Author(s): Robyn Harding

Australian

The bestselling author of The Party explores what happens when a seemingly perfect family is pushed to the edge by cruel, vindictive and increasingly dangerous attacks.

Thomas and Viv Adler have a picture-perfect family. Affluent and attractive, with two well-mannered kids almost out of the nest, they live in a beautiful house in a well-to-do neighbourhood. Their jobs are secure; their children are thriving; the world is their oyster.

Until one morning, when they wake up to find that their house and car have been pelted with eggs. Thomas dismisses it as the work of a few out-of-control kids, but when a smoke bomb is tossed on their front lawn, and the tires on their BMW are punctured, he begins to worry. Unable to identify the perpetrators, they are helpless as the assaults escalate. The police assure them that this is just the work of bored teenagers. But no one in the Adler family believes it. After all, each of them has a secret - kept not only from the outside world but from each other.

As the Adlers grapple with their guilt, fear and shame, the assaults grow deadly. Their perfect facade is crumbling, and it may be too late for any of them to do anything about it.

A great choice for fans of Celeste Ng, Gillian Flynn and Liane Moriarty -  Booklist (starred review)