Up the Creek Without a Paddle - The True Story of John and Anne Darwin: The Man Who 'Died' and the Wife Who Lied

Book excerpt: For nearly six years, everyone around them, including the couple's own sons, were duped into thinking John had died in a canoeing accident at sea, leaving Anne a grieving widow, when in fact he was hiding out in the house next door. But when, in an uncharacteristically bold move, Anne sold up and moved halfway across the world to Panama, the Darwins' carefully woven tapestry of lies began to unravel, revealing a trail of deception and heartache. So just what makes an ordinary man believe he's better off dead than alive? How does it feel to be a ghost in your own life? What kind of parents watch their sons weep, knowing they can end their grief with just a word? In this fascinating book, Tammy Cohen tells the remarkable true story of the man who came back from the dead, the wife who concealed his existence from the world and the web of deceit that finally ensnared them both.