Darling Girls: A Novel

Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth, a New York Times bestselling author, is a gripping and emotional thriller about sisterhood, secrets, love, and murder.

The novel follows three foster sisters—Jessica, Norah, and Alicia—who were taken in as children by Miss Fairchild, a seemingly kind and generous foster mother living on a picturesque farm. To outsiders, they appeared lucky, given a second chance at a happy family life. But behind closed doors, Miss Fairchild’s home was far from idyllic. She was manipulative, controlling, and dangerous, enforcing strict rules and unpredictable punishments.

Eventually, the sisters escaped her control and built separate lives, though the scars of their childhood remained. Years later, when a body is discovered buried beneath their former foster home, the three women are pulled back into the nightmare they thought they’d left behind. As the investigation unfolds, they must confront their past—and each other—to uncover the truth.

Taut, emotional, and filled with twists, Darling Girls explores the enduring bonds of chosen family, the trauma of abuse, and the haunting question of whether the sisters are innocent witnesses—or hiding something far darker.