Dear child - Romy Hausmann

You escaped. But he will never let you go.

NOW A MAJOR NETFLIX SERIES: A page-turning thriller perfect for fans of Room and Gone Girl

A windowless shack in the woods. Lena's life and that of her two children follows the rules set by their captor, the father: meals, bathroom visits, study time are strictly scheduled and meticulously observed. He protects his family from the dangers lurking in the outside world and makes sure that his children will always have a mother to look after them.

One day Lena manages to flee - but the nightmare continues. It seems as if her tormentor wants to get back what belongs to him. And then there is the question whether she really is the woman called 'Lena', who disappeared without a trace over thirteen years ago. The police and Lena's family are all desperately trying to piece together a puzzle that doesn't quite seem to fit.


'Chilling, original and mesmerising. Hausmann is a force to be reckoned with' David Baldacci

'A peerless exercise in suspense' Financial Times

'Will haunt you long after the last page' Alice Feeney

'Keeps you guessing' Sunday Express

'Intelligent and original' Sunday Independent

'Outstanding' Publishers Weekly

'Claustrophobic, terrifying and fiercely compelling' Daily Mail

'Disturbingly good' Lesley Kara

'Gripping, suspenseful and beautifully written' Jo Spain

Romy Hausmann was born in East Germany in 1981. At the age of twenty-four she became chief editor at a film production company in Munich. Since the birth of her son, Romy has been working as a freelancer in television. Her thriller debut, Dear Child, became a number one bestseller in Germany, was published in twenty countries and has been adapted into an internationally successful Netflix series. Anatomy of a Killer is her third thriller. Romy lives with her family in a remote house in the woods near Stuttgart.

A chilling, original and mesmerizing work. Hausmann is a force to be reckoned with. You can't stop reading
David Baldacci

A peerless exercise in suspense . . . Whether treated as a study in trauma and identity or a dark, well-crafted crime narrative from multiple perspectives, it is a nail-biting fare
Barry Forshaw, Financial Times

Claustrophobic, terrifying and fiercely compelling, this is heartbreaking
Daily Mail

Dear Child is an accomplished thriller, beautifully written, intriguing and very compelling
Peter James

I read Dear Child in one sitting, holding my breath. Such a gripping, suspenseful and beautifully written debut. I loved it!
Jo Spain, author of The Confession

Hausmann makes you care about her characters even while they keep you guessing
Sunday Express

Told from multiple viewpoints which gives a satisfying complexity . . . An intelligent and original book
Sunday Independent

Equal parts mystery, thriller and family story . . . [A] tantalizingly disturbing debut . . . the overall experience is as enthralling as it is thought-provoking. Hausmann creates a dark solar system studded with twinkling stars . . .

At the core of Dear Child is the constant hope that characters will be drawn back to people who mean the most to them, no matter how far apart they've been pulled. That glint of optimism is the light guiding readers as they fly through this book

New York Times

German bestseller Dear Child by Romy Hausmann is tipped to be one of the UK's must-reads of the summer
S Magazine

Nothing is quite what it seems in this mesmerising debut
Daily Express

One of the best thrillers I've read this year. Flawlessly plotted with a pace that refuses to let the reader come up for air - not that you'd want to
Stephanie Wrobel, author of The Recovery of Rose Gold

Wow! Such a disturbingly good read. Romy's knack of getting under a character's skin is impressive. I loved it
Lesley Kara, author of The Rumour

If you read only one thriller this year, choose this one. Room meets Gone Girl in this gripping novel, which will haunt you long after the last page
Alice Feeney, author of Sometimes I Lie

Outstanding . . . The multiple points of view and numerous plot twists sustain the breakneck pacing, but the book's real power lies in the author's insightful and sensitive portrayal of the characters involved in the tragedy. This darkly disturbing thriller definitely marks Hausmann as a writer to watch.
Publishers Weekly

A mesmerising and flawlessly plotted debut
Sunday Express S Magazine