Magpie Lane : the most chilling and twisty read of 2020

'The word-of-mouth success of lockdown . . . riveting, twisty, page-turning stuff' Guardian'The page turner you've been looking for. Sly, witty and gripping . . . I devoured it' Naomi Alderman'An utter joy . . . wonderfully skilled' Sarah Perry'Tender, creepy and gripping' Sunday Times'Spellbinding and spooky . . . a dazzling high wire act, superbly absorbing' Sunday MirrorWhen the eight-year-old daughter of an Oxford College Master vanishes in the middle of the night, police turn to the Scottish nanny, Dee, for answers. As Dee looks back over her time in the Master's Lodging - an eerie and ancient house - a picture of a high achieving but dysfunctional family emerges: Nick, the fiercely intelligent and powerful father; his beautiful Danish wife Mariah, pregnant with their child; and the lost little girl, Felicity, almost mute, seeing ghosts, grieving her dead mother.But is Dee telling the whole story? Is her growing friendship with the eccentric house historian, Linklater, any cause for concern? And most of all, why is Felicity silent?Roaming Oxford's secret passages and hidden graveyards, Magpie Lane explores the true meaning of family - and what it is to be denied one.'Enthralling . . . creepy and compelling' The Times'Deliciously dark' Alexandra Shulman'A gorgeously satisfying triumph' Lucy Mangan'A rare thing . . . simply stunning' Daily Express'I was gripped . . . highly original' Alex Clark 'Creepy, suspenseful' Independent'Excellent . . . hard to put down' Daily Mail'Grown-up and cleverly written . . . a dizzying sense of uncertainty' Literary Review'Keeps you guessing . . . a real sense of menace' Good Housekeeping'Immensely satisfying' Cara Hunter'Clever and creepy' Erin Kelly'Wholly beguiling' Mick Herron'Highly recommended' Louise Candlish'Highly intelligent' Sarah Vaughan'Sublime' Jo Spain'Simply brilliant!' JP Delaney'Darkly atmospheric' Jane Fallon