Four Terrible Parents

'A vivid, breathless tale of art, love, family and murder' Paula Hawkins, bestselling author of, The Blue Hour

'The prose is often beautiful and melodic . . . in this highly original and entertaining book' Sunday Times

'Henkel's comedy-slash-thriller is so fiendishly plotted' Guardian

'Four Terrible Parents is equal parts millennial fever dream and page-turner' Marie Claire

They thought with four parents, nothing could go wrong.

Once famous, indie-sleaze rock stars Valentine and Raul are now in their forties and their priorities are shifting. Valentine wants a family with her on-and-off partner Linh. Raul wants to marry his boyfriend Banner. They both know it's time to get out of Berlin, but Valentine, who wants it all - doesn't want to let their band go.

When Valentine's father dies, she inherits a Southern gothic hotel and it feels like fate. Val convinces Raul, Banner and Linh, to move to South Carolina to renovate the crumbling and possibly haunted hotel. There they will build an alternative family and raise a child together. With four parents, no one would have to compromise their entire identity. They could all still be artists. All able to live fully.

But as the four of them navigate their new home and welcome their daughter, August, into the world, their relationships start to tilt. On the night of the hotel's grand opening, what's meant to be an evening of celebration turns into a nightmare as August goes missing.

Soon the parents turn on each other. And then the world turns on them.

Four Terrible Parents is a story of love, jealousy and the curse of trying to have it all.

Readers love Four Terrible Parents

'One of my favourite books of 2026' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'Every single character was mesmerising' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'I want everyone to read this' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'Beautifully written' ⭐⭐⭐⭐
'A delicious read' ⭐⭐⭐⭐