One cold March morning, a removal van arrives at Tornley Hall in Suffolk. Will and Hannah Riley have been waiting a long time to adopt, and Hannah is obsessed that this new 'dream' family home in Tornley, will improve their chances with social services. She has given up her career at a human rights organisation, and persuaded a reluctant Will to give up their flat in London. Yet as Will starts to commute back to work, heavy snow arrives. Hannah finds herself cut off from the world in this tiny, isolated hamlet.
As she paints over the cracks in the abandoned old house, trying to ignore its reflection of the recent change in her once-happy marriage to Will, the house starts to reveal unexpected secrets to her. Rooms are locked. Intruders break in. There are strange noises and shadows at night. When Hannah witnesses an assault on a vulnerable woman in a neighbouring field, she starts to realise that everything in Tornley is also not what it seems. She has to make a choice.
Tell the police, and risk her social worker becoming suspicious about the safety of Hannah and Will's new home; or cover up the crime, to get what she wants. Hannah makes her choice. Then just as their social worker is due to visit to approve their new home, a shocking turn of events takes place that rips Hannah's world apart. Before she knows it, she is alone, frightened, and trapped in a place where no one ever goes . . .
About the Author
Louise Millar was brought up in Scotland. She began her journalism career in mainly music and film magazines, working as a sub-editor for Kerrang!, Smash Hits, the NME and Empire. She later moved into features, working as a commissioning editor on women's magazines. She has written for Marie Claire, Red, Psychologies, Stella (Telegraph magazine), the Independent, the Observer, Glamour, Stylist and Eve.
Industry Reviews
Fabulously creepy -- Lisa Jewell Slick, stylist entertainment The Guardian The Hidden Girl takes us deep into the heart of obsession and mystery Lancashire Evening Post The creepy, remote village provides a perfectly atmospheric backdrop to the chilling story, and the slow-building tension will ensure you'll be hooked right up until the last page Essentials magazine 'A creepy psychological thriller with a great twist' Sunday Mirror 'Unpredictable and menacing drama' Good Housekeeping A slow-burning psychological drama which ramps up the tension towards a cracking denouement Emlyn Rees With The Hidden Girl, Louise Millar has skilfully managed to paint a picture of a relationship under stress, and woven in disturbing elements of fear and threat which ultimately lead to the revelation of a shocking secret Rachel Abbott No one does creepy quite like Louise Millar. I challenge you not to check under your bed at least once. I loved this book Tamar Cohen author of The Broken This seriously creepy psychological thriller set deep in the Suffolk countryside is Louise Millar's best book yet. With a twist I did not see coming, it will make urbanites dreaming of bucolic bliss think again Alex Marwood, bestselling author of THE WICKED GIRLS and THE KILLER NEXT DOOR Fabulously creepy -- Lisa Jewell Slick, stylist entertainment The Guardian The Hidden Girl takes us deep into the heart of obsession and mystery Lancashire Evening Post The creepy, remote village provides a perfectly atmospheric backdrop to the chilling story, and the slow-building tension will ensure you'll be hooked right up until the last page Essentials magazine
