Darling Girls

A Novel

By: Sally Hepworth

Narrated by: Jessica Clarke

Length: 9 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's summary

SISTERS, SECRETS, LOVE, AND MURDER... Sally Hepworth’s new novel has it all.

For as long as they can remember, Jessica, Norah, and Alicia have been told how lucky they are. As young girls they were rescued from family tragedies and raised by a loving foster mother, Miss Fairchild, on an idyllic farming estate and given an elusive second chance at a happy family life.

But their childhood wasn’t the fairy tale everyone thinks it was. Miss Fairchild had rules. Miss Fairchild could be unpredictable. And Miss Fairchild was never, ever to be crossed. In a moment of desperation, the three broke away from Miss Fairchild and thought they were free. Even though they never saw her again, she was always somewhere in the shadows of their minds. When a body is discovered under the home they grew up in, the foster sisters find themselves thrust into the spotlight as key witnesses. Or are they prime suspects?

A thrilling work of sisterhood, secrets, love, and murder by New York Times bestselling author Sally Hepworth.

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin’s Press.

©2024 Sally Hepworth (P)2024 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

"This is the rare story that’s equally character and plot driven, with the “sisters” portrayed as distinct and lovable and the plot just packed with twists. Hating Miss Fairchild is the icing on the cake."—First Clue

"Sally Hepworth's Darling Girls is the kind of story that grabs you hard and doesn't let go. Easily one of the best books I've read all year. An absolute page-turner from first word to last... A superb and haunting mystery."—New York Times bestselling author Jane Harper

"As in The Soulmate, compelling themes of trust, betrayal, and brittle façades circle the sisters’ relationships, raising the stakes of the investigation painfully high. Hepworth's fans will be primed for her newest unnerving thriller."—Booklist

Great characters

Different story line. Great characters. Sally tied it up with nice bow.
She is one of my favorite authors .

Great characters.

Great characters and one of my favorite narrators made for a good story with decent end. I enjoyed.

Such a good story

This was such a great story, I was very enthralled by the characters and I always love all of Sally Hepworth's books. I do agree that they could have chosen multiple narrators to make it easier to know who was narrating.

The intersection of Narcissism and Adoption

Incredible. Plenty to bring to my therapist next week. Thank you for sharing a story that so eloquently captures the insidious and unproveable power of those profiting from the businesses of foster care and adoption. Narcissistic abuse is rampant and the children are the innocent victims, further harmed by those meant to protect them.

hated to see it end

Absolutely loved the characters. Easy story to follow. Hated for it to end, I felt like I knew the characters in real life.

I couldn’t put it down

I listened to the whole book in 3 days! So good, I couldn’t stop listening.

Another good one

I have really come to love this author. None of her books is quite like the others and they manage to pull your heart strings in different ways. Definitely recommend but could be triggering due to the subject of abuse.

Hepworth does it again!

Sally Hepworth is such a talented author! I have yet to read(listen to) a book I didn’t gobble up by her. Never sleeps on the importance of narrators value, which is a big deal! This book was much safer than others she’s done, to me, but overall a solid book with a Hepworth twist.

This reminds me of that old movie Mommy Dearest

This was a great story hits hard realities for forget care children. Absolutely wld recommend!!

A sister story

Really really good, worth the credit for sure. Brave, smart, female characters who don’t need to be saved by a man, along with multiple twists I didn’t see coming including an exceptionally great ending.