The Truants

‘Think The Secret History meets Agatha Christie’ Red People disappear when they most want to be seen. Jess Walker, middle child of a middle class family, has perfected the art of vanishing in plain sight. But when she arrives at a concrete university campus under flat, grey, East Anglian skies, her world flares with colour. Drawn into a tightly-knit group of rule breakers - led by their maverick teacher, Lorna Clay - Jess begins to experiment with a new version of herself. But the dynamic between the friends begins to darken as they share secrets, lovers and finally a tragedy. Soon Jess is thrown up against the question she fears most: what is the true cost of an extraordinary life? ___________________________ ‘A remarkably assured debut, deftly plotted and with vivid, compelling characters that leap off the page’ Jojo Moyes ‘A must read for fans of mystery novels. Cleverly written and relentlessly intriguing, The Truants is the perfect novel for inquisitive minds to escape into’ Marie Claire ‘A hypnotic debut … Madly original’ New York Times Book Review ‘The book you’ll fall in love with’ Stylist An Observer Book of the Year An i Book of the Year A Marie Claire Top 5 Christmas Read A Times Best New Crime Novel A Guardian Top 10 Golden Age Detective Novel An Irish Times Best Debut of the Year