Verity Summary

Lowen Ashleigh is a struggling writer who comes across a life-changing job opportunity. She is hired by Jeremy Crawford, whose wife, bestselling author Verity Crawford, is unable to work after a serious car accident. The task is to finish Verity’s popular book series. Lowen travels to the Crawford home, where she has to sort through Verity’s notes, feeling both anxious and excited.

Once at the Crawford house, Lowen starts exploring Verity’s chaotic office, where she finds hand-written notes and comes across an unfinished autobiographical manuscript. This discovery leads to unexpected feelings for Jeremy, who has a young son named Crew. As Lowen reads Verity's manuscript, she quickly recognizes a much darker side of the author, shocking her with its disturbing content.

Verity’s manuscript paints a troubling picture of her life and especially her relationship with her twin daughters, Chastin and Harper. She writes about her overwhelming resentment for her daughters and a strong favoritism towards Chastin. Particularly disturbing revelations come to light, including the admission of deliberately causing Harper’s death during a canoe accident while saving Crew. The confessions reveal a chilling glimpse into Verity's troubled psyche, raising doubts about whether she can really be trusted.

Lowen faces a dilemma about revealing Verity’s unsettling truths to Jeremy. Despite his already painful situation, she feels a connection with him that grows deeper as they spend time together, leading to an emotional and complicated romance between the two. The tension builds surrounding Lowen's haunting knowledge about Verity and whether she should keep it to herself or share it.

As strange events unfold in the home, Lowen begins to suspect that Verity isn’t as incapacitated as everyone believes. Noticing subtle movements and small gestures that suggest Verity may be aware and even faking her condition, Lowen shares her concerns with Jeremy. In an intense confrontation, Jeremy demands answers from Verity and, during a heated moment, realizes that she has been pretending for months, resulting in a violent outburst.

The situation turns fatal as Lowen tells Jeremy to make Verity’s death look accidental after he attacks her. With Verity gone, Lowen and Jeremy prepare to move to North Carolina with their future seemingly brighter, even as their lives have been irrevocably altered by Verity's revelations.

As they are about to leave Vermont, Lowen finds a letter hidden by Verity under the floorboards. In this letter, Verity explains that the confessions were a part of her writing process and do not reflect reality. She states that Harper did not die on purpose and reaffirms her love for Jeremy, hoping for Crew’s safety above all. Faced with this new information, Lowen chooses to burn the manuscript, protecting Jeremy from further pain and leaving him in the dark about Verity’s chaotic nature.

The plot unfolds through 19 chapters, combining themes of grief, love, and deception while exploring the complexity of family dynamics and moral choices.

In the final chapters of Verity, the story reaches a chilling climax. Sebastian, having faced numerous family tragedies linked to his actions, reaches a breaking point. His dark past unravels, as he confesses to the murder of his second wife, Diana, adding depth to the mysteries surrounding him. The revelation is both shocking and tragic, leading to his suicide.

Before he takes this drastic step, Sebastian leaves his final book to Nicky. He trusts her to manage it as she sees fit, which adds a bittersweet note to his untimely end. This gesture not only connects Nicky to Sebastian's legacy but also brings closure to the story.

As these events unfold, the plot ties together several unanswered questions regarding decades-old missing person cases. Hidden family secrets come to light, revealing why so many accidents plagued their history. The ending cleverly highlights the tension and mystery that has run throughout the novel, leading readers to reflect on the destructive power of personal secrets and the long shadows they can cast over lives.