Black Thorn (Hardback)
  • Black Thorn (Hardback)
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Black Thorn (Hardback)

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£16.99
Hardback 384 Pages
Published: 13/07/2023
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Sarah Hilary, Theakston’s Crime Novel of the Year winner and author of Fragile, returns with Black Thorn, another compulsive psychological thriller that questions how much you know about the people who live next to you . . .

'An astonishingly gifted writer' – Marian Keyes

Blackthorn Ashes was meant to be their forever home. For the first six families moving into the exclusive new housing development, it was a chance to live a peaceful life on the cliffs overlooking the Cornish sea, safe in the knowledge that it had been created just for them.

But six weeks later, paradise is lost. Six people are dead. And Blackthorn Ashes is left abandoned and unfinished, its dark shadows hiding all manner of secrets.

One of its surviving residents, Agnes Gale, is determined to find out the truth about what happened. Even if that truth is deadlier than she could have ever believed possible . . .

Praise for Black Thorn:

'In Black Thorn a small piece of the world collapses - metaphorically, literally and emotionally. This novel is immersive, claustrophobic, unbearably tense and quite brilliant' – Ann Cleeves

‘Nail-biting, heart-wrenching stuff. Black Thorn has the atmosphere and drama of a modern-day du Maurier novel. Sarah Hilary’s uncanny ability to make readers not just see through her characters’ eyes but feel through their skin is unparalleled’ – Erin Kelly

‘A mesmerizing story of family and community, secrets and lies. Psychologically rich and captivatingly told’ – Megan Abbott

‘Exudes a tightly-controlled menace that ratchets up to full-blown claustrophobia as the pages turn. A book that oozes under your skin from the opening sentence’ – Vaseem Khan

‘Brilliant. Taking a really deep dive into some dark spaces that Sarah brings vividly to life, it's wonderful and unlike anything else I've read lately’ – Mick Herron

‘Multi-layered, unexpected, and carrying a strong emotional punch, Black Thorn is refreshingly different. Sarah Hilary is an exceptionally gifted writer’ – Sharon Bolton

‘An absolute master of her craft. Beautiful writing. This book is fascinating on so many levels. Not your run-of-the-mill thriller. A haunting captivating book’ – Imran Mahmood

'An *extraordinary* book. Beautifully written, densely plotted, with an uncanny insight into the best and worst of family relationships' – Emma Flint

'A stunning, haunting and often moving novel. I loved it' – Anna Mazzola

'Sarah Hilary has done it again with this tale of toxicity in all its forms. Excellentwritingand tight plotting on top of shifting sands make Black Thorn an unforgettable read with the most sympathetic protagonist I've read in years' – Liz Nugent

'Sarah Hilary is a writer with all the gifts: character and psychology, language and one-more-chapter suspense. In twisting, turning, ever-changing Black Thorn, she shows us how very easily the wrong people can turn paradise into hell on earth' – Lucie Whitehouse

Publisher: Pan Macmillan
ISBN: 9781035003884
Number of pages: 384
Weight: 602 g
Dimensions: 243 x 162 x 38 mm


MEDIA REVIEWS

I’ve loved Sarah’s work from the beginning. She’s a brave writer, shifting tone and subject matter, always surprising. Above all, she’s a master of her craft. In every book she makes the words sing - Ann Cleeves, author of The Raging Storm

Nail-biting, heart-wrenching stuff. Black Thorn has the atmosphere and drama of a modern-day du Maurier novel. Sarah Hilary’s uncanny ability to make readers not just see through her characters’ eyes but feel through their skin in unparalleled - Erin Kelly, author of He Said/ She Said

A creepy and atmospheric tale, beautifully and sensitively written - The Guardian

A mesmerizing story of family and community, secrets and lies. Psychologically rich and captivatingly told, Sarah Hilary’s Black Thorn sweeps you into its dark embrace from the start and holds you there until its final revelations - Megan Abbott, author of Beware the Woman

Exudes a tightly-controlled menace that ratchets up to full-blown claustrophobia as the pages turn. A book that oozes under your skin from the opening sentence - Vaseem Khan, author of Death of a Lesser God

Multi-layered, unexpected, and carrying a strong emotional punch, Black Thorn is refreshingly different. Sarah Hilary is an exceptionally gifted writer - Sharon Bolton, author of The Pact

Brilliant. Taking a really deep dive into some dark spaces that Sarah brings vividly to life, it's wonderful and unlike anything else I've read lately - Mick Herron, author of Slow Horses

An absolute master of her craft. Beautiful writing. This book is fascinating on so many levels. Not your run-of-the-mill thriller. A haunting captivating book - Imran Mahmood, author of Finding Sophie

A stunning, haunting and often moving novel. I loved it - Anna Mazzola, author of The Clockwork Girl

Sarah Hilary is a writer with all the gifts: character and psychology, language and one-more-chapter suspense. In twisting, turning, ever-changing Black Thorn, she shows us how very easily the wrong people can turn paradise into hell on earth - Lucie Whitehouse, author of Keep You Close

Sarah Hilary has done it again with this tale of toxicity in all its forms. Excellent writing and tight plotting on top of shifting sands make Black Thorn an unforgettable read with the most sympathetic protagonist I've read in years - Liz Nugent, author of Strange Sally Diamond

An extraordinary* book. Beautifully written, densely plotted, with an uncanny insight into the best and worst of family relationships - Emma Flint, author of Other Women

I was blown away by the writing and the world and the sensitivity with which the characters are drawn . . . you literally absorb it. Sarah Hilary just gets better and better - Sabine Durrant

Black Thorn finds Sarah Hilary right back at the top of her game, melding a darkly disturbing sense of place with some pinpoint-accurate characterisation and a plot that keeps you guessing, and guessing again. At its epicentre is the wonderful Agnes, one of my favourite crime fiction creations since MW Craven‘s Tilly Bradshaw. This one’s a real cracker - Crime Fiction Lover

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“Deliciously tense and atmospheric”

Sarah Hilary’s writing is exquisitely painful. Her characters are so well formed that you can’t help but be drawn into their lives but more than that, she has a facility to put you in the heads of her characters and... More

Hardback edition
Helpful? Upvote 4

“Haunting and evocative.”

Sarah Hilary's latest is a clever, haunting and beautifully written story, not at all the usual crime novel.

There is tragedy at the heart of it, but this one is a character study, a novel of consequence and an... More

Hardback edition
Helpful? Upvote 3

“Unusual happenings”

This is a very long book and it take a great deal of tenacity to keep going with it. A story that somehow felt deadly boring and it just did not take off with me.
The characterisation was difficult to understand and... More

Hardback edition
Helpful? Upvote 2

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