Greenwich Park
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4.2 • 33 Ratings
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- $8.99
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- $8.99
Publisher Description
This “gloriously tangled game of cat and mouse” (Ruth Ware, #1 New York Times bestselling author) explores the anxieties of impending motherhood, unreliable friendship, and the high price of keeping secrets. Perfect for fans of the thrillers by Paula Hawkins and Robyn Harding.
In this “outstanding debut thriller” (Booklist, starred review), Helen’s idyllic life—handsome architect husband, gorgeous Victorian house, and cherished baby on the way—begins to change the day she attends her first prenatal class.
There, she meets Rachel, an unpredictable single mother-to-be who doesn’t seem very maternal: she smokes, drinks, and professes little interest in parenthood. Still, Helen is drawn to her. Maybe Rachel just needs a friend. And to be honest, Helen’s a bit lonely herself. At least Rachel is fun to be with. She makes Helen laugh, invites her confidences, and distracts her from her fears.
But her increasingly erratic behavior is unsettling. And Helen’s not the only one who’s noticed. Her friends and family begin to suspect that her strange new friend may be linked to their shared history in unexpected ways. When Rachel threatens to expose a past crime that could destroy all of their lives, it becomes clear that there are more than a few secrets laying beneath the broad-leaved trees and warm lamplight of Greenwich Park.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
The property values are higher than the moral values in Katherine Faulkner’s twisty psychological thriller. Pregnant Helen, a resident of the posh London neighbourhood of Greenwich Park, is attending prenatal classes when she befriends fellow expectant mom Rachel—though things between them get uncomfortable when Rachel starts to seem a little too interested in her life. But there’s a reason behind Rachel’s hyper-attentiveness, one that will turn Helen’s world upside down. Faulkner splits the perspective between the naïve Helen, her worldly sister-in-law Serena, and her brother’s journalist girlfriend, Katie, and each (very different!) POV brings the narrative into ever-sharper focus. We get a clear picture of Helen’s obliviousness, which contrasts deeply with the smart and resourceful Katie and Serena, who sense the danger early on. If you’re a fan of Gillian Flynn or Paula Hawkins, get to know the skeletons in the closets of Greenwich Park.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Helen, the principal narrator of British journalist Faulkner's well-paced debut, feels insecure among a circle of Cambridge University graduates that includes her architect husband, Daniel; Helen's brother, Rory, who's also Daniel's business partner; Rory's elegant wife, Serena; and Katie, an intrepid reporter. Helen's belief that she's not as glamorous or talented as the rest of her family and friends has been exacerbated by her being forced to take medical leave from her unrewarding office job to manage a high-risk pregnancy. When Daniel is too busy at work to join her at their prenatal class, Helen forges an unlikely friendship with another expectant mother, Rachel, who seems determined to break every prenatal rule in the book—and encourages Helen to do the same. Several supposed coincidental meetings allow Rachel to insinuate herself into Helen's life, culminating in Rachel's moving in with Helen and Daniel. When a court case Katie is covering suggests that Rachel isn't who she seems to be, violence and tragedy ensue. Faulkner ratchets up the tension throughout with clever narrative shifts. Domestic thriller fans should take a look.
