'Stunning' Simon Mayo Radio 2 Book Club

'A twist-filled page-turner' Closer

Three-year-old Dillon vanished in the middle of the night. His father Harry can't forgive himself for not protecting his only child. Yet Harry isn't blamed by his wife Robin: she bares her own secret guilt.
Five years later, thousands of miles away, Harry spots an eight-year-old boy in a crowd - a boy he is convinced is Dillon.

Desperate to find his missing son, Harry's obsession tears apart his marriage, exposing shameful secrets and shattering the one thing he and Robin had left - trust.

Why won't Robin believe Harry? What is she hiding? Can the boy really be Dillon? And how far will Harry go to find their lost son?

The Boy That Never Was is a deeply atmospheric and masterfully crafted tale of love and loss that will chill you to the bone.


Praise for The Boy That Never Was:

'The Boy That Never Was is that powerful thing, a beautifully written mystery driven by its exploration of the characters' innermost hearts' Tana French

'A truly remarkable novel . . . Written in a captivating, lyrical style and brilliantly structured, the story grips your heart from the first pages and simply never lets go' Jeffery Deaver

'This is a debut novel that will catch fire' Nelson DeMille

'A beautifully written, tense and twisty tale' Sunday Mirror

'Equal parts thriller, mystery and fascinating psychological study' Irish Times

About the Author
Karen Perry is the pen name of crime writing duo Paul Perry and Karen Gillece who both live in Ireland. Can You Keep A Secret? is their latest novel and follows Girl Unknown, Only We Know and The Boy That Never Was which was selected for the Simon Mayo Radio 2 book club. All three were Sunday Times bestsellers.

Reviews
Genuinely surprising * Guardian *
Stunning -- Simon Mayo Radio 2 Book Club
I shot through this in one sitting. Like Gone Girl, it's told alternately by a husband and his wife. At the very beginning, something very shocking happens . . . It's the most gripping thing I've read for ages * Evening Standard *
A twist-filled page-turner * Closer *
A truly remarkable novel. The Boy That Never Was is a pitch-perfect balance of driving plot and honest, complex human emotion. Written in a captivating, lyrical style and brilliantly structured, the story grips your heart from the first pages and simply never lets go -- Jeffrey Deaver
Beautifully written, tense and twisty tale * Sunday Mirror *
Gripping from its dramatic opening chapter, this tense, unpredictable novel blends a thriller with an intimate family story to produce a most compelling read -- John Boyne
The Boy That Never Was is that powerful thing, a beautifully written mystery driven by its exploration of the characters' innermost hearts - of the inexorable ripples that loss sends out, and the terrible damage people can do to those they love most. Both as a crime novel and as an emotional journey, it's gripping stuff -- Tana French
This assured debut is equal parts thriller, mystery and fascinating psychological study * Irish Times *
Taut, smartly written, empathetic and at times unbearably tense . . . The Boy That Never Was hits the bullseye * Irish Independent *
A debut novel that will catch fire -- Nelson DeMille
A tense domestic thriller that is full of surprises * Irish Mail on Sunday *
One of those unique books that grips you from the start . . . climaxing in an unexpected and explosive twist that we simply didn't see coming. This isn't a relaxed read, but it is dramatic and thrilling * Irish Country Living *



Book Information
ISBN 9781405914048
Author Karen Perry
Format Paperback
Page Count 384
Imprint Penguin Books Ltd
Publisher Penguin Books Ltd
Weight(grams) 266g
Dimensions(mm) 198mm * 129mm * 23mm