The Only Child

(Paperback)

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'A spine-tingling, evocative crime thriller' The Australian Women's Weekly

'An absorbing and chilling tale' New Idea

'An atmospheric and beautifully written crime thriller that switches between 1949 and 2013, both timelines equally fascinating. Utterly addictive' ALLIE REYNOLDS

Almost every graduating class had a girl who disappeared. A decades-old crime threatens to tear apart three generations of women in this unputdownable mystery that will keep you gripped until its last heart-wrenching page.

1949 It is the coldest winter Orcades Island has ever known, when a pregnant sixteen-year-old arrives at Fairmile, a home for 'fallen women' run by the Catholic Church. She and her baby will disappear before the snow melts.

2013 Frankie Gray has come to the island for the summer, hoping to reconnect with her teenage daughter, Izzy, before starting a job as deputy sheriff. They are staying with her mother, Diana, at The Fairmile Inn, but when an elderly nun is found dead, and then a tiny skeleton is discovered nearby, Frankie is desperate for answers.

By the bestselling author of The Silk House, Kayte Nunn, The Only Child is an evocative, unsettling tale of past misdeeds that will have you reading with your heart in your mouth.

'Page-turning . . . A thrilling feminist tale revealing stories that have too often been left buried' Books+Publishing

'Kayte Nunn's The Only Child will join Marge Piercy's Braided Lives, along with films such as Blossoms in the Dust and Vera Drake, as a reminder of what is at stake when the reproductive rights and choices of girls and women are diminished. It is a well-paced story with finely drawn characters - and it's hard to put down' JACQUELINE WINSPEAR

'A taut, clever whodunit . . . Kayte Nunn keeps the stakes high and the characters compelling, making for a fast, fresh, engrossing historical mystery' KATE QUINN

'A deeply moving look at a past when women's reproductive rights were denied . . . a heartbreaking and ultimately hopeful story that resonates in today's world' SUSAN WIGGS

'Richly drawn characters, masterful storytelling, and a slowly unraveling mystery kept me on the edge of my seat, right up until the satisfying ending' KAREN McQUESTION

Author Bio

Kayte Nunn is a former book and magazine editor, and the author of six previous novels, including the international bestselling The Botanist's Daughter, The Forgotten Letters of Esther Durrant, The Silk House and The Last Reunion. The Botanist's Daughter was the 2020 winner of the Winston Graham Historical Fiction Prize. Kayte lives in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales. You can find Kayte at kaytenunn.com