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Dear Child

The twisty thriller that starts where others end

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Dear Child

By: Romy Hausmann, Jamie Bulloch - translator
Narrated by: Jane Collingwood, Nicky Diss, Simon Slater
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About this listen

 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©2020 Jamie Bulloch Crime Thrillers Domestic Thrillers Psychological Thriller Thriller & Suspense Fiction Crime Suspense Emotionally Gripping Mystery

Critic Reviews

A chilling, original and mesmerizing work. Hausmann is a force to be reckoned with. You can't stop reading
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
Claustrophobic, terrifying and fiercely compelling, this is heartbreaking
Dear Child is an accomplished thriller, beautifully written, intriguing and very compelling
I read Dear Child in one sitting, holding my breath. Such a gripping, suspenseful and beautifully written debut. I loved it!
Hausmann makes you care about her characters even while they keep you guessing
Told from multiple viewpoints which gives a satisfying complexity . . . An intelligent and original book
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
German bestseller Dear Child by Romy Hausmann is tipped to be one of the UK's must-reads of the summer
Nothing is quite what it seems in this mesmerising debut
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
Wow! Such a disturbingly good read. Romy's knack of getting under a character's skin is impressive. I loved it
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
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.
A mesmerising and flawlessly plotted debut
All stars
Most relevant
If you love psychological thrillers, don't skip this one. The story is gripping, wonderfully told in a way that keeps the suspense. The characters are so well written, I was really feeling genuinely creeped out by Hannah (sorry, this may be a spoiler). This was probably also made possible due to the fantastic narrators. Just everything was great, I couldn't stop listening and I will definitely look into more books from this author.

Fantastic!

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Great read-
Narrations spectacular
Particularly enjoyed the authors piece at conclusion -
Loved that she talked of how she became interested in the genre .

Chilling -

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Well written and you really feel for almost all of the characters in this book no matter how they come accross as you know they have all suffered in their own way.

So sad but very believable.

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Listened to this in 3 nights as I could not get enough and was dying to see the who what where and why of the ending. What a fantastic debut novel with many different believable characters who you get emotionally attached to.

DEAR CHILD - excellent debut novel

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Though the writing seemed formula driven, the unpeeling of tantilising clues was fun and each new twist kept up the whirling intrigue? However, when the ending came it was riddled with flaws. It followed that classic movie cliche where the villian is about to kill, then stops to first reveal the reasons for all his behaviours. In that time all is exposed, all the loose ends are tied up and inevitably the villain doesn't get his way. This lazy exposition was a bit disappointing and didn't feel true.

Blovkbuster fiction, flawed but fun.

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