Haven't They Grown

WINNER OF THE 2023 CWA DAGGER IN THE LIBRARY

'Sophie Hannah, who can twist a conventional plot until it screams for mercy, puts an existential spin on the domestic-suspense novel' New York Times

'Fiendishly clever' Daily Mail

'Complex and sinister' Observer

'A literary high-wire artist' Sunday Express

'Prepare for sleep deprivation!' Red

All Beth has to do is drive her son to his Under-14s away match, watch him play, and bring him home.

Just because she knows that her former best friend lives near the football ground, that doesn't mean she has to drive past her house and try to catch a glimpse of her. Why would Beth do that, and risk dredging up painful memories? She hasn't seen Flora Braid for twelve years.

But she can't resist. She parks outside Flora's house and watches from across the road as Flora and her children, Thomas and Emily, step out of the car. Except...

There's something terribly wrong.

Flora looks the same, only older - just as Beth would have expected. It's the children that are the problem. Twelve years ago, Thomas and Emily Braid were five and three years old. Today, they look precisely as they did then. They are still five and three. They are Thomas and Emily without a doubt - Beth hears Flora call them by their names - but they haven't changed at all.

They are no taller, no older.

Why haven't they grown?

“Praise for HAVEN'T THEY GROWN - :From the impossible premise to its chilling conclusion, Haven't They Grown is a masterpiece in plotting. Hannah's writing is darkly funny and brilliantly observed - I adore her books. - Clare MackintoshSO clever, so gripping: Hannah asks her readers an impossible question and answers it with style. I tore through Haven't They Grown. Brilliant characters and a corker of an ending. Bravo! - Gillian McAllisterIngenious... delivers twists and turns at every corner - HeatThe twists and turns in this weird psychological thriller are entertaining and a bit creepy at times. You'll finish this book wondering what the hell just happened!...an entertaining read that I would highly recommend - My WeeklyHannah is in a league of her own... this twist-packed, always surprising thriller will keep you gripped to the satisfying conclusion - Peterborough TelegraphHannah is one of our most courageous crime writers, a literary high-wire artist who sets herself the toughest of challenges in inventing inexplicable mysteries that she must create plausible solutions for... she pulls it off beautifully - Sunday Express S MagazineHannah has always excelled at the knotty, impossible twist and Haven't They Grown is as complex and sinister as ever - The Observer, Thrillers of the Month review”

Praise for HAVEN'T THEY GROWN - :

From the impossible premise to its chilling conclusion, Haven't They Grown is a masterpiece in plotting. Hannah's writing is darkly funny and brilliantly observed - I adore her books. - Clare Mackintosh

One of this country's most accomplished writers and one of the few who could pull off such an impossible sounding mystery . . . It is testament to Hannah's skill that she creates such a convincing narrative, cleverly manages the suspense and deals with so many contemporary themes. And she hasn't lost her knack for sending the reader in the wrong direction.

- Daily Mail

Hannah has always excelled at the knotty, impossible twist and Haven't They Grown is as complex and sinister as ever - The Observer, Thrillers of the Month review

Hannah is one of our most courageous crime writers, a literary high-wire artist who sets herself the toughest of challenges in inventing inexplicable mysteries that she must create plausible solutions for... she pulls it off beautifully - Sunday Express S Magazine

Hannah is becoming something of a national treasure... rich and nuanced - The Financial Times

SO clever, so gripping: Hannah asks her readers an impossible question and answers it with style. I tore through Haven't They Grown. Brilliant characters and a corker of an ending. Bravo! - Gillian McAllister

Ingenious... delivers twists and turns at every corner - Heat

Sophie Hannah is an internationally bestselling crime fiction writer. Her psychological thriller The Carrier won the Specsavers National Book Award for Crime Thriller of the Year in 2013. Sophie is the author of the bestselling Poirot continuation mysteries. The Point of Rescue and The Other Half Lives have been adapted for television as Case Sensitive, starring Olivia Williams and Darren Boyd. Sophie is also a bestselling poet who has been shortlisted for the TS Eliot award. Her poetry is studied at GCSE and A-level. Sophie is an Honorary Fellow of Lucy Cavendish College, Cambridge. In 2023 Sophie was awarded the prestigious Dagger in the Library from the Crime Writers' Association in recognition of her brilliant body of work. She lives in Cambridge with her family.

' Sophie Hannah, who can twist a conventional plot until it screams for mercy, puts an existential spin on the domestic-suspense novel' New York Times ' Fiendishly clever' Daily Mail ' Complex and sinister' Observer 'A literary high-wire artist' Sunday Express ' Prepare for sleep deprivation !' Red All Beth has to do is drive her son to his Under-14s away match, watch him play, and bring him home. Just because she knows that her former best friend lives near the football ground, that doesn't mean she has to drive past her house and try to catch a glimpse of her. Why would Beth do that, and risk dredging up painful memories? She hasn't seen Flora Braid for twelve years.But she can't resist. She parks outside Flora's house and watches from across the road as Flora and her children, Thomas and Emily, step out of the car. Except...There's something terribly wrong.Flora looks the same, only older - just as Beth would have expected. It's the children that are the problem. Twelve years ago, Thomas and Emily Braid were five and three years old. Today, they look precisely as they did then. They are still five and three. They are Thomas and Emily without a doubt - Beth hears Flora call them by their names - but they haven't changed at all.They are no taller, no older. Why haven't they grown?

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