Born in Hampshire, Nora Johnson studied Languages to post-graduate level at the University of London and Law in Los Angeles. A freelance journalist and columnist, she is the author of psychological suspense and crime thrillers.
THE DE CLERAMBAULT CODE
A young businesswoman falls for a charismatic man, but the relationship quickly turns obsessive and dangerous, even more so when she finds her company targeted by human traffickers.
‘An intricate psychological suspense thriller with a plot that twists and turns like an octopus ...’ (June Arch, EuroWeeklyNews, 2011)
SOUL STEALER
7th July 2005: a man vanishes in the London bombings. Years later, journalist Alice Myers recognises his face in a café – and again in a newspaper obituary. Her quest for answers soon becomes a fight for survival.
‘A well-written, relentlessly enjoyable page-turner ... and a superior psychological suspense thriller.’ (Gabrielle Devon, EuroWeeklyNews, 2012)
RETRIBUTION
Alice investigates the sudden death of her childhood friend, Ellie. With more murders in this insular community, everyone is a suspect.
‘An intricately-plotted thriller ... the author keeps you guessing right until the surprise ending ...’ (EuroWeeklyNews, 2013)
LANDSCAPE OF LIES
Alice joins DI Hunter in the Peak District to probe suspicious deaths linked to a jailed serial killer. Is a copycat at large?
‘A gripping thriller as Alice uncovers deadly secrets in a past filled with deceit and shocking revelations.’ (EuroWeeklyNews, 2014)
NO WAY BACK
The body of a young girl – who strongly resembles a child who disappeared in similar circumstances 26 years earlier – is found in a Peak District village by a family man and soon the prime murder suspect. This unleashes a train of events that overwhelms him, his family and the local community alike.
‘When his attempts to clear his name fail, hampered by a mysterious stranger from his past, his journalist friend Alice Myers desperately risks her life to bring the killer to justice. Revenge and unspeakable crimes converge on a sleepy Peak District village and there is ... No Way Back.’ (EuroWeeklyNews, 2016)
THE GIRL IN THE RED DRESS
The young daughter of a local doctor dies in an icy river. Her parents stubbornly deny any involvement. Do they want the truth uncovered or ensure it remains buried? Then a boy is also murdered and a blizzard traps the murder suspects in their small, isolated Peak District village. But it is investigative journalist Alice Myers who risks her life going undercover confronting, amongst others, a famous TV celebrity. And once she finds a thread to pull, a ruthless international conspiracy with a callous disregard for human life start unravelling.
‘A pacy and edgy thriller that has you hooked from the very beginning, the author juggles motives and suspects, tension and suspense, keeping you guessing in a race against time right until the shocking ending.’ (EuroWeeklyNews, 2017)
THE GIRL IN THE WOODS
A missing teenager, dangerous secrets and a threatened journalist bring DI Barbara Forster face to face with a devastating truth and its harrowing consequences.
‘An action-packed thriller on several levels, the stories unfold through the central plot adding an unexpected triple twist at the end. Tense and gripping throughout, The Girl in the Woods is highly recommended for anyone who likes mystery/crime/psychological thrillers.’ (EuroWeeklyNews, 2018)
BETRAYAL
Nick Lawrence returns home to face old enemies, family secrets and a forgotten tragedy that threatens to destroy him once again.
‘The murder of Nick’s girlfriend is only the first of several seemingly unconnected crimes. DI Barbara Forster leads the cold case investigation into the murder while Nick tries to unravel the mystery himself - with unexpected and shocking consequences.’ (EuroWeeklyNews, 2019)
NO SAFE PLACE
A decade after her teenage friend vanished, DI Barbara Forster returns home to Cumbria when her goddaughter disappears. Believing the cases are linked, she risks everything to uncover the truth, confronting, amongst others, a famous movie actor.
‘Murder and mystery, drugs and sex, celebrity and secrecy, all unfolding against a background of small-town ambitions and big-time egos.’ (EuroWeeklyNews, 2020)
THE SENTINEL
Suspended, DI Barbara Forster races to find a missing woman and clear her name before mounting suspicion destroys her career forever.
‘The Sentinel has you hooked from the very first chapter with its realistic characters, can’t-put-it-down pacing and gripping plot. Highly recommended for anyone who likes mystery/crime/psychological thrillers.’ (EuroWeeklyNews, 2021)
DEATH IN WINDERMERE
DI Barbara Forster is investigating a chilling cold case but what at first seems an isolated child’s death soon becomes a conspiracy of secrets and lies. Within days, three young women are found dead in suspicious circumstances leaving behind suicide notes. Investigative journalist Alice Myers goes undercover to search for the truth and justice for the victims confronting, amongst others, a famous TV soap opera star - with devastating consequences.
‘The tension builds up with inexorable detail to an astonishing climax in this compulsively readable, action-packed thriller filled with twists and turns, intrigue and danger, where suspense is ratcheted up cruelly right until the final pages.’ (EuroWeeklyNews, 2022)
THE COUPLE ACROSS THE STREET
Newly widowed, Nicola unexpectedly meets up with Matt, her childhood love. They have an affair but just when Matt decides to leave his wife Michelle she suddenly disappears. When a body is then identified as hers, apparently a suicide, Matt’s infidelity is considered the primary reason by her grieving family. With more deaths and the evidence mounting against him, can Nicola really trust him? DI Barbara Forster seeks help from Alice Myers, investigative journalist and creator of an edgy true-crime podcast, The Girl at the Window.
‘A completely gripping and unputdownable psychological suspense thriller that will have you turning the pages long into the night and make you question what secrets your own neighbours are hiding ...’ (EuroWeeklyNews, 2023)
THE GIRL ACROSS THE LAKE
True-crime podcaster, Alice Myers, has prompted the re-opening of the Molly Parker case DI Barbara Forster’s uncle failed to solve twenty years ago. Can Barbara crack both this cold case and the mystery of the latest missing child? But it is only when Barbara and Alice begin working together that the buried truth starts to emerge about this small, insular community and its harrowing past and present.
‘Who doesn't like a missing child tale - they've been a mainstay of movies and novels for years. This thriller won't disappoint fans of the genre. It has it all: mystery, cruelty, suspense and a satisfying ending. It is well written, intricately plotted, atmospheric and kept me guessing throughout. DI Barbara Forster is on the rack but will she survive, contrary to her boss’s plans, to crack both the cold case and the mystery of the latest missing child? If a riveting page turner is what you're after sit back and enjoy the white knuckle action ride. The best of the psychological suspense crime genre.’ (EuroWeeklyNews, 2024)
THE HOUSE OF SECRETS
A decade after 10-year-old Ellie vanishes, a disoriented young woman is found unconscious on a remote road near Denbigh, North Wales, struck by a van with no witnesses. Waking in hospital, she remembers nothing. Ellie’s mother is certain her daughter has returned, but doubts and suspicions grow. A shadowy figure watches as podcaster Alice Myers digs for the truth - before history repeats itself in the most devastating way.
‘With complex characters, betrayals and revelations galore, the truth behind Ellie’s disappearance leaves no secret safe and no one untouched. Right from the start, great storytelling shines through in a narrative rich with tension and countless twists. The plot is a roller-coaster ride, deftly balancing between what seems obvious and what lurks beneath, keeping you on your toes as you try to piece together the puzzle. The "whodunit" aspect is particularly intriguing, compelling you to second-guess yourself at every turn.’ (EuroWeeklyNews, 2025)
THE GIRL IN RED
With her career in jeopardy, DI Barbara Forster is sent back to Windermere to investigate a local businesswoman's disappearance. This collides with the twenty-year-old cold case of missing teenager Tara Fletcher, reopened by a true-crime podcast, and an older tragedy from Barbara's own past that ended in her uncle's murder-suicide. As secrets surface, the lake reveals a town built on silence, corruption and buried truth.
‘This novel has everything I look for in a thriller - strong but flawed characters, multiple cleverly crafted plot lines that intersect, a couple of twists I did not see coming and thorny questions about policing that are highly relevant to today’s world. This is not a story about solving a murder. This is a story about who is allowed to get away with one - and the latest in a superlative collection of psychological suspense crime thrillers which shows no signs whatsoever of flagging. Thoroughly recommended.’
(EuroWeeklyNews, 2026)
Writing is one of Nora’s passions - as far back as she can recall she has been writing and involved in journalism. In LA, she was privileged to meet a host of celebrities, appearing in countless movies as an extra and on local television and radio. In Spain, she has appeared on Talk Radio Europe’s Breakfast Show, given talks on creative/ memoir writing for British Arts Societies and been invited for inclusion in the prestigious Book Riot's 2026 Read Harder Challenge!
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