The Playdate
Published on 22. February 2024
Book
Paperback/Softback
368 pages
978-1-84488-659-3 (ISBN)
Description
Longlisted for the CWA Twisted Dagger Award 2025
'Grips you with a stranglehold from the get-go' Edel Coffey
'Riveting ... gripping' The Irish Independent
'An incredibly gripping and entertaining page-turner' The Irish Times
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Two mothers. Two daughters. Two sides to the story.
When Sara leaves her high-flying London life to move to Dublin, her only concern is her nine-year-old daughter, Lexie. For Lexie's sake she tries to get to know other mothers at the school gates, but they appear uninterested - particularly their leader, the beautiful and charismatic Vanessa, whose daughter rules the playground.
After a simple misunderstanding between Vanessa and Sara, none of the other kids at school want anything to do with Lexie. Desperate to mend fences, Sara offers to look after Vanessa's daughter one afternoon. But when the playdate ends in catastrophe, Vanessa is convinced that what happened wasn't an accident.
With allegations flying in all directions, Sara is forced to ask herself what she has unleashed? And how far a mother will go to protect her daughter?
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'Engrossing psychological drama ... a real page-turner, with lots of suspense' Irish Examiner
'A finely plotted book, one to be read in a single sitting. There are some jaw-dropping twists, yet it feels plausible' Sue Leonard, Irish Examiner
'You cannot put it down . . . an absolute page-turner' Claire Byrne, Today with Claire Byrne, RTE Radio
'Grips you with a stranglehold from the get-go' Edel Coffey
'Riveting ... gripping' The Irish Independent
'An incredibly gripping and entertaining page-turner' The Irish Times
-----
Two mothers. Two daughters. Two sides to the story.
When Sara leaves her high-flying London life to move to Dublin, her only concern is her nine-year-old daughter, Lexie. For Lexie's sake she tries to get to know other mothers at the school gates, but they appear uninterested - particularly their leader, the beautiful and charismatic Vanessa, whose daughter rules the playground.
After a simple misunderstanding between Vanessa and Sara, none of the other kids at school want anything to do with Lexie. Desperate to mend fences, Sara offers to look after Vanessa's daughter one afternoon. But when the playdate ends in catastrophe, Vanessa is convinced that what happened wasn't an accident.
With allegations flying in all directions, Sara is forced to ask herself what she has unleashed? And how far a mother will go to protect her daughter?
-----
'Engrossing psychological drama ... a real page-turner, with lots of suspense' Irish Examiner
'A finely plotted book, one to be read in a single sitting. There are some jaw-dropping twists, yet it feels plausible' Sue Leonard, Irish Examiner
'You cannot put it down . . . an absolute page-turner' Claire Byrne, Today with Claire Byrne, RTE Radio
Reviews / Votes
Engrossing psychological drama . . . a real page-turner with lots of suspense * Irish Examiner * A finely plotted book, one to be read in a single sitting. There are some jaw-dropping twists, yet it feels plausible. -- Sue Leonard * Irish Examiner * You cannot put it down . . . an absolute page-turner -- Claire Byrne * Today with Claire Byrne, RTE Radio 1 * A story that gets very dark indeed -- Anne Cunningham * Sunday Independent * Grips you with a stranglehold from the get-go -- Edel Coffey * The Gloss * An incredibly gripping and entertaining page-turner -- Edel Coffey * Irish Times * A quietly gripping thriller that takes in the power dynamics of the school gates -- Liadan Hynes * The Irish Independent *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Ireland
Publishing group
Penguin Books Ltd
Product notice
Paperback (UK-trade)
Dimensions
Height: 231 mm
Width: 153 mm
Thickness: 30 mm
Weight
448 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-84488-659-3 (9781844886593)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Clara Dillion lives in suburban Dublin and works as a doctor. For many years she worked in London so knows the challenges of returning to Ireland and wanting your kids to settle in successfully. Happily, her experiences have been more positive than those described in The Playdate.