Darling Girls
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 | |
| Author | Sally Hepworth |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Crime novel |
| Publisher | Pan Macmillan |
Publication date | 26 September 2023 |
| Publication place | Australia |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 352 pp. |
| Awards | 2024 Ned Kelly Award for Best Novel, winner |
| ISBN | 9781761262166 |
Darling Girls is a 2023 crime novel by the Australian author Sally Hepworth.[1]
It was the winner of the 2024 Ned Kelly Award for Best Novel.[2]
Jessica, Norah, and Alicia were fostered by Miss Fairchild who had rescued them from various family tragedies. But Miss Fairchild was domineering and strict, so, eventually, the girls left home never to return. Twenty-five years later they are brought back to the farm where they grew up after a body is found buried under the main house.
Critical reception
A reviewer for Readings bookstore called it "A thrilling page-turner of sisterhood, secrets, love and murder".[3]
The Ned Kelly Award judges' report praised "Hepworth’s novel as a master read for all crime fiction lovers. Drawing on everyday characters and themes to create an absolutely compelling novel, Darling Girls is cleverly written and exquisitely plotted."[4]