Chris Abbotsford
A buried past. A dying wish. And a reckoning no one saw coming.
Available on Kindle and in print on Amazon!
About the Book: A British Crime Thriller
How far would you go to honour a dying wish?
A buried past. A dying wish. And a reckoning no one saw coming.
Five years after escaping to Thailand, Simone is pulled back to Willows Ait. She thought she was just visiting, but the island’s dark secrets are preparing to drag her under.
Two decades ago, her family’s secluded home on a River Thames island in Teddington (Richmond upon Thames) was celebrated on national television as a sustainable, eco-friendly masterpiece. But behind the secure cable ferry and high stone walls, that "home of the future" is a decaying illusion. With the TV network arriving any day to film a massive anniversary retrospective, the threat of public exposure drives Simone’s mother to desperation.
Her solution? Blackmail Simone into staging an intricate insurance fraud scheme, right before disappearing on a sudden flight to Asia.
Within twenty-four hours, the scam spirals out of control. Simone's sister, Tori, is found dead following a night out in Kingston upon Thames. Stranded on a rotting island with no one to trust, Simone pivots to a dangerous new plan of her own. To survive, she will have to outmaneuver a compromised police unit, ruthless crime syndicates, and a volatile, Viking-obsessed enforcer known as "The Norseman".
Interspersed with raw, unfiltered emails to her missing mother, the brutal truth of Simone's past on a toxic reality TV show slowly comes to light. On Willows Ait, loyalty is a myth and everyone is lying.
How far would you go to honour a dying wish when nothing is as it seems?
Set against the atmospheric backdrops of Teddington, Kingston, Richmond, and Rugeley, Willows Ait is a relentless, multi-layered psychological thriller delivering sharp dark humour, jagged twists, and an unforgettable climax.
Why thriller readers will love Willows Ait:
- A Chilling, Isolated Setting: A crumbling Thames island accessible only by a private ferry.
- A Gritty, Multi-Faceted Protagonist: An anti-heroine with a dark history in reality TV mixed martial arts.
- Unforgettable Antagonists: Original, menacing villains led by a reality-show-obsessed enforcer.
- A Chilling, Isolated Setting: A crumbling Thames island accessible only by a private ferry.
Willows Ait
The Atmosphere and Inspiration Behind Willows Ait
FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions About Willows Ait
What is Willows Ait about?
Willows Ait is a fast-paced British thriller featuring Simone, a gritty anti-heroine with a history in reality TV. The book balances psychological tension and jagged twists with sharp, cynical dark humour, making it perfect for fans of crime fiction who enjoy dysfunctional family dynamics and unconventional, sharp-witted protagonists.
Willows Ait is a psychological thriller set on a River Thames
Willows Ait is a gripping River Thames island mystery novel that takes place on a secluded, fictional island in Teddington. Unlike traditional mysteries, this British crime thriller uses the isolated nature of a Thames "ait" (an old English word for a small island) and spins a web of insurance fraud, family secrets, and danger.
What is an ait?
An "ait" (or "eyot") is a traditional Old English term for a small island found in a river, most notably along the River Thames. These islands are often isolated, densely overgrown, and have tightly knit communities, providing houseboat river moorings or, in the case of Willows Ait, just one home.
There are many aits of various sizes along the River Thames between Kingston-upon-Thames and Richmond-upon-Thames. These small islands exist in real life, and perhaps the most famous is Eel Pie Island in Twickenham.
Where is Willows Ait set?
The book is deeply rooted in real-world places along the River Thames. The story unfolds across Teddington, Richmond upon Thames), and Kingston upon Thames, and also up toward Rugeley.
Local readers will easily recognise the atmospheric backdrops of the South West London riverside, the local nightlife spots, and shifting tides of the Thames.
For example, there is a an icehouse which can be found in real life in Home Park at the Hampton Wick entrance. The fictional Kingswillow Park is an amalgamation of the Royal Parks of Bushey Park, Home Park and Richmond Park.
Willows AIt was inspired by Teddington's Trowlock Island which has a foot ferry and is where the Royal Canoe Club is based.
What is the background of Willows Ait?
Willows Ait was originally celebrated on national television as an eco-friendly masterpiece built with sustainable materials. Two decades later, the imminent arrival of an anniversary special will reveal that far from being a house of the future, the home was unable to last even six months. The wooden frames are all permeated with damp, and a flood three years before has meant that the home has the look and feel of being condemned.
Reality TV plays a central role in the book.
Who is British crime fiction author Chris Abbotsford?
Chris Abbotsford is the pen name of the author who grew up in Richmond upon Thames. Inspired by a lifelong passion for mystery novels and noticing a distinct shortage of female-led crime thrillers, Chris wrote Willows Ait.
What began as a passion project in 2015 culminated in the book’s first publication in 2020. In 2026, a freshly revised edition of Willows Ait was published for Amazon Kindle, print, and also on Digital2Digital for wider ebook distribution.
Drawing heavily on local roots, Abbotsford blends real-world South West London locations with fictionalised settings to create a deeply atmospheric reading experience. A second book is in the works.
Where can I buy Willows Ait?
You can buy and download the ebook version of Willows Ait directly on Smashwords. If you prefer reading on a Kindle or want a physical copy to hold, the novel is also available in both digital and print formats on Amazon.
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Willows Ait: What would you do to honour a dying wish?
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