Margaret Forster 
How to Measure a Cow 

Compelling taut and suspenseful Guardian
Tara Fraser has a secret.
Desperate to escape herself and her past, she changes her name, packs up her London home and moves to a town in the North of England where she knows no one.
But one of her new neighbours, Nancy, is intrigued by her. And as hard as Tara tries to distance herself, she starts to drop her guard.
Then a letter arrives. An old friend wants to meet up. Struggling to keep her old life at bay, Tara soon discovers the dangers of fighting the past.