“Nicci French is a specialist in the kind of evil that burrows from within.” —New York Times Book Review
In this new heart-pounding standalone from the internationally bestselling author that People calls “razor sharp,” a single mother suspects her young daughter has witnessed a horrible crime when the girl draws a disturbing picture—but the deadly path to unravel the truth could cost her everything.
Maybe Tess is overprotective, but passing her daughter off to her ex and his new young wife fills her with a sense of dread. It’s not that Jason is a bad father—it just hurts to see him enjoying married life with someone else. Still, she owes it to her daughter Poppy to make this arrangement work.
But Poppy returns from the weekend tired and withdrawn. And when she shows Tess a crayon drawing—an image so simple and violent that Tess can hardly make sense of it——Poppy can only explain with the words, “He did kill her.”
Something is horribly wrong. Tess is certain Poppy saw something—or something happened to her—that she’s too young to understand. Jason insists the weekend went off without a hitch. Doctors advise that Poppy may be reacting to her parents’ separation. And as the days go on, even Poppy’s disturbing memory seems to fade. But a mother knows her daughter, and Tess is determined to discover the truth. Her search will set off an explosive tempest of dark secrets and buried crimes—and more than one life may be at stake.
Author Info
Nicci French is the pseudonym of English wife-and-husband team Nicci Gerrard and Sean French. Their acclaimed novels of psychological suspense have sold more than sixteen million copies around the world.
Reviews
"Fans of psychological thrillers with seemingly vulnerable but empowered women who take drastic action to save their families will love this nerve-jangling story." — Library Journal (starred review)
"The English writing team of Nicci Gerrard and Sean French delivers another well-plotted winner... fans will devour it." — Booklist on The Unheard
“With such a unique storyline… the author was able to provide multiple distractions to keep the ending a surprise. The added twist makes it especially interesting as a bit of a bait-and-switch technique… another satisfying story packed with suspense.” — Novels Alive on The Unheard
"Razor-sharp writing by French expertly amps the tension." — People on The Lying Room
“Full of unexpected turns . . . . Immensely satisfying.” — New York Times Book Review on House of Correction
"Nicci French will leave readers questioning everything they think they know." — Popsugar on House of Correction
"Ingenious . . . French’s best book yet . . . This house of correction is booby-trapped with twists, the floors paved with trapdoors, quicksand churning in the garden. Enter if you dare." — A.J. Finn, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Woman in the Window, on House of Correction
“Seamlessly shifts from prison drama to procedural to legal thriller—and finally to an ingenious twist on the locked-room mystery. French continues to impress.” — Publishers Weekly on House of Correction
