Sanctuary

When the past won't let go, how far would you go to find sanctuary? A novel of trauma, courage, and family secrets by the acclaimed author of A Good Mother.

Haunted by her past, Cathy yearns for an escape from city life. She finds it with her boyfriend, Alfie, at Blacksheep Farm, his family home. But their visit is blighted by Bertha, the cold-hearted matriarch of Alfie's family, who is hell-bent on keeping control of everything around her.


When a collection of hidden portraits is discovered, Cathy is determined to return them to their owner. But the beautiful paintings hold a terrifying secret that threatens to unearth long-buried crimes and tear her new life apart.


As she delves deeper into the past, Cathy confronts the manipulative hold of Bertha, as well as the terrible truth about the portraits . . .


Will Cathy's pursuit of the truth expose them all to the very darkness she is seeking to flee? Or could it rewrite the story for a family who have been suffocated by the past for too long?

Sanctuary is a tale of bravery, pain, love, and loyalty . . . and how the past can have an enduring hold on the present.

Praise for Patricia Dixon

"An author at the top of her game." —Keri Beevis, author of Nowhere to Hide

"The sheer poetry of the work is astounding." —N. J. Moss, author of The Second Wife