Available Formats
The Break-In: 'An absolute triumph' Andrea Mara
By (Author) Katherine Faulkner
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Raven Books
30th September 2025
19th June 2025
United Kingdom
General
Fiction
Narrative theme: Death, grief, loss
Narrative theme: Love and relationships
Thriller / suspense fiction
Crime and mystery: women sleuths
823.92
Hardback
400
Width 153mm, Height 234mm
You know who.
You don't know why.
The play date started well. The children happy in one room while their mothers relaxed and drank wine in another.
But then the stranger appeared at the window. And then he was inside the house. And then he grabbed the knife...
Alice only means to stop him. She doesn't mean to hit him so hard. She didn't mean to kill him.
The police conclude that she acted in self-defence, but wracked with guilt, Alice sets out to apologise to Linda, the mother of the young man she killed - only to find she is unable to come clean about who she really is. But as Alice learns more about Ezra and why he was at her house, she starts to wonder whether she really has the full picture about what happened that day...
This latest simmering suspense novel from the internationally bestselling Katherine Faulkner is a unputdownable must-read that will have you hooked from the first twist to the last.
Katherine Faulkner is the master of throwing ordinary women into extraordinary, what-would-you-do situations. With her razor-sharp takes on middle class motherhood, this is an up-all-night thriller packed with style, acuity and intrigue -- Abigail Dean, author of Sunday Times bestselling Girl A
Twisty and compulsively readable. A binge-worthy page turner. I devoured it in a sitting and I have zero regrets -- Nita Prose * #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Maid and The Maid's Secret *
Katherine Faulkner goes from strength to strength with her third novel, The Break In - a truly unnerving tale of violence and deceit. I totally believed in these characters and felt every second of their nightmare. Propulsive and immersive - a definite one-sitting read! -- Caz Frear
With an exquisite, perfectly timed drip-feed of reveals, hiding-in-plain-sight clues, delicious unravelling of secrets, and nail-biting tension, The Break In is an absolute triumph. One of the best books Ive read this year -- Andrea Mara, Sunday Times Number One, Irish Times bestseller
The Break In opens with a reader's worst nightmare scenario, and continues to twist the knife as the truth is gradually revealed. A tense and clever thriller - highly recommended -- Nikki Smith, bestselling author of The Beach Party and All In Her Head
Katherine Faulkner is the mistress of elevated thrillers, and The Break In is her most sophisticated yet. Taut, elegant and perfectly observed, she will have your nerves jangling and your sense of self shattered. Her depiction of North London middle class motherhood is sharply accurate - a morality tale of the most terrifying order. Fabulous -- Lizzy Barber, author of Out Of Her Depth and My Name Is Anna
A fast-paced, single sitting read with a how-did-I miss that final twist. Faulkner writes motherhood noir thats a cut above - well be recommending this to every parent in the playground. Loved it! -- Ellery Lloyd, New York Times bestselling author of The Club
I was kept up until the wee hours engrossed in The Break In. A delicious slow burn thriller with a clever twisting plot that will keep readers hooked -- Olivia Kiernan
The Break In is a masterfully twisted psychological thriller. When a self-defense killing sets Alices life spiraling, long-buried secrets resurface, and collide with present-day dangers. Faulkner weaves a gripping, character-driven tale brimming with taut tension and shocking twists - her best yet! -- Emily Freud
PRAISE FOR KATHERINE FAULKNER: 'Her real gift is for observing the currents beneath apparent surface perfection, and what the middle class is capable of when it can't have it all' * The Times *
PRAISE FOR KATHERINE FAULKNER: 'I can't wait to read what Faulkner writes next' -- Ashley Audrain
PRAISE FOR KATHERINE FAULKNER: 'I was gripped by The Other Mothers and Katherine's immersive writing' -- Sarah Vaughan
Katherine Faulkner is an award-winning journalist turned full-time writer. She wrote her debut novel, Greenwich Park, while on maternity leave with her first daughter and her follow up, The Other Mothers, while juggling family life and work. She lives in London with her husband and three children.