July 1, 2023
Tash is thrilled to find a playgroup for her young son in a wealthy enclave near her home, even as a young nanny is found dead in the area. In rather macabre fashion, she starts investigating the death as a way to reignite her journalism career, but with another death she starts to suspect that she's been accepted by the enclave's polished moms so that they can watch her every move. Following the well-received Greenwich Park. Prepub Alert.
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Copyright 2023 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
Starred review from October 9, 2023
A restless former newspaper reporter probes an accidental death in this pulse-pounding domestic thriller from British journalist Faulkner (Greenwich Park). Freelance writer and stay-at-home mom Natasha “Tash” Carpenter is casting about for story ideas when Jane Blake comes knocking at her door. Months ago, before Tash left her job at the London Evening Post to care for her toddler, she wrote an article reporting the coroner’s ruling that Jane’s 21-year-old daughter, Sophie, likely drowned while swimming drunk in a local reservoir. Jane believes someone murdered Sophie, however, and wants Tash to look into the matter. Tash acquiesces—at first to appease Jane, then because she becomes convinced she’s on to something when she gets anonymous threats demanding she cease her investigation. After uncovering links between Sophie, a trio of fellow mothers Tash has recently befriended, their spouses, and Tash’s own husband, she begins to worry where her inquiry might lead her next. Faulkner expertly interweaves Tash’s increasingly paranoid first-person-present narration with sections from Sophie’s perspective that detail her final months. Plausible suspects, persuasive red herrings, and seismic reveals enliven the precisely crafted plot. This one grips from start to shocking finish. Agent: Madeleine Milburn, Madeleine Milburn Ltd.
Starred review from October 15, 2023
A London journalist struggles with parenting, work, and a coven of fellow playgroup mothers in this menace-infused thriller. Freelance journalist Natasha Carpenter splits her harried time between work--when she can get it--her 2-year-old son, Finn, and her husband, Tom. When Finn, under heartbreaking duress, starts going to a local playgroup, Tash has slightly more time to pursue her current investigative article, the mystery of a local nanny, Sophie Blake, found dead in a reservoir; she also starts hanging out with some of the playgroup's other mothers, Claire, Laura, and Nicole. Those three are living lives of higher-end luxury than Tash, accentuated by giant houses, cheerful--and sometime overly attentive--husbands, and fancy brunches at an upscale caf�, Ruby's. Despite her limited budget, Tash goes along gamely for the breezy social ride. But when she starts getting anonymous threats, Tash realizes something is seriously amiss. Unfortunately, she's already struggled to re-focus any police interest in Sophie's case, and she finds herself not just playing amateur detective but beginning to wonder who she can trust. Faulkner is a pro at ever-so-gradually ratcheting up the tension bit by tiny, spine-tingling bit. And, as the narrative deftly swings between timeframes--many of the chapters are narrated by Sophie in the period leading up to her death--we get a vertiginous view of just how tightly a group of people's lives can be inexorably twisted together. Faulkner pulls out all the psychological-thriller stops--and then some.
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October 13, 2023
In Faulkner's second novel (after Greenwich Park), freelance journalist and new mom Tash seeks a playgroup for her son Finn. She finds it in a group of mothers who live in upper-class London neighborhoods and whose lifestyles Tash could only dream of. Sophie is a live-in nanny for Claire and Jez, who are expecting their first baby together while raising Jez's son, Jude. Sophie notices a strange detachment between Claire and Jude and works to make sure he's properly cared for. Meanwhile, Tash is quickly swept up in coffee dates and spa outings that she struggles to afford. All the while she's spending her spare time investigating the death of a young nanny. But when the investigation leads to her own playgroup, and another young woman dies mysteriously, Tash wonders, who are these other mothers? And why was she invited in? VERDICT Fans of Ashley Audrain and Chandler Baker will enjoy the similar themes of motherhood, the unspoken parts of women's relationships, desire, envy, and heart-pounding suspense. The alternating timelines build anticipation but the twists will keep readers guessing to the last page.--Kerri Copus
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