Dear Child by Romy Hausmann

Dear Child

Romy Hausmann

Creepy thriller about an abduction, partly narrated by a small child - Lisa. In this case the house in the woods is lived in by a male ‘witch’ with a God syndrome - with Lisa is his 'Gretel' victim. Also it is about family values and the power of the media to manipulate people’s opinion of the crime. The voice of the child makes it even more haunting and I finished this in no time.

Extract
I lean forwards and make my hands into a secrets funnel. Jonathan and I invented the secrets funnel, but we're not allowed to use it when Papa's at home. Sister Ruth turns her head so that I can put the secrets funnel to her ear.
'She wanted to kill Papa by accident,' I whisper.
Sister Ruth's head spins around. Fright, I can see it quite clearly. I shake my head, grab her face and turn it back into the right position for the secrets funnel. 'You don't have to tell the police. Jonathan is taking care of the stains on the carpet.'
Parallels
  • Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
  • The Fall - TV series
  • Like This, For Ever by Sharon Bolton
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Violence