Linzie (suspenseisthrillingme)'s Reviews > Darling Girls

Miss Fairchild promised safety, love and security to the foster children in her care. For kids who may have bounced between homes or escaped horrific circumstances, her idyllic farm of Wild Meadows in Port Agatha should be a second chance for any and all who step foot on the grounds. What social services and Miss Fairchild’s neighbors don’t know, however, is that the picturesque house and bucolic fields hide a multitude of sins. For the girls who have come to live there, though, they know of the darkness that resides there all too well.

Even twenty-five years after they escaped from their abusive foster mother, Jessica, Norah and Alicia still carry the trauma of what they went through together. So when they get a shocking phone call from a detective in Port Agatha, their past comes rushing back. It seems a body has been found at Wild Meadows and they would like the sisters to return to town in order to be interviewed. After all, they left under a cloud of suspicion two and a half decades ago. Will their return be much of the same? Are they witness—or suspects? What really happened at Wild Meadows?

Holy amazeballs amazing-ness! A masterful tale of domestic suspense, Darling Girls showed Sally Hepworth at her best yet again but somehow also a completely different way. With emotive characters and a finely layered plot, the story pulled me in from the mysterious start and didn’t let go until the infuriatingly perfect conclusion. I do have to say, though, that this novel was far more women’s fiction than mystery/thriller as compared to Hepworth’s prior books. Skillfully navigating the ramifications of emotional child abuse and a broken foster care system, the feeling of helplessness simply oozed from the pages.

That’s not to say, of course, that there weren’t plenty of shocking twists and uneasy suspense that kept me agog. There most definitely was. However, the dynamite characters were easily the biggest stars of the show. With distinct identities that were well-developed and relatable, they demonstrated Hepworth’s characteristic skill for creating somewhat unbalanced individuals. For this reason, Miss Fairchild was probably the biggest slam dunk of the bunch. The monster in the shadows, she was the much loved character you love to hate. Between them all, though, the deftly drawn character studies were simply divine.

With a dynamic round robin of dual timelines and multiple POVs, a setting that came alive and an ever escalating pace, this dark portrait of child abuse still managed to be delivered with care. And I don’t know what it is about Hepworth’s plots, but they always seem to keep me on the back foot throughout. This one was no different and even managed to deal out one heck of a twist in the finale. By the end, the addictive narrative cocktail expertly crafted a dark history that won me over hook, line and sinker. I’m ready whenever you are, Ms. Hepworth, for the next book in your arsenal! Rating of 5 stars.

Thank you to Sally Hepworth and St. Martin’s Press for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.

PUB DATE: April 23, 2024

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Trigger warning: child abuse, foster care, blackmail, drug addiction, gaslighting, drug overdose, sextortion, mention of: kidnapping