Part of the Family

Written by Charlotte Philby

Narrated by Emma Gregory and Kristin Atherton

SOMEONE IS WATCHING SOMEONE SHE THOUGHT SHE COULD TRUST SOMEONE DETERMINED TO MAKE HER PAY

On the surface, Anna Witherall has the perfect life. Married to her university boyfriend David, she has an enviable job, beautiful home, and gorgeous three-year-old twin daughters, Stella and Rose. Their competent and capable nanny, Maria, is practically part of the family.

But beneath the veneer of success and happiness, Anna is hiding a dark secret, one that threatens to unravel everything she has worked so hard to create. Only one thing is certain: to protect her children, she must betray them.

‘Compelling and complex – a compulsive read’ Harriet Tyce, author of Blood Orange

‘Everyone has an agenda in this intriguing exploration of deceit and duplicity, as Philby ratchets up the paranoia to Highsmithian levels’ Guardian

‘An enigmatic and slippery beast, a cool new generation of spy novel. Just as the characters play cat and mouse with one another, so does the author with her readers – it’s a guessing game right to the end and I turned the last page with my heart pounding. Recommended’ LOUISE CANDLISH

‘I devoured this beautifully written, intricately wrought and unique blend of spy thriller and domestic suspense. The twists keep coming, right down to that chilling last line’ ERIN KELLY

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Aug 1, 2019
• ISBN: 9780008327019

Charlotte Philby

Charlotte Philby worked for the Independent for eight years, as a columnist, editor and reporter, and was shortlisted for the Cudlipp Prize at the 2013 Press Awards for her investigative journalism. Founder of the online platform Motherland.net, she regularly contributes to the Guardian and iNews, as well as the BBC World Service, Channel 4 and Woman's Hour. She has three children and lives in London. Charlotte is the granddaughter of Kim Philby, Britain’s most famous communist double-agent.

Reviews for Part of the Family

[Nicola Rogers · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Until I got to the end I thought this was one of the best books I had read in a long time. The twists and turns had me completely captivated and I couldn't work out what was going to happen. The ending was incredibly disappointing, completely ruined the story for me. Basically there is no ending do all those ideas of the way things might go were in vain. I wouldn't waste anyone's time in suggesting this book

[birta_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Having heard Philby's comments on why she wrote a book on espionage and betrayal at the Bloody Scotland Crime Writer's Festival, I was eager to read the novel. It wasn't what I had anticipated but it followed that theme of how a woman betrayed her family and in doing so, betrayed herself. I found it a complicated read.