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Dear Child by Romy Hausmann

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Dear Child

Publisher
Quercus
Publish Date
14 May 2020
Run Time
10 hours 56 minutes
Format
Audiobook

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What to expect

YOU ESCAPED. BUT HE WILL NEVER LET YOU GO.

THE NO.1 INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER

'Chilling, original and mesmerising. Hausmann is a force to be reckoned with' David Baldacci
'A peerless exercise in suspense' Financial Times
'Claustrophobic, terrifying and fiercely compelling' Daily Mail
'Disturbingly good' Lesley Kara
'Gripping, suspenseful and beautifully written' Jo Spain

A windowless shack in the woods. Lena's life and that of her two children follows the rules set by their captor, the father: meals, bathroom visits, study time are strictly scheduled and meticulously observed. He protects his family from the dangers lurking in the outside world and makes sure that his children will always have a mother to look after them.

One day Lena manages to flee - but the nightmare continues. It seems as if her tormentor wants to get back what belongs to him. And then there is the question whether she really is the woman called 'Lena', who disappeared without a trace over thirteen years ago. The police and Lena's family are all desperately trying to piece together a puzzle that doesn't quite seem to fit.

'Will haunt you long after the last page' Alice Feeney
'Keeps you guessing' Sunday Express
'Intelligent and original' Sunday Independent
'Outstanding' Publishers Weekly
(P)2020 Quercus Editions Limited

Critics Review

  • A chilling, original and mesmerizing work. Hausmann is a force to be reckoned with. You can't stop reading

    David Baldacci

  • A peerless exercise in suspense . . . Whether treated as a study in trauma and identity or a dark, well-crafted crime narrative from multiple perspectives, it is a nail-biting fare

    Barry Forshaw, Financial Times

  • Claustrophobic, terrifying and fiercely compelling, this is heartbreaking

    Daily Mail

  • Dear Child is an accomplished thriller, beautifully written, intriguing and very compelling

    Peter James

See more reviews
  • I read Dear Child in one sitting, holding my breath. Such a gripping, suspenseful and beautifully written debut. I loved it!

    Jo Spain, author of The Confession

  • Hausmann makes you care about her characters even while they keep you guessing

    Sunday Express

  • Told from multiple viewpoints which gives a satisfying complexity . . . An intelligent and original book

    Sunday Independent

  • Equal parts mystery, thriller and family story . . . [A] tantalizingly disturbing debut . . . the overall experience is as enthralling as it is thought-provoking. Hausmann creates a dark solar system studded with twinkling stars . . .
    At the core of Dear Child is the constant hope that characters will be drawn back to people who mean the most to them, no matter how far apart they've been pulled. That glint of optimism is the light guiding readers as they fly through this book

    New York Times

  • German bestseller Dear Child by Romy Hausmann is tipped to be one of the UK's must-reads of the summer

    S Magazine

  • Nothing is quite what it seems in this mesmerising debut

    Daily Express

  • One of the best thrillers I've read this year. Flawlessly plotted with a pace that refuses to let the reader come up for air - not that you'd want to

    Stephanie Wrobel, author of The Recovery of Rose Gold

  • Wow! Such a disturbingly good read. Romy's knack of getting under a character's skin is impressive. I loved it

    Lesley Kara, author of The Rumour

  • If you read only one thriller this year, choose this one. Room meets Gone Girl in this gripping novel, which will haunt you long after the last page

    Alice Feeney, author of Sometimes I Lie

  • Outstanding . . . The multiple points of view and numerous plot twists sustain the breakneck pacing, but the book's real power lies in the author's insightful and sensitive portrayal of the characters involved in the tragedy. This darkly disturbing thriller definitely marks Hausmann as a writer to watch.

    Publishers Weekly

  • A mesmerising and flawlessly plotted debut

    Sunday Express S Magazine

User Reviews

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Details

Author
Romy Hausmann
Narrator
Jane Collingwood, Nicky Diss, Simon Slater
Duration
10 hours 56 minutes
Release Date
14 May 2020
ISBN
9781529401417
Format
Audiobook
Publisher
Quercus
Genre
Crime and mystery: women sleuths / detectives, Thriller / suspense fiction, Psychological thriller

Synopsis

YOU ESCAPED. BUT HE WILL NEVER LET YOU GO.THE NO.1 INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER'Chilling, original and mesmerising. Hausmann is a force to be reckoned with' David Baldacci'A peerless exercise in suspense' Financial Times 'Claustrophobic, terrifying and fiercely compelling' Daily Mail'Disturbingly good' Lesley Kara 'Gripping, suspenseful and beautifully written' Jo SpainA windowless shack in the woods. Lena's life and that of her two children follows the rules set by their captor, the father: meals, bathroom visits, study time are strictly scheduled and meticulously observed. He protects his family from the dangers lurking in the outside world and makes sure that his children will always have a mother to look after them. One day Lena manages to flee - but the nightmare continues. It seems as if her tormentor wants to get back what belongs to him. And then there is the question whether she really is the woman called 'Lena', who disappeared without a trace over thirteen years ago. The police and Lena's family are all desperately trying to piece together a puzzle that doesn't quite seem to fit.'Will haunt you long after the last page' Alice Feeney'Keeps you guessing' Sunday Express'Intelligent and original' Sunday Independent'Outstanding' Publishers Weekly(P)2020 Quercus Editions Limited

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