Available Formats
The Playdate: A startling and deliciously pitch-dark story from leafy suburbia
By (Author) Clara Dillon
Penguin Books Ltd
Penguin Books Ltd
14th May 2025
13th February 2025
United Kingdom
General
Fiction
Crime and mystery: women sleuths
Modern and contemporary fiction: general and literary
Narrative theme: Sense of place
823.92
Paperback
368
Width 129mm, Height 197mm, Spine 23mm
258g
Two mothers. Two daughters. Two sides to the story. When Sara leaves her high-flying London life to move to Dublin, her only concern is her nine-year-old daughter, Lexie. For Lexie's sake she tries to get to know other mothers at the school gates, but they appear uninterested - particularly their leader, the beautiful and charismatic Vanessa, whose daughter rules the playground. After a simple misunderstanding between Vanessa and Sara, none of the other kids at school want anything to do with Lexie. Desperate to mend fences, Sara offers to look after Vanessa's daughter one afternoon. But when the playdate ends in catastrophe, Vanessa is convinced that what happened wasn't an accident. With allegations flying in all directions, Sara is forced to ask herself what she has unleashed And how far a mother will go to protect her daughter
You cannot put it down . . . an absolute page-turner -- Claire Byrne
Grips you with a stranglehold from the get-go -- Edel Coffey * The Gloss *
An incredibly gripping and entertaining page-turner * The Irish Times *
A finely plotted book, one to be read in a single sitting. There are some jaw-dropping twists, yet it feels plausible. -- Sue Leonard * Irish Examiner *
Clara Dillion lives in suburban Dublin and works as a doctor. For many years she worked in London so knows the challenges of returning to Ireland and wanting your kids to settle in successfully. Happily, her experiences have been more positive than those described in The Playdate.