Longlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger 2021

How does the saying go? Just because you're paranoid, it doesn't mean they're not out to get you . . .

For Ruth, a new mother recovering from postpartum psychosis, every day is difficult and, after months spent hearing voices in the walls and trusting no one, she's no longer confident in her own judgement. Neither, it seems, is anyone else.

So, when she hears a scream from the local petrol station one night, she initially decides it must be her mind playing tricks again. The police, too, are polite but firm: she must stop calling them every time she thinks she hears something. And her husband is frustrated: he'd hoped Ruth was getting better at last.

Ruth can't quite let it go . . . What if there was a scream? What if it was someone in trouble? Someone who needs Ruth's help?

Exploring the dark and isolating side of motherhood, the question at the heart of Rebecca Whitney's The Hidden Girls is how much you can help someone else when you can't trust anyone - even yourself . . .

How does the saying go? Just because you're paranoid, it doesn't mean they're not out to get you . . .

About the Author
Rebecca Whitney's debut, The Liar's Chair, was published in 2015. As well as novels, Rebecca writes short-stories and features, and also teaches creative writing. She lives in Sussex. The Hidden Girls is her second novel.

Reviews
Moving and terrifying, The Hidden Girls is a page-turning thriller with a compassionate heart that twists and turns on every page. I loved it -- Kate Hamer, author of The Girl in the Red Coat and Crushed
An intriguing and suspenseful psychological thriller with a fascinating protagonist suffering from postpartum psychosis . . . Original and timely -- Jenny Quintana, author of The Missing Girl and Our Dark Secret
Whitney is definitely a name to keep your eye on * Stylist *
An extremely promising literary newcomer * Grazia *
Pacy and pitch-dark -- Sunday Mirror on The Liar's Chair
This impressive debut will cleverly draw you in, then spit you out shivering and on edge -- Sun on The Liar's Chair
Compelling and unsettling -- Laura Wilson in the Guardian on The Liar's Chair



Book Information
ISBN 9781447265887
Author Rebecca Whitney
Format Paperback
Page Count 320
Imprint Pan Books
Publisher Pan Macmillan
Weight(grams) 228g
Dimensions(mm) 196mm * 131mm * 35mm