The Other Child

'Taut, tense, and beautifully written' Clare Mackintosh

'Addictive' Sunday Times

Sometimes a lie feels kinder than the truth . . . but what happens when that lie becomes an avalanche of deceit?

When Tess is sent to photograph Greg, a high-profile paediatric surgeon, she sees something complex in him that she instantly connects with. Their relationship quickly deepens, but then Tess - already a single mother to nine-year-old Joe - finds out she's pregnant.

Greg, who never wanted to be a father, is then offered the job of a lifetime back in his hometown of Boston, USA. Within just a few months, they have married and moved to the States. But life in an affluent Boston suburb is not as straightforward as Tess had hoped. Strange things keep happening in their rented home - Joe is unsettled, the next-door neighbours are clearly troubled, and Greg's work is all-consuming. As a fierce Boston winter closes in, and her baby's birth looms, Tess remains determined to make this new life work. Then she makes a jaw-dropping discovery . . .

PRAISE FOR LUCY ATKINS

'Wonderfully skilled' Sarah Perry

'Sly, witty and gripping' Naomi Alderman

'Wholly beguiling' Mick Herron

'Highly intelligent' Sarah Vaughan

'Beguiling, brilliantly creepy' Claire Fuller

“'Truly unnerving. The neck-prickling suspense starts on the very first page, building and building until I wanted to get in the car and drive to Boston to rescue Tess and Joe myself. Atkins perfectly captures the vulnerability that comes with moving overseas, away from friends and support networks, and uses it expertly in this compelling novel. Not just one-more-page gripping but perceptive and beautifully written' Lucie Whitehouse, author of Before We Met .”

A moving and suspenseful tale of the secrets a family keeps - Rachel Hore on The Missing One

A gripping page-turner - Sunday Times on The Missing One

Creepy and tense, this novel is brilliantly gripping - Closer on The Missing One

A compelling emotional mystery - Lucy Clarke on The Missing One

Beautifully written . . . a wonderful thriller - Sabine Durrant on The Missing One

Lucy Atkins is an award-winning author, feature journalist and Sunday Times book critic. She has written for newspapers including the Guardian, The Times, the Sunday Times and the Telegraph as well as many UK magazines. She teaches on the Masters in Creative Writing at Oxford University.

'Taut, tense, and beautifully written' Clare Mackintosh 'Addictive' Sunday Times Sometimes a lie feels kinder than the truth . . . but what happens when that lie becomes an avalanche of deceit? When Tess is sent to photograph Greg, a high-profile paediatric surgeon, she sees something complex in him that she instantly connects with. Their relationship quickly deepens, but then Tess - already a single mother to nine-year-old Joe - finds out she's pregnant.Greg, who never wanted to be a father, is then offered the job of a lifetime back in his hometown of Boston, USA. Within just a few months, they have married and moved to the States. But life in an affluent Boston suburb is not as straightforward as Tess had hoped. Strange things keep happening in their rented home - Joe is unsettled, the next-door neighbours are clearly troubled, and Greg's work is all-consuming. As a fierce Boston winter closes in, and her baby's birth looms, Tess remains determined to make this new life work. Then she makes a jaw-dropping discovery . . . PRAISE FOR LUCY ATKINS 'Wonderfully skilled' Sarah Perry 'Sly, witty and gripping' Naomi Alderman 'Wholly beguiling' Mick Herron 'Highly intelligent' Sarah Vaughan 'Beguiling, brilliantly creepy' Claire Fuller

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