacingDifficulty to followEmotional depth
401 customers mention "Suspenseful"337 positive64 negative

Customers find the book suspenseful with an intriguing storyline and surprising twists, and one customer notes how the plot is well set up.

"This was a well laid out story with quite a few interesting twists that keep you guessing. All the plots are wrapped up with no loose ends." Read more

"...the party became quite distinct, and in parts their dinner party chatter advanced the plot as well as giving a delightful insight into the lives of..." Read more

"...I have read many of her books and they are true mysteries - thankfully not easy to solve!" Read more

"...The plot itself was very good and I didn't work out who it was which was good and I really did want to keep reading towards the end to find out what..." Read more

342 customers mention "Readability"342 positive0 negative

Customers find the book highly readable and entertaining, with several noting it's the best in the series and keeps them engaged until the end.

"I loved this book of course because of Tom Douglas. It is good to read some background of his life with his ex-wife and daughter Lucy...." Read more

"...Beats me why these are so enjoyable and I dont know how Abbott manages to practically clone du Maurier without stealing a thing from her books..." Read more

"It was an enjoyable read. The book takes place in a small English town where all the people seem to be healthy...." Read more

"...When the murder is solved it is totally believable and an attentive reader would stand a reasonable chance of solving it - but that didn't include..." Read more

114 customers mention "Writing quality"86 positive28 negative

Customers praise the writing quality of the book, finding it very good and easy to read, with one customer noting how the author describes everything so well.

"Very clearly written for women. Specifically women who are either going through a divorce or have gone through one. -..." Read more

"...It was engrossing from start to finish and entertaining. Abbot writes as well and often better than many well-known bestselling suspense writers...." Read more

"...Love this authors style of writing." Read more

"...Lots of twists and turns. Unfortunately some unnecessary foul language. Thus 4 stars instead of 5." Read more

79 customers mention "Interest"60 positive19 negative

Customers find the book enthralling and refreshing, with the story maintaining their interest throughout, keeping them engaged until the last page.

"...The start was quite shocking and gripping but it didn't live up to its expectations quite so well after that...." Read more

"...this book for people who likes a lot of mystery and completely keeping you enthralled . I had a hard time putting this book down." Read more

"This novel was sexually explicit about family and close friends. Highly exciting with crazy episodes colliding into utter chaos...." Read more

"...This book was very different and did not start out great. It also annoyed me that most of the women in this book were made to seem weak...." Read more

159 customers mention "Character development"102 positive57 negative

Customers have mixed feelings about the character development in the book, with some loving them while others find them too confusing and difficult to keep track of.

"...a "read-through" but in narration the characters attending the party became quite distinct, and in parts their dinner party chatter advanced..." Read more

"...There were too many characters for the author to be able to develop any of them well...." Read more

"Great characters! I can’t wait to get to know Tom better! I have read many of her books and they are true mysteries - thankfully not easy to solve!" Read more

"Great story. Lots of characters to keep track of. Lots of twists and turns. Unfortunately some unnecessary foul language. Thus 4 stars instead of 5." Read more

70 customers mention "Pacing"37 positive33 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the pacing of the book, with some finding it fast-paced while others describe it as painfully slow.

"...Loved the suspense, also loved Officer Tom He was so cute, also the same in the previous book. Keep up the good work Rachel." Read more

"...I DONT LIKE is delving endlessly into the wishy washy, tear stained, weak kneed, wavering psyche of any character, especially a female one...." Read more

"...As in her first novel, she managed to tie up all loose ends neatly. I find her grasp on the ramifications of trauma highly realistic...." Read more

"...The plot is slow.. It took 17 chapters just to get through dinner. No exaggeration. - The audience is left hanging regularly...." Read more

36 customers mention "Difficulty to follow"17 positive19 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the book's readability, with some finding it hard to follow along with and taking time to get into, while others say it's easy to follow and hard to put down.

"...Last half was very difficult to put down. I staid up later than normal several nights. For the mystery bugs—you can’t figure it out until the end v" Read more

"...read many of her books and they are true mysteries - thankfully not easy to solve!" Read more

"...of characters (making it confusing and hard to follow), the difficulty I had liking or even connecting with any characters, and the lack of..." Read more

"Excellent! This is a page turning, hard to put down book. It’s almost like watching a movie as this author makes the characters so real...." Read more

18 customers mention "Emotional depth"10 positive8 negative

Customers have mixed reactions to the book's emotional depth, with some appreciating its psychological study of crime victims, while others find it emotionally overwhelming.

"...I appreciate this author's command of language and her deep understanding of people (and their inevitable flaws)...." Read more

"I loved most of the characters but some not so much. So much tragedy, lies, deceit, betrayal and deep dark secrets...." Read more

"...I find her grasp on the ramifications of trauma highly realistic. This makes for an excellent psychological study of victims of crime...." Read more

"...It’s always so hard to stare pain in the face." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Amanda Pelesky
    5.0 out of 5 stars Twisty like a back road
    Reviewed in the United States on April 19, 2025
    Verified Purchase
    This was a well laid out story with quite a few interesting twists that keep you guessing. All the plots are wrapped up with no loose ends.
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  • joanna elm
    4.0 out of 5 stars "Reading" It As An AudioBook Was Great
    Reviewed in the United States on December 9, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    This book was my introduction to the #1 self-published author of psychological thrillers in the U.K. I "read" most of it as an audiobook and the British accent of the narrator added greatly to the experience. I am a Brit by birth so it was also a nostalgic experience for me.
    Sections which may have dragged, and which I may have skipped over as a reader took on special meaning in the audio version. For example, a dinner party seemed to stretch over many, many chapters, and could have slowed down the action greatly in a "read-through" but in narration the characters attending the party became quite distinct, and in parts their dinner party chatter advanced the plot as well as giving a delightful insight into the lives of what I would describe as the slightly upper middle class in the U.K. So, it was easy to just keep listening.
    If the book suffered at all, it was from the rather long cast of characters. Had I been reading instead of listening, I think I may well have lost the thread, but I was curious enough about this author's other novels to order up her very first Only The Innocent.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Patricia Wallace
    5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome read!
    Reviewed in the United States on March 10, 2025
    Verified Purchase
    Great characters! I can’t wait to get to know Tom better! I have read many of her books and they are true mysteries - thankfully not easy to solve!
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  • Billard
    3.0 out of 5 stars Three and a half stars.
    Reviewed in the United States on January 6, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    I did enjoy this book but not quite enough to give it 4 stars. The start was quite shocking and gripping but it didn't live up to its expectations quite so well after that. The plot itself was very good and I didn't work out who it was which was good and I really did want to keep reading towards the end to find out what happened. That aside this book was too lengthy for me. There were too many sub-plots, sidelines and red herrings that just took from the story rather than enhanced it. There were too many characters for the author to be able to develop any of them well. Characters that briefly flitted in and out of the story became main players at the end but we didn't learn enough about them for this to be very plausible. I did find Leo's character a bit irritating. She stressed she was a life coach, not a counsellor but yet she spent a lot of her time trying to 'reach' the female characters and have them open up to her - she came across as more of a nosey-parker than anything else. She was also portrayed as a very private and guarded character, yet she was telling her life story to the neighbour as soon as she met him and forever calling in to discuss issues with him. The story plot was good but the characters in this book didn't work for me.
    14 people found this helpful
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  • Retired reader
    4.0 out of 5 stars A thriller with a lot of twists!
    Reviewed in the United States on March 5, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Great story. Lots of characters to keep track of. Lots of twists and turns. Unfortunately some unnecessary foul language. Thus 4 stars instead of 5.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Satisfied customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars The Back Road was so exciting
    Reviewed in the United States on January 29, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    I loved this book of course because of Tom Douglas. It is good to read some background of his life with his ex-wife and daughter Lucy. All kind of twists and turns. The ending comes with complete clarity. I recommend this book for people who likes a lot of mystery and completely keeping you enthralled . I had a hard time putting this book down.
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  • Amazon Customer
    4.0 out of 5 stars always good
    Reviewed in the United States on December 9, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    Rachel is terrific! I have tried to read all her books and am always anxious for latest. Keep up the great work.
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  • DDixon
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Very Compelling Book!!
    Reviewed in the United States on May 12, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    I loved most of the characters but some not so much. So much tragedy, lies, deceit, betrayal and deep dark secrets. A lot of lives destroyed by deceit and dark secrets brought to life. It had so many twists and turns that it will keep you guessing until the end. The ending was explosive and shocking and I never had a clue until everything came together. I’m a new fan of Rachel Abbott and she doesn’t disappoint book after book.
    One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Kindle Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Totally Awesome Read
    Reviewed in Canada on January 11, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    This book by Rachel Abbott was really exiting. I hatedto put it down. So ma y character
    S and sub p,ots...yet, beautifully connected. Can't wait for the next one to read. Totally awesome! Congrats Rachel Abbott.
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  • Mme Hustwayte
    5.0 out of 5 stars Another great read
    Reviewed in France on March 27, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    This is the second Rachel Abbot I have read and it certainly didn't disappoint. Many twists and turns to keep you guessing. Another great read.
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  • Kadysoso
    4.0 out of 5 stars 4 stars
    Reviewed in Australia on June 24, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    I have read all of Rachel Abbott's work and what really works for her is her consistency in delivering a well-structured, well delivered narrative with interesting characters with mysterious backstories being continually propelled along the narrative arc at just the right pace. I have never completely figured out the ending of her stories beforehand. She is masterful at suspense writing. I imagine I will continue reading her work for so long as she continues to write. Her storytelling skill combined with consistently delivering an original and unpredictable story makes her work a staple in the thriller/suspense genre. The only reason I give her work 4 stars is because I personally enjoy a touch more focus on complex and creative language and imagery throughout the story rather than so much attention paid to the propulsion of the narrative. But nonetheless, a very solid novel, like all of her novels have been. 4 stars.
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  • Jean Williams
    5.0 out of 5 stars THE BACK ROAD
    Reviewed in Spain on May 28, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    Rachel Abbott writes with such style. Such a clever plot it is nigh on impossible to guess who are the guilty and who are innocent. A seemingly quiet part of the village, the back road becomes the scene of a crime. Various characters in this clever book have a reason to hide the fact they were on the back road the night a young girl is left for dead. A book to keep you reading well into the night. Excellent.
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  • Kindle Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars best Rachel about Yet
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 22, 2025
    Verified Purchase
    This book is a Real page Turner lots of twists and turns round every corner. it's well worth a read
    Report

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