'A must for fans of Claire Keegan and Colin Walsh' Cailean Steed

'A complex psychological thriller... Beautifully written. Unflinching. Staggeringly good' Gill Perdue

'Bold and claustrophobic... unpicks those darkest of family secrets with heartbreaking honesty' Anna Bailey

January 2023. Cara's great-aunt Audrey has died, and her husband Tony needs her presence at the funeral. It will be a stretch for Cara, whose every day is an emotional challenge, a challenge which is getting harder as her daughter's tenth birthday approaches. But with her family beside her, she's prepared to try...

June 2000. Ten-year-old Cara and her sister Charlotte are sent to live with their great aunt and uncle, part of a famous acting family, when their mother is hospitalised. The Wolfes see the world as a drama they are starring in, and while her sister seems instantly at home Cara feels very much the outsider. And for all the staginess of Chaplin House, there is real tragedy brewing...

About the Author

Hannah King is a writer from Co. Down, where she lives with her partner and their dogs. Her first novel, She and I, was critically acclaimed.

Reviews

'At times both bold and claustrophobic, Little Darlings unpicks those darkest of family secrets with heartbreaking honesty. An all-around knockout performance' Anna Bailey, author of Tall Bones

'A completely compelling, heart wrenching read. Sensitively and deftly handled... A completely compelling and beautifully observed study of childhood. Hannah King can draw characters that leave a lasting impression. Read this book!' Sharon Dempsey, author of Who Took Eden Mulligan?

'Hannah King delivers enthralling psychological suspense in Little Darlings. The story of Cara and Charlotte's childhood, the assumptions, misunderstandings and vulnerabilities of children are perfectly drawn and make for a tense and gripping read which kept me turning the pages until its satisfying end' Fiona Gartland

'In Little Darlings, her third novel, Hannah King has woven a complex psychological thriller which, though dealing with the darkest of subjects, keeps at its core the best of what means to be human. I thought I knew where this was heading. I was wrong. I thought a story like this would have no room for love and joy and hope. I was wrong. Beautifully written. Unflinching. Staggeringly good'. Gill Perdue, bestselling author of If I Tell

'Utterly beautiful, dark and heartbreaking, Little Darlings leaves a deep impression. Cara struggles with anxiety and depression, every day a struggle despite her loving husband and daughter. Then the death of her aunt takes her back to the country house she moved to when she was ten, and she is forced to confront the year that changed everything. Sensitive, compelling and exquisitely written, King takes us to the bleakest places of love, grief and pain, showing the strength and determination that lies inside her characters. Unmissable'. Heather Critchlow, author of Unsolved

'It's beautifully crafted, dark and nasty, sweet and yet so damn sad in places. Little Darlings is a gem of a novel, taking all the haunting shadows of an old family and twisting, barbed wire in a silk glove' Kitty Murphy, author of the Dublin Drag Mysteries

'Hannah King deserves to win every award going. Little Darlings is beautifully written, expertly handled and endlessly compassionate, never shying from its difficult subject matter. Compelling and compulsive in its exploration of the long shadow of childhood experiences, King's deft evocation of the complexity of main character Cara is one of the best things I've read in a long time. An early candidate for best book of 2026, this book is a must for fans of Claire Keegan and Colin Walsh. I read this in one breathless sitting, and found it incredibly moving' Cailean Steed, author of Home

Book Information
ISBN 9781835015445
Author Hannah King
Format Paperback
Page Count 352
Imprint Bedford Square Publishers
Publisher Bedford Square Publishers