Charlotte’s Friends (Windsor Selections) by Sarah Kennedy

Charlotte Pierce has had a solitary childhood, eked out in large houses with empty people doing empty things; the only person who ever remembered her birthday was Cook. She has two close friends from her school days: Barty, an acclaimed photographer, and Therese, who now runs an animal sanctuary. Blissfully ignorant, the two girls don't know it, but Barty and Therese are the most important people in Charlie's life - and she will do anything to keep them. Sarah Kennedy's first novel is a compelling psychological chiller that examines the devastating effects of a damaged childhood. A mixture of Highsmith and Rendell, a new style in suspense.