Name: Dear Child
ISBN: 9781529401424

Romy Hausmann

GONE GIRL meets ROOM in this page-turning thriller from one of Germany's hottest new talentsA 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 14 years ago. The police and Lena's family are all desperately trying to piece together a puzzle which doesn't quite seem to fit.

Dear Child

Samantha Bowes

Excellent book and story. I didn’t figure anything out until the very end, which is what I enjoy. As it was originally written in German, and the story takes place in Germany, it felt a bit disjointed in places. There were a lot of characters to keep track of, and not all of them were well fleshed out. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed it!

“Chilling, original and mesmerizing.” —David Baldacci Bustle Best Books of Fall 2020 Publishers Weekly Top 10 Mysteries & Thrillers of Fall 2020 She Reads Most Anticipated Books of Fall 2020 A woman held captive finally escapes—but can she ever really get away? Gone Girl meets Room in this page-turning, #1 internationally bestselling thriller from one of Germany’s hottest new talents A windowless shack in the woods. A dash to safety. But when a woman finally escapes her captor, the end of the story is only the beginning of her nightmare. She says her name is Lena. Lena, who disappeared without a trace 14 years prior. She fits the profile. She has the distinctive scar. But her family swears that she isn’t their Lena. The little girl who escaped the woods with her knows things she isn’t sharing, and Lena’s devastated father is trying to piece together details that don’t quite fit. Lena is desperate to begin again, but something tells her that her tormentor still wants to get back what belongs to him...and that she may not be able to truly escape until the whole truth about what happened in the woods finally emerges. Twisty, suspenseful, and psychologically clever, Romy Hausmann's Dear Child is a captivating thriller with all the ingredients of a breakout hit.

A Novel

Lauren Attaway

When is something too dark for me? I struggled through Dear Child, even though the pitch-Gone Girl meets Room- is exactly the book I should love. But I didn’t love this. Smart plot, twist I figured out, tense, just not one of my faves.

"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 14 years ago. The police and Lena's family are all desperately trying to piece together a puzzle which doesn't quite seem to fit."--Provided by publisher.

Pam Sartain

Dear Child by Romy Hausmann is a thriller, translated from German, and so set in modern day Germany.

Lena is trapped in a shack in the forest, with two children whom she is told she has to look after.  Their days are strictly regulated, until one day Lena manages to escape, and this is where our story starts!  We meet Lena in the hospital, where she slowly tells her story to the police.

This is a tense thriller, where the truth changes often.  It's a haunting tale, well told, and makes you want to keep turning the page!

 Dear Child  was published on 14th May 2020, and is available from  Amazon ,  Waterstones  and  Bookshop.org .

You can follow Romy Hausmann on  Facebook  and  Instagram .

I was given this book in exchange for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to  Quercus Books .

nadine ♡

** spoiler alert **
           Okay this book was incredible but why do I still not know how Lena died?!?!

Synne Wille Mjølnerød

Libby

“[A] tantalizingly disturbing debut...As enthralling as it is thought-provoking.” -New York Times Book Review Bustle Best Books of Fall 2020 Publishers Weekly Top 10 Mysteries & Thrillers of Fall 2020 She Reads Most Anticipated Books of Fall 2020 A woman held captive finally escapes—but can she ever really get away? Gone Girl meets Room in this page-turning, #1 internationally bestselling thriller from one of Germany’s hottest new talents A windowless shack in the woods. A dash to safety. But when a woman finally escapes her captor, the end of the story is only the beginning of her nightmare. She says her name is Lena. Lena, who disappeared without a trace 14 years prior. She fits the profile. She has the distinctive scar. But her family swears that she isn’t their Lena. The little girl who escaped the woods with her knows things she isn’t sharing, and Lena’s devastated father is trying to piece together details that don’t quite fit. Lena is desperate to begin again, but something tells her that her tormentor still wants to get back what belongs to him...and that she may not be able to truly escape until the whole truth about what happened in the woods finally emerges. Twisty, suspenseful, and psychologically clever, Romy Hausmann's Dear Child is a captivating thriller with all the ingredients of a breakout hit. “Chilling, original and mesmerizing.” —David Baldacci

Jasper

amanda panda

Issi 

Taylor Kearney

Irene Lydia Bintou

Jerilynn Hallett 

Louise Briley 

Bethany

Allie Bilawchuk

Shreya Punj

A woman held captive finally escapes—but can she ever really get away? Gone Girl meets Room in this page-turning, #1 internationally bestselling thriller from one of Germany’s hottest new talents “Chilling, original and mesmerizing.” —David Baldacci Publishers Weekly Top 10 Mysteries & Thrillers of Fall 2020 A windowless shack in the woods. A dash to safety. But when a woman finally escapes her captor, the end of the story is only the beginning of her nightmare. She says her name is Lena. Lena, who disappeared without a trace 14 years prior. She fits the profile. She has the distinctive scar. But her family swears that she isn’t their Lena. The little girl who escaped the woods with her knows things she isn’t sharing, and Lena’s devastated father is trying to piece together details that don’t quite fit. Lena is desperate to begin again, but something tells her that her tormentor still wants to get back what belongs to him...and that she may not be able to truly escape until the whole truth about what happened in the woods finally emerges. Twisty, suspenseful, and psychologically clever, Romy Hausmann's Dear Child is a captivating thriller with all the ingredients of a breakout hit.

Dear Child

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