Publication Date: August 13, 2026
Could she be my husband’s secret daughter?
Rose’s birthday party was everything I could have dreamed of; she adored her unicorn cake and balloons, and the surprise of her whole class arriving to celebrate. And now all the parents and children have left, I can finally relax – and find out exactly why my husband, Phil, disappeared halfway through. But who is the little girl still perched at our dining room table?
My daughter says she doesn’t know her.
The child’s eyes fix on the family photo in front of her. Her fingers reach out to caress Phil’s dark hair beside mine and Rose’s golden locks.
And then I realise. She looks just like him.
Years ago, my husband made a terrible mistake. And when I finally face up to the secrets he’s hidden, will it tear our family apart?
A breathtaking, twisty and emotional page-turner perfect for fans of Linda Green, Liane Moriarty and Amanda Prowse.
Emma keeps busy juggling her toddler daughter’s needs while vying for a plum work promotion. Under the surface, she’s trying to breathe life into her faltering marriage and rekindle an old friendship.
Author Sam Vickery uses those elements as the basis for The Child at the Party. Following the celebration of her beloved daughter’s birthday, a strange little girl appears with no explanation.
In trying to discover the identity, Emma begins to suspect the child is somehow connected to her husband.
Readers get context via different perspectives and flashbacks. Why would her best friend no longer speak to her? What is going on with Emma’s husband?
This is a story that will suck you in with its attractive exterior, only to reveal jaw-dropping twists under the surface.
The Child at the Party weaves a web of intrigue that culminates in an unexpected outcome.
Sam Vickery is an English author who loves gritty, emotional stories that can make you sob. As a child, she was forever getting in trouble for being caught with her nose in a book, and these days are no different. She lives on the south coast of England with her husband, two children and a cat that thinks it’s a dog.
