From the bestselling author of What You Did comes a stunning psychological thriller.

One party. Thirteen people. By 3.02 p.m., one of them will be dead.

The party should have been perfect: six couples from the same baby group, six newborns, a luxurious house. But not everything has gone to plan, and while some are here to celebrate, others have sorrows to drown. When someone falls from the balcony of the house, the secrets and conflicts within the group begin to spill out …

DS Alison Hegarty, herself struggling with infertility, is called in to investigate. She’s convinced the fall was not an accident, and finds the new parents have a lot to hide. Wealthy Ed and Monica show off their newborn while their teenage daughter is kept under virtual house arrest. Hazel and Cathy conceived their longed-for baby via an anonymous sperm donor—or so Hazel thinks. Anita and Jeremy planned to adopt from America, but there’s no sign of the child. Kelly, whose violent boyfriend disrupted previous group sessions, came to the party even though she lost her baby. And then there’s Jax, who’s been experiencing strange incidents for months—almost like someone’s out to get her. Is it just a difficult pregnancy? Or could it be payback for something she did in the past?

It’s a nightmare of a case, and as events get even darker it begins to look impossible. Only one thing is clear: they all have something to hide. And for one of them, it’s murder.

Very Clever Writing!

Mind-boggling! Not only a whodunnit but who did they do it to??

When those from the same group all get together with their newborns it should be, on the face of it, a happy occasion. However, within only a few hours they have a dead body – someone crashed over the balcony. The question is, did they fall or were they pushed? DS Alison Hegarty lands the job of finding out and, as luck would have it, she is struggling with infertility so being among all these new babies isn’t exactly how she expected to spend her time. It’s just a matter or sifting through the evidence and find out all she can about everyone who was the there.

If you have read – or watched – Liane Moriarty’s Big Little Lies then this is reminiscent in that you suspect absolutely everyone at some point or another and don’t know exactly what happened until the very last few pages. To begin with, this is a very soft and tender tale as we get to know all about relationships and friendships but there’s menace just beneath the surface. Fair to say I had almost everyone guilty at one time or another; there is some very clever writing which keeps the reader glued to the pages eager to find out what happens next. Did I see what was coming? No chance. Claire McGowan had me hook, line and sinker. A real workout for the brain and a very satisfactory ending with everything tied up beautifully. Without a doubt, this is a sparkling five star novel!

My thanks to the publisher for my copy via NetGalley; this is – as always – my honest, original and unbiased review.

Tags: psychological thriller

• Format: ebook, paperback, audiobook
• Size: 367 pages
• Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
• Publication Date: 12 November 2020
• Links: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53820934-the-push
  • https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-push-claire-mcgowan/1136986514
  • https://uk.bookshop.org/books/the-push-9781542019996/9781542019996
  • https://www.foyles.co.uk/witem/fiction-poetry/the-push,claire-mcgowan-9781542019996
  • https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-push/claire-mcgowan/9781542019996
  • https://wordery.com/the-push-claire-mcgowan-9781542019996
  • https://www.amazon.co.uk/Push-Claire-McGowan/dp/1542019990

Author Bio

Claire McGowan grew up in a small village in Northern Ireland. After a degree in English and French from Oxford University she moved to London and worked in the charity sector. THE FALL is her first novel, which is followed by a series starring forensic psychologist Paula Maguire. She also writes as Eva Woods.

Social Media

Website: https://www.ink-stains.co.uk/

Twitter: @inkstainsclaire

Facebook: @ClaireMcGowanAuthor

Instagram: @evawoodsakaclairemcgowan