Heatstroke

‘A thrilling look at mothers and daughters, adolescence, sex, suburbia and secrets’ NELL FRIZZELL

‘Unsettling, challenging and utterly immersive’ CLARE MACKINTOSH

‘A sultry, stifling debut exploring power, consent and womanhood’ COSMOPOLITAN

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In the middle of a stifling suburban heatwave, fifteen-year-old Lily doesn’t come home one afternoon.

Rachel is Lily’s teacher. Her daughter Mia is Lily’s best friend. When they learn that Lily meant to disappear, taking nothing but lipsticks and some lacy underwear from her mother’s drawer, Rachel is horrified – like any other parent.

But as Rachel becomes obsessed with Lily’s secret life, and who she might be with, she grows increasingly distrustful of Mia.

Rachel knows that her daughter is hiding something… because she is hiding something too.

Unfolding over a stifling hot summer, Heatstroke draws us into the secrets, lies and betrayals that simmer beneath a fracturing relationship between mother and daughter, leaving them both changed forever.

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‘Barkworth is excruciatingly good’ OBSERVER

‘I am addicted… dark and twisty with beautiful, poetic writing’ EMMA GANNON

‘Gripping and intensely atmospheric… you won’t want to put this down’ HEAT magazine’s READ OF THE WEEK

‘Stylish and sensual’ KIRAN MILLWOOD HARGRAVE

‘Twists, turns and revelations in all the right places’ EVENING STANDARD

‘A stunning new voice… I couldn’t tear myself away’ ERIN KELLY

‘Sexy and provocative’ LAURA JANE WILLIAMS

‘Pulls you into its sweaty interior and keeps you gripped’ RENEE KNIGHT

‘Compulsive, sticky and full of gorgeous writing’ KIRSTIN INNES

‘Read next if you loved Three Women by Lisa Taddeo’ WHISTLES newsletter