Little Darlings

· HarperCollins UK
4.0
4 reviews
eBook
336
Pages
Eligible
Ratings and reviews aren’t verified  Learn more

About this eBook

* * * THE SMASH NUMBER ONE EBOOK BESTELLER * * *

‘Atmospheric and very creepy’ The Guardian

‘Goosebump-inducing...Unforgettable’ Woman & Home

‘Unforgettable...there is something of Sylvia Plath in Lauren...One suspects that the real sorceress here is Golding, whose writing has given a voice to every wronged mother’ The New York Times

‘Chilling story...stunning’ Clare Mackintosh

‘Taps into every woman’s fear that she will not be believed’ Mel McGrath, author of The Guilty Party

* * * *

THE TWINS ARE CRYING. THE TWINS ARE HUNGRY.
LAUREN IS CRYING. LAUREN IS EXHAUSTED.

Behind the hospital curtain, someone is waiting . . .

A terrifying encounter in the middle of the night leaves Lauren convinced someone is trying to steal her new-born twins. Desperate with fear, she locks herself and her sons in the bathroom until the police arrive.

When DS Joanna Harper picks up the list of reported overnight incidents, she expects the usual calls from drunks and wrong numbers. But then a report of an attempted abduction catches her eye. The only thing is that it was flagged as a false alarm just fifteen minutes later. But Harper chooses to investigate anyway.

There's nothing on the CCTV, and yet Lauren claims that the woman is still after her children. No one will listen to Lauren – except Harper. And now Harper must ask herself, is Lauren mad, or does she see something no one else can?

* * * *

Readers can’t stop raving about Little Darlings:

‘Every mother will see themselves in Lauren...taut with suspense’

‘You just need to read it and let the creepiness and uneasiness set in’

‘A disturbing and spine-chilling tale...This tale will keep readers on the edge of their seat’

‘A unique, haunting story that stays with you long after finishing it’

Ratings and reviews

4.0
4 reviews
Cathy Geha
9 May 2019
Little Darlings by Melanie Golding What a creepy, unsettling, sad book! I have to say that the story is well written and different but left me wishing it was not so dark. At the end of the book I was left wondering...about a lot of things. In some ways this is a fairy tale or myth but in others more a horror story. Why do I say this? Because the life of new mother of twins Lauren was a nightmare. Lauren’s experience was real to her BUT was it REAL? When I finished the book I had to google to find out about postpartum psychosis and what I read made me realize it is a nasty disease. It takes a long time to deal with and can recur. I have a feeling this book will linger with me awhile. Hope I can sleep tonight! What I liked: * the new idea that incorporates changelings * Harper, the detective that didn’t give up...really liked her * the writing * that the story grew on me – hated it at first but came away applauding the author What I didn’t like: * Lauren’s husband – what a jerk! * Harper’s boss * The ending...wish there had been an epilogue…hat the unsettled feeling I am left with...though kudos to the author for achieving that. Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC – This is my honest review. 4-5 Stars
2 people found this review helpful
Did you find this helpful?

About the author

Melanie Golding is a recent graduate of the MA in Creative Writing at Bath Spa University, with distinction. Her short stories have been chosen to be recorded as podcasts by the Leicester-based festival Story City in 2015 and 2016, and to be performed at both the regular Stroud Short Stories event and their special ‘best of’ event at Cheltenham Literature Festival. In 2017 she won the short story prize at the Mid Somerset Festival, as well as the Evelyn Sanford trophy for highest mark in the prose class. She has taught creative writing in prisons and Young Offenders Institutions, as well as teaching music in a school for boys with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties. She is now a full-time registered childminder and splits her time between that and writing. Little Darlings is her debut novel and has been optioned for screen by Free Range Films, the team behind the adaptation of My Cousin Rachel.

Rate this eBook

Tell us what you think.

Reading information

Smartphones and tablets
Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.
Laptops and computers
You can listen to audiobooks purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.
eReaders and other devices
To read on e-ink devices like Kobo eReaders, you'll need to download a file and transfer it to your device. Follow the detailed Help Centre instructions to transfer the files to supported eReaders.