Tom Rob Smith

The Farm

From the author of CHILD 44, soon to be a major film starring Tom Hardy, Noomi Rapace and Gary Oldman, comes an intricately-knitted thriller in the vein of John Le Carre's A PERFECT SPY. Daniel believed that his parents were enjoying a peaceful retirement on a remote farm in Sweden, the country of his mother's birth. But with a single phone call, everything changes. 'Your mother... she's not well', his father tells him. 'She's been imagining things - terrible, terrible things.' In fact, she has been committed to a mental hospital. Before Daniel can board a plane to Sweden, his mother calls: 'Everything that man has told you is a lie. I'm not mad... I need the police... Meet me at Heathrow.' Presented with a horrific crime, a conspiracy that implicates his own father, Daniel must examine the evidence and decide: who is telling the truth, his mother or his father? And he has secrets of his own that for too long he has kept hidden... 'Chilling, hypnotic and thoroughly compelling. You will not read a better thriller this year' MARK BILLINGHAM 'On rare occasions, an author pulls off the high-wire act of writing a crime-oriented novel that easily transcends the genre. The Farm is one of these... A remarkable achievement' JEFFERY DEAVER 'Tom Rob Smith has created a truly original and chilling thriller, which makes you ask yourself: who would I believe?' JOJO MOYES TOM ROB SMITH is the bestselling author of Man Booker-longlisted CHILD 44, a multi-million-copy bestseller and now a major film starring Tom Hardy, Noomi Rapace and Gary Oldman. THE SECRET SPEECH and AGENT 6, both bestsellers, complete the trilogy.

Derek Barlas

Mary Baldwin

I'm still thinking about the book a day after I finished it so thats always a sign of something good. Im surprised by the reviews that say the plot was transparent, because even by the end I felt like there was a lot of it open to interpretation. 'Madness' is a very uncomfortable plot, especially that feeling of being accused of being mad when you're totally sane but nobody believes you. Makes me shudder just thinking about it.

Anyway, another favourite thing is the unconventional narrative-loved it. Its not a thriller, but it's thrilling.

Intriguing and interesting read. Kept me spellbound the entire time. Couldn't put it down.

After learning his mother was committed to a mental hospital, Daniel receives a call from her, claiming that his lying father is part of a crime conspiracy.

Tanya Sutton

"If you refuse to believe me, I will no longer consider you my son."

The Farm is a quick, engrossing read, the kind of book you'll want to finish in one sitting. Short chapters end in cliffhangers, resulting in a story that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Descriptions of the stark Swedish countryside, of hunting mushrooms in the forest, and of creeping around the house of a neighbor come to life through Smith's expert voice. As well as bringing individual scenes to life, Smith also successfully conveys the suffocating isolation the residents of Chris & Tilde's new home feel, as though the location was a character itself.

The real-life events that inspired the events in this novel - the mental breakdown of Smith's mother - creates the ring of truth that makes this story so compelling. Tilde appears sane and reliable even as her story becomes less believable, moving farther into her suspicion and mythology. The reader experiences the same confusion and skepticism that Daniel does. The tension he feels in being asked to choose between his mother and his father is palpable to the reader, especially as he begins to realize that he does not know his parents as well as he had previously believed.

The Farm is a true psychological thriller. There are no car chases, shootouts, or dramatic last-minute rescues. At it's heart, it is about trust - how much do we really know about the people we love and who would we believe? This fast-paced novel is sure to please Smith's existing fans and gain him several new.

(I received a copy of this book from Grand Central Publishing for an honest review.)

The Farm

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