Description

*A New York Times Best Thriller *

‘Atmospheric, disturbing and beautifully evoked’ – Daily Mail

‘Page-turning . . . I absolutely loved this’ – Liane Moriarty, bestselling author of Here One Moment
‘Riveting . . . it held me captive’ – Hannah Kent, bestselling author of Devotion

In the past, we had always spent our summer holidays in remote places. That had always been my mother’s preference. This year was different . . .

Ten-year-old Alex thought this holiday would be fun, but now everyone in her family is being boring. Her mother needs to finish her novel, her dad wants to watch cricket and her older sister only has eyes for the local lifeguard.

Then her new friend, Kahu, tells her a secret. Two years ago, a girl went missing and everyone said she drowned. But what if the adults are wrong? What if she’s waiting to be found?

As Alex and Kahu hunt for clues, childhood curiosity soon gives way to a darker reality. As the summer heat peaks, one terrifying question remains: did the missing girl really drown, or is a predator hiding in plain sight?

Brilliantly page-turning and tensely atmospheric, A Beautiful Family will leave a lump in your throat and a hole in your heart.

‘Immersive . . . Alix grasps at the truth of things, but her perspective means only the reader parses the more adult story unravelling around her . . . as the underlying narratives coalesce’ – The Guardian

Publisher Review

I absolutely loved this page-turning family mystery and didn’t want it to end. The author so effortlessly transported me to another place and time, and every character leapt off the page. An extraordinary, exquisitely written debut — Liane Moriarty, bestselling author of Here One Moment An absolutely riveting read. A Beautiful Family held me captive from the first page to the last . . . I loved it — Hannah Kent, bestselling author of Devotion Immersive . . . Alix grasps at the truth of things, but her perspective means only the reader parses the more adult story unravelling around her . . . as the underlying narratives coalesce * The Guardian * Taut yet tender, A Beautiful Family examines the precariousness of childhood through the lens of a long, hazy summer of secrets . . . Trevelyan has crafted a coming-of-age story that perfectly balances the nostalgia of summer holidays with a looming sense of danger — Jacqueline Bublitz, author of Before You Knew My Name Dappled in sand and shadow, A Beautiful Family is part coming-of-age story, part taut thriller, part travelogue . . . Jennifer Trevelyan’s immersive debut is atmospheric, aching — Laurie Frankel, bestselling author of Family Family A riveting and accomplished debut. I was on the edge of my seat as I devoured this tense, atmospheric and beautifully written novel — Adele Parks, author of Woman Last Seen Occasionally a book comes into the office and it’s so good, I want to tell everyone about it. Jennifer Trevelyan’s debut, A Beautiful Family, is that good. I’ve been telling everyone: you simply must read it — Caroline Overington, The Australian Beautifully told from an interesting perspective, this novel captures a child’s curiosities and an unfolding summer of adventure * Women & Home * This captivating story made me nostalgic for childhood * Prima * Reminiscent of the movie Stand by Me, this coming-of-age book is full of suspense and thrills. Set in the 1980s, it brilliantly evokes memories of childhood curiosity and innocence and those days when it felt like the summer holidays went on forever * WI Life * Atmospheric, disturbing and beautifully evoked * Daily Mail * An intricate novel of discovery . . . a tense tale of growing awareness * Sainsbury’s Magazine * The book trundles along at a deceptively languid pace until you realize that Trevelyan has expertly set up multiple mysteries that converge, stunningly, late in the game * The New York Times *