*FEATURED IN SUNDAY TIMES, NEW YORK TIMES, APPLE'S BEST BOOKS, AMAZON'S BEST BOOKS OF JUNE,
CRIMEREADS RECOMMENDS AND LITHUB'S TOP BOOKS*
'SARAH WATERS AND DONNA TARTT SQUAD, BUCKLE UP: Killingly is hitting the Plain Bad Heroines place in my heart again' Autostraddle
'Impressive' Sunday Times
'Gothic atmosphere, great period detail and a genuine shock at the end' Guardian
1897, New England. Agnes and Bertha are best friends. Clever, eccentric misfits at an elite college for young women, they study earnestly, write poems for each other and explore the woods around campus at night. One morning, Bertha vanishes.
Called down from Boston, renowned missing person expert Detective Higham arrives to find the tranquil college in chaos. A treasured pearl dagger has disappeared from a student's bedroom. The most popular debutante on campus is losing her mind. There are rumours of a ghostly woman at the train station.
As he questions the students and teachers, Higham unearths a strange story of doomed love, ambition and tragedy which could shatter the college's glittering reputation forever . . .
A gothic, turn-of-the-century campus thriller about female desire, rage and ambition, perfect for fans of TRIFLERS NEED NOT APPLY, THE BINDING and FINGERSMITH . . .
*
EVERYONE IS TALKING ABOUT KILLINGLY:
'A haunting story . . . will stay with me long after reading' ELIZABETH LEE, author of Cunning Women
'Completely engrossing. Unforgettable!' MARTHA CONWAY, author of The Physician's Daughter
'Beutner is masterful at depicting the intrigue and innuendo of a women's college. Perfect pacing . . . grows increasingly shocking as the pages turn' The Akron Beacon Journal
Don't go into the woods, they told her.
But she knew better . . .
*FEATURED IN SUNDAY TIMES, NEW YORK TIMES, APPLE'S BEST BOOKS, AMAZON'S BEST BOOKS OF JUNE,
CRIMEREADS RECOMMENDS AND LITHUB'S TOP BOOKS*
'SARAH WATERS AND DONNA TARTT SQUAD, BUCKLE UP: Killingly is hitting the Plain Bad Heroines place in my heart again' Autostraddle
'Impressive' Sunday Times
'Gothic atmosphere, great period detail and a genuine shock at the end' Guardian
Killingly, 1897. The female students of Mount Holyoke - an elite university in a sleepy rural town - are famous for their beauty and charm. Except for plain, quiet Agnes and Bertha, who spend their time reading, writing and wandering the dark woods of Killingly, and do not seem interested in ballgowns or young men.
One autumn morning, Bertha vanishes - and the peaceful town of Killingly fractures into chaos. While a search team dredges the pond where she might have drowned, a private detective arrives in town and begins an investigation, discovering before long that this plain, quiet girl was keeping a terrible secret. The truth, if revealed, could put Agnes's life in mortal danger - and shatter the glittering reputation of Mount Holyoke forever...
A gothic, turn-of-the-century campus thriller about female desire, rage and ambition, perfect for fans of TRIFLERS NEED NOT APPLY, THE BINDING and FINGERSMITH . . .
*
EVERYONE IS TALKING ABOUT KILLINGLY:
'A haunting story . . . will stay with me long after reading' ELIZABETH LEE, author of Cunning Women
'Completely engrossing. Unforgettable!' MARTHA CONWAY, author of The Physician's Daughter
'Beutner is masterful at depicting the intrigue and innuendo of a women's college. Perfect pacing . . . grows increasingly shocking as the pages turn' The Akron Beacon Journal
