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Fragile is a modern Gothic psychological thriller with a contemporary twist on the classic novel Rebecca, from award-winning and critically acclaimed writer Sarah Hilary.
'Stunning' - Marian Keyes, author of Grown Ups
'Chilling' - Val McDermid, author of The Wire in the Blood
Everything she touches breaks . . .
Nell Ballard is a runaway. A former foster child with a dark secret she is desperate to keep, all Nell wants is to find a place she can belong.
So when a position comes up at Starling Villas, home to the enigmatic Robin Wilder, she seizes the opportunity with both hands.
But her new lodgings may not be the safe haven she was hoping for. Her employer has secrets of his own and lives by a rigid set of rules she must abide by.
Is Nell's arrival at the Villas really the coincidence it seems? After all, she knows more than most how fragile people can be - and how easy they are to break . . .
Praise for Fragile:
'Perfectly plotted, beautifully written modern Gothic. I absolutely loved it' - Erin Kelly, author of He Said/She Said
'Beautifully crafted, smart and unsettling' - Mick Herron, author of Slow Horses
'A dark, mesmeric fever-dream of a book' - Ruth Ware, author of The Woman in Cabin 10
'Ingenious, original and brilliant' - Will Dean, author of Red Snow
'Extraordinary' - Andrew Taylor, author of The American Boy and The Ashes of London
'A modern-day Highsmith' - Steve Cavanagh, author of Thirteen
'A truly outstanding work of modern Gothic' - Eva Dolan, author of Between Two Evils
'Highly original, beautifully written' - Sharon Bolton, author of The Split
'A beautifully written modern Gothic masterpiece' - Liz Nugent, author of Skin Deep
'So elegant, so restrained' - Lucy Atkins, author of Magpie Lane
'A gorgeously written, tense and atmospheric novel' - Gytha Lodge, author of She Lies in Wait
About the author
Sarah Hilary’s debut, Someone Else’s Skin, won the Theakston Crime Novel of the Year Award and was also a World Book Night selection, a Richard & Judy Book Club pick and a finalist for both the Silver Falchion and the Macavity Awards in the US. No Other Darkness, the second in her DI Marnie Rome series, was shortlisted for a Barry Award. The series continued with Tastes Like Fear, Quieter Than Killing, Come and Find Me and Never Be Broken. Black Thorn is her second standalone novel, following Fragile.
Summary
Fragile is a modern Gothic psychological thriller with a contemporary twist on the classic novel Rebecca, from award-winning and critically acclaimed writer Sarah Hilary.
‘Stunning’ – Marian Keyes, author of Grown Ups
‘Chilling’ – Val McDermid, author of The Wire in the Blood
Everything she touches breaks . . .
Nell Ballard is a runaway. A former foster child with a dark secret she is desperate to keep, all Nell wants is to find a place she can belong.
So when a position comes up at Starling Villas, home to the enigmatic Robin Wilder, she seizes the opportunity with both hands.
But her new lodgings may not be the safe haven she was hoping for. Her employer has secrets of his own and lives by a rigid set of rules she must abide by.
Is Nell’s arrival at the Villas really the coincidence it seems? After all, she knows more than most how fragile people can be – and how easy they are to break . . .
Praise for Fragile:
‘Perfectly plotted, beautifully written modern Gothic. I absolutely loved it’ – Erin Kelly, author of He Said/She Said
‘Beautifully crafted, smart and unsettling’ – Mick Herron, author of Slow Horses
‘A dark, mesmeric fever-dream of a book’ – Ruth Ware, author of The Woman in Cabin 10
‘Ingenious, original and brilliant’ – Will Dean, author of Red Snow
‘Extraordinary’ – Andrew Taylor, author of The American Boy and The Ashes of London
‘A modern-day Highsmith’ – Steve Cavanagh, author of Thirteen
‘A truly outstanding work of modern Gothic’ – Eva Dolan, author of Between Two Evils
‘Highly original, beautifully written’ – Sharon Bolton, author of The Split
‘A beautifully written modern Gothic masterpiece’ – Liz Nugent, author of Skin Deep
‘So elegant, so restrained’ – Lucy Atkins, author of Magpie Lane
‘A gorgeously written, tense and atmospheric novel’ – Gytha Lodge, author of She Lies in Wait
Foreword
From Sarah Hilary, winner of the Theakston's Crime Novel of the Year Award, comes a standalone novel, Fragile, a psychological thriller about loneliness, desire, passion and revenge.
Additional text
Fragile is everything we’ve come to expect from Hilary: complex, believable characters, ingenious plotting, and rich storytelling full of intrigue and dark foreboding
Report
Sarah Hilary has always known how to chill her readers - Fragile dials the chill factor up to eleven Val McDermid
