You Can Stay

She's the perfect host. He's the perfect victim.

Someone is hunting Connor. Alone, freezing, in the wilderness of Bodmin Moor, on an elite Special Forces training exercise, he'd be a fool to scorn the kindness of a local stranger. Wouldn't he?

At first, Eilidh seems to be an impeccable host. She offers Connor food and a warm bed - he finds it nearly impossible to leave her charming farmhouse.

But the choice isn't his to make.

There have been others before. None, though, as perfect as him.

Why would she let him leave?

Praise for Elle Connel:

"Down By The Water takes the reader on a weekend trip from hell... I loved the classy writing and ever-growing sense of unease in this clever subversion of a classic country house mystery" - Harriet Tyce

"A chilling drama" Sunday Times

"Misery for the Goop generation. You Can Stay is fantastic - an absolute treat of a book." - Catherine Simpson

"Witty, grounded and entertaining, this is a thrilling read." - Lynsey May

"You Can Stay was so gripping I read it in one compulsive sitting!" - Claire Askew

"Sinister and atmospheric" - Chris Brookmyre

"Absolutely loved this - so dark, yet laced with humour, and such clever plotting. Loved the characters, and the ending is sublime." - Susi Holliday

"I have never fallen so hard for a book this far out of my comfort zone. A stunning book about gender and power, and a fine homage to Stephen King's Misery. Deeply unsettling, and impossible to put down." - Claire L Heuchan

"A gripping mystery." - Nathan Ripley

“The plot twists and turns with spectacular speed - ripping along at terrific pace.-- Daily Mail”

A chilling drama Sunday Times
The plot twists and turns with spectacular speed - ripping along at terrific pace. Daily Mail
Down By The Water takes the reader on a weekend trip from hell... I loved the classy writing and ever-growing sense of unease in this clever subversion of a classic country house mystery Harriet Tyce
Sinister and atmospheric, peeling back the superficial veneers of friendship to reveal the darker truths that lurk beneath Chris Brookmyre
Absolutely loved this - so dark, yet laced with humour, and such clever plotting. Loved the characters, and the ending is sublime. Susi Holliday
You Can Stay was so gripping I read it in one compulsive sitting! Claire Askew, author of the DI Birch series
Filled with mystery and suspense. The Scots Magazine
A fast, ingenious read that always takes the road less favoured. Crime Time
Lucy has created an unforgettable villain, a 'Gorgon of Wellness', a villain for our times - Misery for the Goop generation. You Can Stay is fantastic - an absolute treat of a book. Catherine Simpson, author of Truestory and When I Had a Little Sister
I have never fallen so hard for a book this far out of my comfort zone. A stunning book about gender and power, and a fine homage to Stephen King's Misery. Deeply unsettling, and impossible to put down. Claire L Heuchan
If you like your female protagonists sinister, mysterious and complex - think Otessa Moshfegh's Eileen - then you will love You Can Stay. A chilling and twisty drama that kept me in its grip throughout. Elissa Soave, author of Ginger and Me
Prepare to be creeped out and morally compromised by slippery and intriguing characters locked in a battle of wills. In her protagonists, Connel has created an unforgettable interrogation of what it means to dominate, to submit and to betray for the sake of a higher ideal - no matter how misguided. Witty, grounded and entertaining, this is a thrilling read. Lynsey May
A psychological thriller with both depth and drive, Down By The Water is a gripping mystery Nathan Ripley
Elle Connel picks away the veneer of old friendships in this sinister and compelling tale of sorrow, secrets, and betrayal. E. S. Thomson

Elle Connel is the pseudonym of Lucy Ribchester, whose previous novels, The Hourglass Factory and The Amber Shadows, were historical thrillers. She has a first class degree in English from the University of St Andrews and a Masters in Shakespeare Studies from Kings College London. Her previous work has won her a Scottish Book Trust New Writers Award, a Robert Louis Stevenson Fellowship, and short-listings for the Costa Short Story Award and Manchester Fiction Prize. She lives in Edinburgh with her partner and two sons. Down by the Water is her first book as Elle Connel.

She's the perfect host. He's the perfect victim. Someone is hunting Connor. Alone, freezing, in the wilderness of Bodmin Moor, on an elite Special Forces training exercise, he'd be a fool to scorn the kindness of a local stranger. Wouldn't he?At first, Eilidh seems to be an impeccable host. She offers Connor food and a warm bed - he finds it nearly impossible to leave her charming farmhouse.But the choice isn't his to make.There have been others before. None, though, as perfect as him. Why would she let him leave? Praise for Elle Connel: " Down By The Water takes the reader on a weekend trip from hell... I loved the classy writing and ever-growing sense of unease in this clever subversion of a classic country house mystery " - Harriet Tyce "A chilling drama" Sunday Times " Misery for the Goop generation. You Can Stay is fantastic - an absolute treat of a book." - Catherine Simpson "Witty, grounded and entertaining, this is a thrilling read." - Lynsey May "You Can Stay was so gripping I read it in one compulsive sitting!" - Claire Askew "Sinister and atmospheric" - Chris Brookmyre " Absolutely loved this - so dark, yet laced with humour, and such clever plotting. Loved the characters, and the ending is sublime. " - Susi Holliday "I have never fallen so hard for a book this far out of my comfort zone. A stunning book about gender and power, and a fine homage to Stephen King's Misery . Deeply unsettling, and impossible to put down." - Claire L Heuchan "A gripping mystery." - Nathan Ripley

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