Author: Sally Hepworth

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

ISBN: 9781250284525

A trio of foster sisters must confront their worst memories of the home that brought them together when a police investigation makes a discovery there. As the women travel back to the place of their adolescence, they carry with them secrets that they’ve managed to keep from one another but that tie them together. Author Sally Hepworth returns doing what she does best in the domestic thriller genre with her latest page-turner, Darling Girls.

In Melbourne, Australia, Jessica Lovat has the most perfectly ordered life. As an expert in home organization, Jessica is sought all over the city for her ability to bring even the most chaotic living spaces into submission. So what if she happens to swipe a few bottles of Valium here or there? The uber rich women she works for probably don’t even miss them anyway, and it’s much easier than getting her own prescription. It’s also easier than admitting she needs one.

On the way home from working with her latest client, Jessica gets a call that forces her to pull to the side of the road. During the routine demolition of a building in the small town of Port Agatha, two hours away from Melbourne, construction workers came across human remains. Now the police want to talk to Jessica, because the remains were found under the foster home where she spent a decade of her life.

Jessica wants absolutely nothing to do with the investigation. The foster home, Wild Meadows, provided her with some of her most painful memories. The foster mother, Miss Fairchild, leaves Jessica feeling angry and confused and sad and desperate to please. 

In the early years, Miss Fairchild loved Jessica best. After the others came, she gave her affection to them. Even though she knows Miss Fairchild was the problem, Jessica has been fighting a twisted sense of loyalty ever since.

Fortunately, Jessica wasn’t the only witness to Miss Fairchild’s erratic behavior. Her sisters, Norah and Alicia, each have their own complicated relationships with their former foster parent. Although Jessica, Norah, and Alicia aren’t sisters by birth, the awful upbringing they experienced at Wild Meadows bound them more closely than any blood bond could. 

It makes sense, then, that the police reach out to all three women about the human remains at Wild Meadows, but the sisters aren’t surprised by the call. The world thought Wild Meadows was a safe home for children. No one knew better than Jessica, Norah, and Alicia that it was a place where children were punished for the smallest infraction by extreme measures, and a heavy burden they share from their years at Wild Meadows leaves them unsurprised about the discovery. 

Now the three of them will have to figure out how much responsibility they bear for that burden. It’s the only way they’ll be able to convince the police, themselves, and each other that what happened during their years at Wild Meadows truly wasn’t their fault. Unless the police call them out first for what is looking more and more like murder.

Author Sally Hepworth’s latest book carries her trademark dedication to strong female relationships and the complications that run between them. All three sisters are flawed and relatable. It’s easy to draw a line between their years at Wild Meadows and the personality traits that develop later in life as a result.

Hepworth’s storytelling shines as she switches points of view from one character to the next, giving each of the women their own voices. Jessica, Norah, and Alicia all share time on the page and get to tell their stories. Readers will find themselves sympathizing with the girls in a narrative that, despite being a world away, will sound unfortunately familiar to anyone with experience connected to any kind of foster or home care system.

The book is compelling enough to be read in a single sitting but, at times, lacks the depth of Hepworth’s earlier books. Readers follow the sisters from Melbourne to the town of Port Agatha and through the police investigation at a breakneck pace. The narrative would have benefited from a little more nuance and time spent with each of the women to build tension and allow the sense of drama to grow. Instead, it feels like the novel is running toward its conclusion, and it doesn’t give readers time to settle into any one plotline before jumping lanes.

Still, Hepworth’s books are always a delight. Those who enjoy her work will not be disappointed with this latest addition to her list. I recommend readers Bookmark Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth.