{"product_id":"the-winter-retreat","title":"The Winter Retreat","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\" style=\"box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: \" amazon ember arial sans-serif font-size: background-color: font-weight:\u003eAs I reach Whispering Pines, a haven promising four days of Winter Solstice calm, the snow has just begun to fall.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: \" amazon ember arial sans-serif font-size: background-color:\u003e\u003cbr style=\"box-sizing: border-box;\"\u003e\u003cbr style=\"box-sizing: border-box;\"\u003eBut I’m not here to hold yoga poses and breathe. I’m here to work. As a drowning single mother, my children’s Christmas depends on the money I’ve been promised.\u003cbr style=\"box-sizing: border-box;\"\u003e\u003cbr style=\"box-sizing: border-box;\"\u003eAs the weather worsens and guests stream in, I rush from kettle to cloakroom, pressing warm mugs into cold hands, and tucking blankets around shoulders. Then the door swings open on the last face I want to see – my ex-husband’s new girlfriend, Katina. We lock eyes, shocked, and silently agree to pretend we’re strangers.\u003cbr style=\"box-sizing: border-box;\"\u003e\u003cbr style=\"box-sizing: border-box;\"\u003eThe retreat gets underway, and our lines of separation are drawn. The women bask in the sauna and hot tub, drift through sound baths in the main yoga space, and expect perfection. I’m run ragged keeping it that way.\u003cbr style=\"box-sizing: border-box;\"\u003e\u003cbr style=\"box-sizing: border-box;\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\" style=\"box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: \" amazon ember arial sans-serif font-size: background-color: font-weight:\u003eOutside, the snow thickens.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: \" amazon ember arial sans-serif font-size: background-color:\u003e\u003cbr style=\"box-sizing: border-box;\"\u003e\u003cbr style=\"box-sizing: border-box;\"\u003eIt turns out Katina and I aren’t the only ones bristling. Tensions ripple among staff and guests; small slights sour what should be pleasant meals, and whispered grudges taint the planned activities. The promised serenity is quickly becoming a pressure cooker. Then the unthinkable at a sanctuary like this becomes real.\u003cbr style=\"box-sizing: border-box;\"\u003e\u003cbr style=\"box-sizing: border-box;\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\" style=\"box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: \" amazon ember arial sans-serif font-size: background-color: font-weight:\u003eA body is discovered.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: \" amazon ember arial sans-serif font-size: background-color:\u003e\u003cbr style=\"box-sizing: border-box;\"\u003e\u003cbr style=\"box-sizing: border-box;\"\u003eWith snow piled high, help can’t get in. Nor can anyone get out. We move the body out of sight and, unbelievably, carry on with the programme. Shocking, yes. Suspicious? Of course not.\u003cbr style=\"box-sizing: border-box;\"\u003e\u003cbr style=\"box-sizing: border-box;\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\" style=\"box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: \" amazon ember arial sans-serif font-size: background-color: font-weight:\u003eUntil a second body is found.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: \" amazon ember arial sans-serif font-size: background-color:\u003e\u003cbr style=\"box-sizing: border-box;\"\u003e\u003cbr style=\"box-sizing: border-box;\"\u003ePanic tears through Whispering Pines. Accusations fly and fingers point in every direction – until they settle on one person.\u003cbr style=\"box-sizing: border-box;\"\u003e\u003cbr style=\"box-sizing: border-box;\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\" style=\"box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: \" amazon ember arial sans-serif font-size: background-color: font-weight:\u003eMe.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: \" amazon ember arial sans-serif font-size: background-color:\u003e\u003cbr style=\"box-sizing: border-box;\"\u003e\u003cbr style=\"box-sizing: border-box;\"\u003eAnd now, the only way out of this winter retreat is to survive it.\u003cbr style=\"box-sizing: border-box;\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Autonomy Press","offers":[{"title":"Perfect Bound","offer_id":50384471392560,"sku":"9781068544378","price":9.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"url":"https:\/\/www.thegreatbritishbookshop.co.uk\/products\/the-winter-retreat","provider":"The Great British Bookshop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}