Synopsis
*A New York Times Best Thriller of 2025*
'Page-turning . . . I absolutely loved this' Liane Moriarty, bestselling author of Here One Moment
'Riveting . . . it held me captive' Hannah Kent, bestselling author of Devotion
A family's perfect summer holiday begins to unravel when their youngest member sets out to solve a local mystery...
Ten-year-old Alex sees more than her family suspects. During their summer away, her mother plans to walk and write, her father wants to stay at the holiday house and watch cricket and her teenage sister hopes for a holiday romance. With everyone around her distracted, Alex teams up with a new friend to solve a local mystery: What happened to Charlotte?
Two years ago, nine-year-old Charlotte went missing at the beach and was presumed drowned. As the friends start playing detectives, they accidentally unearth some uncomfortable secrets. Where is Alex's mother going each day? Are her parents happy? Is her sister safe? But as their investigation continues, one question remains: did Charlotte really drown, or did someone local hurt her?
Details
09 July 2026
9781035055753Reviews
I absolutely loved this page-turning family mystery and didn’t want it to end. The author so effortlessly transported me to another place and time, and every character leapt off the page. An extraordinary, exquisitely written debut
An absolutely riveting read. A Beautiful Family held me captive from the first page to the last . . . I loved it
Immersive . . . Alix grasps at the truth of things, but her perspective means only the reader parses the more adult story unravelling around her . . . as the underlying narratives coalesce
Taut yet tender, A Beautiful Family examines the precariousness of childhood through the lens of a long, hazy summer of secrets . . . Trevelyan has crafted a coming of age story that perfectly balances the nostalgia of summer holidays with a looming sense of danger
