Family Domestic Thrillers

The Birds seem to be the perfect family: mother, father, four children, a picture-book cottage in the country. But one Easter weekend, something happens - something so unexpected, so devastating, that no one can bring themselves to talk about it. The family shatters, seemingly for good. Until, years later, they are forced to return to the house they grew up in, and to confront what really broke the family apart.

Abby and Ellie were never close as children. Now in their thirties, they each harbour deep-rooted resentment for the other - Abby for her sister's looks and her status as their mother's favourite. Ellie meanwhile is envious of Abby's perfect husband and picturesque home, a villa on the sun-soaked Italian island of Elba. When Abby invites Ellie to stay, both sisters see the break as a chance to relax and put aside their differences. But with their mother Susanna there too, all the simmering tensions of the past quickly rise to the surface.

Two weeks at a stunning villa, in the South of France, was supposed to heal the rifts in this fractured family. Flaky croissants and rich, black coffee every morning before long days by the sparkling pool. Balmy candlelit dinners, once the kids have gone to bed. But Nora is shaking, as she gathers her family around the large, oak table on the terrace, at the front of the villa. Her two daughters eye her suspiciously as she tops up her wine and clears her throat to speak. But when she opens her mouth, the secret Nora came here to tell won’t come out....

Two men. One dark secret. A mystery buried for two decades. John Mason thought he’d left the past behind—until an old friend drags him back into a deadly game. As long-buried memories resurface, so do dangerous questions: What really happened to Julie Sanderson, the girl who vanished all those years ago? And why does Jim, once a mentor, now seem determined to pin the past on him? To protect those he loves, John must confront the truth. But in a world where trust is shattered and loyalties are tested, how far will he go before he loses everything? A gripping psychological thriller about ...

On the twenty-fifth anniversary of Tania's death, five university friends reunite at a luxurious country hotel to commemorate the life of their dear friend. Always the outsider, Jeannie has thrown everything into making the weekend a success. With two kids and busy work schedules, Keren is looking forward to some time alone with husband, Adam. Facing a messy divorce and bankruptcy, a few nights away is just the escape Johnny needs. Saira has enough on her plate trying to co-parent with her ex-partner and would prefer to be as far away from the event as possible if she hadn't promised Keren.

Penguin presents the audiobook edition of Do Not Disturb by Claire Douglas, read by Hannah Daniel. Could your dream home be your worst nightmare? After what happened in London, Kirsty needs a fresh start with her family. And running a guesthouse in the Welsh mountains sounds idyllic. But then their first guest arrives. Selena is the last person Kirsty wants to see. It's 17 years since she tore everything apart. Why has she chosen now to walk back into Kirsty's life?

A young girl has been taken. Abducted, never to be seen again. Joe and Hannah, her traumatized parents, are consumed by grief. But all is not as it seems behind the curtains of their suburban home. Loretta, the Family Liaison Officer, is sure Hannah is hiding something – a dark and twisted secret from deep in her past. This terrible memory could be the key to the murder of another girl fifteen years ago. And as links between the two victims emerge, Joe and Hannah learn that in a family built on lies, the truth can destroy everything.

In cosmopolitan Johannesburg, three high-flying couples form the core of the elite Khula Society: part investment group, part social club, with meetings where the champagne flows, the dresses are designer and the one-upmanship is off the scale. Noma, Moshidi, Lerato and their husbands are living the dream—or so it appears from the outside. In reality, the cut and thrust of ‘keeping up with the Khulas’ is taking its toll on all three couples.

After years of abandonment, Raven Hall has been restored to its former glory. For one night only, it is playing host to an evening of murder mystery. The guests have gathered. The roles have been cast. But someone is playing a sinister game, one with devastating consequences. And as the guests are about to discover, the truth is much darker than fiction.

Where to hide when there's nowhere left to run? Sandrine is asked to empty her late grandmother's house on a small island near the Normandy coast. She soon discovers that its elderly inhabitants haven't left the island since their arrival as children during World War II. Sandrine can tell they are terrified of someone, or something. Yet, they refuse to leave the island. What happened to the children from the holiday camp that was suddenly shut down in 1949? And who was Sandrine's grandmother really?

When newlyweds Jane and Alex Clarke move into an idyllic house on the quaint Bristol Lane, they are excited for a new beginning in what will be their ‘forever home’. And when an elderly neighbour welcomes them, she soon becomes a friend. But she grows a little too interested in the couple next door as she sits watching them, day in, day out, from the rocking chair in her window. Alex says it will be fine. After all, she’s a lonely widow who just wants some company. But when she invites Jane into her home, who knows what she’ll find there.

To five-year-old Jack, Room is the world.... It's where he was born, it's where he and his Ma eat and sleep and play and learn. At night, his Ma shuts him safely in the wardrobe, where he is meant to be asleep when Old Nick visits. Room is home to Jack, but to Ma, it's the prison where she has been held for seven years. Through her fierce love for her son, she has created a life for him in this 11-by-11-foot space. But with Jack's curiosity building alongside her own desperation, she knows Room cannot contain either much longer.

Ashley has recently lost her husband. Daughter Emily is being bullied online. Best friend Nikki is holding a huge secret. And why is husband Chris receiving so many text messages lately? Their teenage children are glued to technology, be it PlayStation, YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat.... The two women hatch a plan: for three weeks, both families will stay in a rustic, remote coastal camp with no phone reception.

Ruth has spent every day of the last 15 years wondering why her daughter Isobel left. Walking around the school to which she has given her life, every child she sees reminds her of her family’s bright future, which vanished in an instant. So when Ruth opens the door to find Isobel and a teenage grandson she never knew existed, she feels a rush of relief. Despite the years of hurt she never stopped loving Isobel and wants to help rebuild her life. Enrolling her grandson at the school, Ruth wants to make sure they stay for good.

You whispered goodnight to your daughter. You didn’t know that would be your last goodbye. You wake up in the middle of the night. Your five-year-old daughter is gone. Your husband is nowhere to be seen. Your family think he took her. The police believe he’s guilty. But he wouldn’t do that, would he? He’s a loving father. A loving husband. Isn’t he?

Twelve-year-old Théo and his friend Mathis have a secret. Their teacher, Hélène, suspects something is not right with Théo and becomes obsessed with rescuing him, casting aside her professionalism to the point of no return. Cécile, mother of Mathis, discovers something horrifying on her husband's computer that makes her question whether she has ever truly known him. Respectable facades are peeled away as the lives of these four characters collide, moving rapidly toward a shocking conclusion.

Aisling's two sons, Ethan and Finn, mean everything to her. Ever since becoming estranged from her own parents, though, she's always felt like a piece of her is missing. Desperate to find answers - about her family, and herself - Aisling uploads her DNA to an ancestry website, and is thrilled when it finds a match. But instead of finding answers, she comes face to face with a detective. Aisling's DNA is a match for a recent crime scene - the latest in a string of murders by a dangerous serial killer, known as 'the bonfire killer'.

A spellbinding and gripping novel of betrayal, the unbreakable bonds of family, the power of love, and the price a family pays for its secrets by Susan Cochran, author of The Key. Grace Channing is a journalist, adopted as a baby by a world famous mother, a secret she's kept well hidden. While doing a news report on adoptees finding siblings through DNA testing, her own DNA test reveals a brother she never knew. Her discovery leads her to forge a strong bond with him and they uncover a web of secrets and betrayal. Two families lives intertwined and changed in an instant. Boone Varon is the ...

One murder was self-defense. Now, survival demands so much more. In a world simmering with tension and buried secrets, The Hate Crime plunges readers into a deadly quest for justice, revenge, and survival. When renowned author and filmmaker David’s Cristi’s old friend Roland resurfaces, it’s not just for a friendly chat—he’s on a mission to find his estranged granddaughter, Katherine. Raised under Roland’s fierce protection, Katherine has fled a life of terror after killing her neo-Nazi husband, a violent extremist bent on mass destruction. Now, with her daughter in tow, she’s...

Tightly plotted and deliriously wicked, this intense psychological crime thriller will leave you breathless. Fans of Blake Pierce and Carolyn Kepnes will love The Flood. Seven people. A locked storm shelter. Inevitable starvation. What could you do to survive? Victoria Larson and her husband, Chad, are sitting on their rooftop, waiting for the end. For three days, they’ve watched their coastal Louisiana town turn into a lake, battered by an unprecedented series of hurricanes. With the levees obliterated, the waters rise higher and higher—the next storm is sure to swallow their house ...