99 Red Balloons

‘Highly recommended’ T.M. Logan, bestselling author of The Holiday

Two girls go missing, decades apart. What would you do if one was your daughter?

When eight-year-old Grace goes missing from a sweetshop on the way home from school, her mother Emma is plunged into a nightmare. Her family rallies around, but as the police hunt begins, cracks begin to emerge.

What are the secret emails sent between Emma’s husband and her sister? Why does her mother take so long to join the search? And is Emma really as innocent as she seems?

Meanwhile, ageing widow Maggie Taylor sees Grace’s picture in the newspaper. It’s a photograph that jolts her from the pain of her existence into a spiralling obsession with another girl – the first girl who disappeared…

This is a gripping psychological thriller with a killer twist that will take your breath away.

‘An intense domestic thriller, twists and turns galore, and a host of family secrets. An absorbing read.’ Paul Finch, bestselling author of Strangers

‘An intelligent, taut and compelling thriller’ Sam Carrington, bestselling author of Saving Sophie

‘Carpenter emerges as an addictive new talent’ Helen Fields, bestselling author of DI Callanach series

‘The plot is seamless’ Amanda Robson, author of Obsession

Reviews

‘A wonderfully assured debut about every parent’s darkest nightmare – expertly weaving a family’s story together with a real sense of tension and some great twists. Highly recommended.’ TM Logan, bestselling author of The Holiday

‘An intense domestic thriller, twists and turns galore, and a host of family secrets. An absorbing read.’ Paul Finch, bestselling author of Strangers

‘Libby Carpenter's beautiful writing draws you in immediately. Her characterisation is superb, and she skillfully delivers a pacey, suspenseful plot. 99 Red Balloons is an intelligent, taut and compelling thriller that manages to pack a punch – and still throws you right at the end. It's perfect – I loved every word.’ Sam Carrington, bestselling author of Saving Sophie

‘I LOVED 99 Red Balloons. What a rollercoaster of a read! I swear, you could almost SEE the moment when everything clicked into place in my head! A brilliant, tense, pacy read.’ LISA HALL, bestselling author of BETWEEN ME AND YOU

‘This sharp, poignant domestic noir is like watching a snake slither towards its prey. You want to look away but somehow you can't stop looking. Carpenter emerges as an addictive new talent, climbing inside the characters and opening them up for the reader to devour. What a wonderful debut!’ HELEN FIELDS, author or PERFECT REMAINS

'I loved this book. It is a thoroughly satisfying page turning read, full of characterisation and pathos. The empathy I felt towards the characters is to me , for a crime novel, what makes it stand out. Very well written and the plot is seamless.’ AMANDA ROBSON, author of OBSESSION

About the author

Libby Carpenter lives in Preston with her family. She completed a BA in English Literature and Language with the Open University in 2011.
Libby was awarded a Northern Writers’ New Fiction award, and was longlisted for Yeovil Literary Prize (2015 and 2016) and the MsLexia Women’s Novel award (2015). She loves living in the north of England and sets most of her stories in the area, including the novel she is writing at the moment. She currently works as a book keeper.