Description

‘Such great dialogue and action…a frisky murder story and terrific reading’ – John Self, The Times

Two women. One baby. And a man in the sceptic tank.

In their lovely Cotswolds village, Janet and Susan are known simply as ‘the girls’. Partners in love and work, proprietors of a picturesque shop, they lead an enviably peaceful life.

But after one moment of surprising passion, the girls’ lives take a deeply unsettling turn.

Part-dark comedy, part-crime thriller, part-cosy love story, The Girls will ensure you never look on Middle England quite so quaintly again.

‘Startlingly offbeat’ Gore Vidal

‘Absolutely wicked’ Armistead Maupin

‘[For] those who feel Barbara Pym-ish on some days and Stephen King-ish on others . . . The Girls charms us as only certain tales ‘of village life’ can’ Washington Post

Publisher Review

[A] well-crafted novel of murder and mystery . . . Bowen's handling of the novel's conclusion-elegiac, compassionate and redemptive-is satisfying; his true subject becomes the nature of friendship * The New York Times Book Review * This is a charming little novel about two women who share a home, a garden, and later, a baby. What happens when the accidental father returns? Fans of Patricia Highsmith and Edward Gorey (whose delightful designs adorn the cover) should like The Girls * San Francisco Bay Times * Deadpan, sly, and threatening . . . I'm sure I'm not the only reader who thought of this book as his own secret, to be recommended only to the most unusual of friends, but now it's back in the world and will hopefully garner the cult audience it deserves * Slate *