When You Looked Away: The unputdownable thriller that has readers on the edge of their seat

THE NEW DI STRATTON THRILLER FROM THE HIGHLY ACCLAIMED AUTHOR OF BELIEVE

It’s every mother’s worst nightmare. Your son is gone. And everyone’s a suspect… Laura is ready to start a new chapter. Between her messy divorce with her ex-husband, and moving in with her new fiancé, her son Benjy and her successful writing career have been her only constants. Until that fateful day. The afternoon starts like any other. Laura collects Benjy from school, then heads upstairs to write.

It’s not until the sun is setting that she realises the house is quiet. Too quiet.

It’s not until she sees the footprints in the garden that she knows something is terribly wrong.

One set is undeniably Benjy’s. It’s the other set that strikes fear in her heart – those of an adult.

Someone who took her son, right from under her nose… DI Stratton is called to investigate. She must trust no one - and suspect everyone. Even Laura. After all, doesn't her latest story follow a boy the same age as Benjy? One that takes a devastating turn...

‘The very definition of a page turner’ Janice Hallett ‘A properly good, tense thriller which had me guessing until the end’ Jennie Godfrey ‘One of the finest crime stories of the year’ Daily Mail ‘A superior psychological thriller…gripping, clever and full of twists you won’t see coming’ Sarah Pinborough ‘An addictive domestic thriller with razor sharp writing and dialogue that will keep you up all night’ Abigail Dean ‘You won’t put it down once you start’ Prima © S.M. Govett 2026 (P) Penguin Audio 2026

© 2026 Penguin (Lydbog): 9781405982375

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Lydbog: 9. juli 2026