The Child Garden: A Novel

Eden was its name. "An alternative school for happy children." But it closed in disgrace after a student's suicide. Now it's a care home, its grounds neglected and overgrown. Gloria Harkness is its only neighbor, staying close to her son who lives there in the home, lighting up her life and breaking her heart each day.

When a childhood friend turns up at her door, Gloria doesn't hesitate before asking him in. He claims a girl from Eden is stalking him and has goaded him into meeting her at the site of the suicide. Only then, the dead begin to speak—it was murder, they say.

Gloria is in over her head before she can help it. Her loneliness, her loyalty, and her all-consuming love for her son lead her into the heart of a dark secret that threatens everything she lives for.

Praise:

“I loved this book so much I can barely speak. From page one, it’s seamlessly told, beautifully original, and the voice, well, the voice is proof that Catriona McPherson is a powerful force and major talent in crime fiction. And the last page? I cried.”—HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN, AGATHA, ANTHONY, MACAVITY, AND MARY HIGGINS CLARK AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR

"McPherson takes the reader on a suspenseful journey with Gloria Harkness, a devoted mother torn by doubt, love, and loyalty. A riveting, page-turning read; I did not want it to come to an end.”—G.M. MALLIET, AGATHA AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR OF THE ST. JUST AND MAX TUDOR MYSTERIES