Clara Dillon

the-playdate

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The Playdate

Penguin Shop: 3 Clothbound Classics for £33

You cannot put it down . . . an absolute page-turner

Grips you with a stranglehold from the get-go

An incredibly gripping and entertaining page-turner

A finely plotted book, one to be read in a single sitting. There are some jaw-dropping twists, yet it feels plausible.

A startling and deliciously pitch-dark story from leafy suburbia

When Sara leaves her high-flying London life to move to Dublin, her only concern is her nine-year-old daughter, Lexie. For Lexie's sake she tries to get to know other mothers at the school gates, but they appear uninterested - particularly their leader, the beautiful and charismatic Vanessa, whose daughter rules the playground. 
 
After a simple misunderstanding between Vanessa and Sara, none of the other kids at school want anything to do with Lexie. Desperate to mend fences, Sara offers to look after Vanessa's daughter one afternoon. But when the playdate ends in catastrophe, Vanessa is convinced that what happened wasn't an accident. 
 
With allegations flying in all directions, Sara is forced to ask herself what she has unleashed? And how far a mother will go to protect her daughter?

'A riveting tale … gripping’ The Irish Independent 
 
‘An incredibly gripping and entertaining page-turner’ The Irish Times 
 
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Two mothers. Two daughters. Two sides to the story. 
 
When Sara leaves her high-flying London life to move to Dublin, her only concern is her nine-year-old daughter, Lexie. For Lexie's sake she tries to get to know other mothers at the school gates, but they appear uninterested - particularly their leader, the beautiful and charismatic Vanessa, whose daughter rules the playground. 
 
After a simple misunderstanding between Vanessa and Sara, none of the other kids at school want anything to do with Lexie. Desperate to mend fences, Sara offers to look after Vanessa's daughter one afternoon. But when the playdate ends in catastrophe, Vanessa is convinced that what happened wasn't an accident. 
 
With allegations flying in all directions, Sara is forced to ask herself what she has unleashed? And how far a mother will go to protect her daughter? 
 
'Engrossing psychological drama ... a real page-turner, with vivid imagery and lots of suspense' Irish Examiner 
 
'A finely plotted book, one to be read in a single sitting. There are some jaw-dropping twists, yet it feels plausible' Sue Leonard, Irish Examiner 
 
'Grips you with a stranglehold from the get-go' Edel Coffey, The Gloss 
 
'You cannot put it down . . . an absolute page-turner’ Claire Byrne, Today with Claire Byrne, RTÉ Radio 1

Clara Dillion lives in suburban Dublin and works as a doctor. For many years she worked in London so knows the challenges of returning to Ireland and wanting your kids to settle in successfully. Happily, her experiences have been more positive than those described in The Playdate.

The Playdate

A startling and deliciously pitch-dark story from leafy suburbia

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