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Published Jul 2012
432 pages
Genre: Thrillers
Publication Information
You leave your kids with a friend down the street. Everyone does it. Until the day it goes wrong.
For the past few lonely years, Suzy has been the only one to reach out to her neighbor, single mother Callie, and her frail daughter Rae. Suzy welcomed them into her large, apparently happy, family, and has been a rock and best friend to Callie. But it's time for Callie to find her own way, and going back to work is the first step towards rediscovering her old confidence. But why does she find it so hard to tell Suzy about her new job? And who will look after Rae while she's gone? Callie's return to work precipitates a chain of events that reveal the isolation, turmoil, and dark secrets behind the doors of a seemingly peaceful neighborhood.
The Playdate is a gripping psychological thriller - a chilling evocation of modern life, where seemingly longstanding friendships are superficial, and overwork and exhaustion lead parents to make impulsive decisions about the care of their children. This is a debut thriller from a striking new talent readers won't soon forget.
"Starred Review. What starts as a quiet story about neighbors soon builds into a gripping psychological thriller." - Publishers Weekly
"Starred Review. Millar's well-drawn characters and impeccably structured plot instantly grab the reader and may leave parents wondering who to trust with their children. A supremely accomplished debut thriller by a writer to watch." - Booklist
"Like the best thrillers, it is quietly creepy and expertly crafted. Add it to your book club reading list now." - Stylist Magazine
This information about The Playdate was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Louise Millar was raised in Scotland. She began her journalism career in music and film magazines. A former senior editor at Marie Claire, she has written for Red, Psychologies, Stella, the Observer, Glamour, Stylist, and The Guardian. She lives in London with her husband and daughters. Visit her online at www.louisemillar.wordpress.com.
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