Welcome! If you like gritty, realistic stories about women overcoming the odds, all set in the beauty of Scotland, you’re in the right place. Scroll down to find out more about each book written by Emma Dhesi.
Death at Dunnottar Castle
When Chief Inspector Surinder “Sindy” Taws transfers from Glasgow to the quiet coastal town of Stonehaven, she expects a slower pace, not the cold body of a young woman pulled from the reservoir on her first day. The death looks like suicide. The town insists it must be. But Sindy’s instincts, sharpened by years of hard policing and harder truths, tell her something far darker lies beneath the surface.
As she digs into the woman’s past, Sindy finds echoes of her own: a charming man everyone believes incapable of cruelty, a community that looks the other way, and the long, bruising silence that follows betrayal. Between the salt-stung air and the whisper of scandal, Sindy must decide how much of herself she’s willing to expose to uncover the truth, and whether justice, in a place like Stonehaven, ever comes without a cost.
Taut, evocative, and steeped in the windswept melancholy of the Scottish coast, Death at Dunnottar Castle introduces a new heroine for readers of Elly Griffiths and Ann Cleeves — a woman unafraid to face the darkness, even when it mirrors her own.
Coming April 2026
The Medicine
Fifteen years after a brutal assault shattered her sense of safety, Ashley Graham returns from a harrowing ayahuasca ceremony in the Peruvian jungle with a horrifying new memory: the face of her attacker – her own husband.
But as her fragile marriage unravels and her search for the truth deepens, she discovers the man she accused may not be guilty… and the real predator might be far closer than she ever imagined.
Set in a close-knit Scottish town where silence is survival, The Medicine is a psychological thriller about one woman’s battle to reclaim her past, risk everything for justice, and rewrite her future. On her own terms.
Coming March 2026 – Pre-Order on Amazon HERE.
Follow Me
Escape the shadows of the past in this gripping psychological thriller…
Maggie is a woman on the run. Hiding from the horrors of her abusive ex-husband and struggling to build a new life under an assumed identity, the last thing she needs is to be haunted by ghosts from her past.
But when sinister messages and strange events suggest someone is stalking her every move, Maggie’s fresh start begins to unravel. Her paranoia escalaes as the threats mount. She questions who she can trust. Is she losing her mind or is someone playing a deadly game?
Unable to escape the traumatic memories of her marriage, Maggie battles mounting anxiety and dread. Determined to survive and outwit her pursuer, Maggie finds her very sense of self fracturing. Who is the real enemy – the one lurking in the shadows or the one in her head?
A must read for fans of Clare Boyd and Lisa Jewell.
“This was a great book! It was suspenseful, and constantly had me wondering who and what to trust.” ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“I enjoyed this story. I liked the storyline. Its idea was terrifying.” ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Get your copy here.
All About You
The past will always catch up with you.
Isobel Barnfather is young, angry and has just lost her best friend in a fatal car accident. To escape the pain, and small town gossip, she moves to the city and starts her life afresh.
When a new family move into her affluent Glasgow neighbourhood, Isobel is horrified to find out they are from her small town.
She doesn’t want them to know who she is and tries to keep her distance. But when Isobel’s husband invites them to his birthday party, she must stop her two worlds colliding.
If she can’t keep the past where it belongs, she risks losing her husband and the life she’s worked so hard for.
Get your FREE copy here.
More Than Enough
A façade of perfection. A hidden well of demons. When it all tumbles out of control, can she salvage anything from her wrecked world?
Scotland. Karen Elliot’s best friend is booze. Convinced she’s coping just fine despite nipping on the clock, the experienced schoolteacher is shocked when she receives an official warning about lecturing intoxicated instead of a promotion. And when she passes out dead-drunk at the school Christmas dance, she sobers up to discover she’s been summarily sacked.
With her husband fighting for his own job, Karen resolves to walk the straight and narrow. But when she falls off the wagon at a friend’s wedding and flirts with another man, she faces an ultimatum at home: Get clean or leave.
Can Karen admit she’s an alcoholic in time to find help or has she ruined her life forever?
More Than Enough is an inspiring contemporary women’s fiction novel. If you like flawed heroines, page-turning drama, and authentic stories about addiction, then you’ll love Emma Dhesi’s path toward serenity.
2nd Edition out now!
With an impressive 4.6★ average on Amazon, More Than Enough is resonating with readers who call it ‘powerful,’ ‘authentic,’ and ‘beautifully written.’
“I took this book on holiday with me and was hooked, I couldn’t put it down, if you want a page turner. This is the one” ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“The book is fresh and realistic. I couldn’t put it down” ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“A very powerful book” ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Get your copy here.
Belonging
It’s hard to fit in when you don’t belong
Kathi’s life is almost perfect. She’s married to her childhood sweetheart and runs a thriving blog. But when her 15-year-old adopted son Jake shuts her out and a vicious troll enters her life, she is forced to rethink her place in the world.
Jake hates his mum and doesn’t belong in this pokey town. But then he runs into Joanne, who might be the mother figure he needs.
Joanne never felt like she fit in. On the outside, she’s fun and outgoing, but on the inside she’s desperate to be part of a family.
When their worlds collide, their idea of family is pulled apart. How far are they willing to go to stay connected?
2nd edition out now!
Readers are loving Belonging. A heartfelt story that’s earned glowing reviews across Amazon and Goodreads. With consistently high ratings, Belonging is striking a deep emotional chord with readers.
“I loved this story!” ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“A real page-turner that examines the nature of belonging and identity” ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“Beautiful story of mother and teenage relationship.” ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Get your copy here.
The Day She Came Home
A desperate mother who disappears. An angry father who can’t forgive. A family with dark secrets they’ll do anything to keep hidden.
When Nicola Ramsey was at her lowest ebb, she left her husband and son believing they’d be better without her. Four years later she turns up on the doorstep of the Glasgow family home, hoping that against the odds her husband will take her back.
Hurt, angry and shocked by Nicola’s return, Ross Ramsey says it’s too late for them to kiss and make up. Not only that, he wants a divorce.
Determined not to lose her husband a second time, Nicola is bent on showing Ross just how much she’s changed and expose the real reason she couldn’t cope with motherhood.
To do that, she must delve into her past and shine a light on her own childhood. Her parents will do whatever it takes to stop her.
When family secrets are brought to the surface everyone is forced to face their past. Can they forgive and forget?
2nd edition out now!
Over 300 reader ratings across Amazon and Goodreads for The Day She Came Home (avg ~4.4★ on Amazon)
“What an absolutely gorgeous story” ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“This is a real page turner that will keep you up till the wee hours.” ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Get your copy here.
