Dear Child cover art

Dear Child

The twisty thriller that starts where others end

 Preview

Get 30 days of Premium Plus free

£8.99/month after 30-day free trial. Cancel monthly.
Try for £0.00
More purchase options
Buy Now for £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

About this listen

 YOU ESCAPED. BUT HE WILL NEVER LET YOU GO.

THE NO.1 INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER

'Chilling, original and mesmerising. Hausmann is a force to be reckoned with' David Baldacci
'A peerless exercise in suspense' Financial Times
'Claustrophobic, terrifying and fiercely compelling' Daily Mail
'Disturbingly good' Lesley Kara
'Gripping, suspenseful and beautifully written' Jo Spain

A windowless shack in the woods. Lena's life and that of her two children follows the rules set by their captor, the father: meals, bathroom visits, study time are strictly scheduled and meticulously observed. He protects his family from the dangers lurking in the outside world and makes sure that his children will always have a mother to look after them.

One day Lena manages to flee - but the nightmare continues. It seems as if her tormentor wants to get back what belongs to him. And then there is the question whether she really is the woman called 'Lena', who disappeared without a trace over thirteen years ago. The police and Lena's family are all desperately trying to piece together a puzzle that doesn't quite seem to fit.

'Will haunt you long after the last page' Alice Feeney
'Keeps you guessing' Sunday Express
'Intelligent and original' Sunday Independent
'Outstanding' Publishers Weekly
(P)2020 Quercus Editions Limited©2020 Jamie Bulloch Crime Thrillers Domestic Thrillers Psychological Thriller Thriller & Suspense Fiction Crime Suspense Emotionally Gripping Exciting Scary Mystery

Critic reviews

A chilling, original and mesmerizing work. Hausmann is a force to be reckoned with. You can't stop reading
A peerless exercise in suspense . . . Whether treated as a study in trauma and identity or a dark, well-crafted crime narrative from multiple perspectives, it is a nail-biting fare
Claustrophobic, terrifying and fiercely compelling, this is heartbreaking
Dear Child is an accomplished thriller, beautifully written, intriguing and very compelling
I read Dear Child in one sitting, holding my breath. Such a gripping, suspenseful and beautifully written debut. I loved it!
Hausmann makes you care about her characters even while they keep you guessing
Told from multiple viewpoints which gives a satisfying complexity . . . An intelligent and original book
Equal parts mystery, thriller and family story . . . [A] tantalizingly disturbing debut . . . the overall experience is as enthralling as it is thought-provoking. Hausmann creates a dark solar system studded with twinkling stars . . .
At the core of Dear Child is the constant hope that characters will be drawn back to people who mean the most to them, no matter how far apart they've been pulled. That glint of optimism is the light guiding readers as they fly through this book
German bestseller Dear Child by Romy Hausmann is tipped to be one of the UK's must-reads of the summer
Nothing is quite what it seems in this mesmerising debut
One of the best thrillers I've read this year. Flawlessly plotted with a pace that refuses to let the reader come up for air - not that you'd want to
Wow! Such a disturbingly good read. Romy's knack of getting under a character's skin is impressive. I loved it
If you read only one thriller this year, choose this one. Room meets Gone Girl in this gripping novel, which will haunt you long after the last page
Outstanding . . . The multiple points of view and numerous plot twists sustain the breakneck pacing, but the book's real power lies in the author's insightful and sensitive portrayal of the characters involved in the tragedy. This darkly disturbing thriller definitely marks Hausmann as a writer to watch.
A mesmerising and flawlessly plotted debut
All stars
Most relevant
I really enjoyed it, the only thing I wish they had done differently is the use of Herr & Herrin when addressing male & females. It’s a translated book from a German author but I hadn’t realised this and spent most of the book confused because of the use of this. An example is a character called Beck, they called him Beck & Herr Beck so I assumed it was two different characters, especially as it’s not just translated but also narrated by English people. I’m sure that’s just me though and it certainly didn’t distract from the great story and excellent narration. Definitely one of the best books I’ve listened to this year.

Gripping

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This had great reviews so I gave it a try. I found it meandered a little in the middle, a lot of it could have been edited a little better. I found myself losing interest and just wanted to get to the end. I give it three stars, it's a good thriller but not five star quality.

Only OK

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

It’s good to hear what the bestselling books are in in other countries, so this German bestseller was an important listen for me.

Very chilling, and difficult subject matter, well written or should I say well translated.

It had echoes of Room by Emma Donoghoe, but was from a different angle.

The narration was superb and provided the odd characters with embodiment.

Good if you like your chilling psychological thrillers and suspense.

Chilling

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Enjoyed this book immensely .Beautifully narrated, and kept its villain secret right to the end.

A great listen.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Nice narration. Nice storytelling. Gripped. One of the better books I’ve heard lately. I liked the twist at the end too with the lead character.

Enjoyed this one!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews