A Beautiful Family
A Heart-Stopping, Page-Turning Small-Town Family Mystery
by Jennifer Trevelyan
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Pub Date 19 Jun 2025 | Archive Date 19 Jun 2025
Pan Macmillan | Mantle
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Description
‘Extraordinary . . . I absolutely loved this page-turning family mystery’ – Liane Moriarty, bestselling author of Here One Moment
'Riveting . . . [It] held me captive from the first page to the last' – Hannah Kent, bestselling author of Devotion
Discover this breathtaking debut novel of family secrets and searing atmosphere set over one long, hot summer on the New Zealand coast.
In the past, we had always spent our summer holidays in remote places. That had always been my mother’s preference. This year was different . . .
As the long summer holiday stretches ahead, ten-year-old Alix wants to spend every second on the beach and in the water. But with her parents unusually distracted and her older sister now more interested in boys, she finds herself alone.
Then Alix meets Kahu. He’s on holiday too, and he lets her in on a secret: a few years ago, a little girl went missing and was presumed drowned. But no one ever found her body.
Suddenly, the summer has purpose. The two friends will find the missing girl and become local heroes. But as their investigation progresses, Alix risks uncovering dark secrets about the neighbourhood – and her own beautiful family . . .
'Find a sun-lit corner and devour this sensational debut in one session' – Jacqueline Bublitz, author of Before You Knew My Name
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9781035055739 |
| PRICE | £16.99 (GBP) |
| PAGES | 288 |
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
Charlotte V, Bookseller
I found this book completely absorbing. Set in New Zealand and written from the perspective of a ten year old girl, this book does a brilliant job of explaining the challenges of being a child trying to process adult events. It is twisty, suspenseful and brilliantly written. Somewhere between Kala and The List of Suspicious Things.
Gail H, Reviewer
It starts in a rose tinted, lazy days of summer way: a family spending several weeks in a holiday rental by the sea and a lagoon. 10 year old Alix founds friendship with Kahu and it seems we will be following their adventures trying to find what happened to a missing girl.
But as the story develops we learn about family secrets, suspicious neighbours and rebellious teens.
Prose as shimmering as a spectacular sunlit day, with a storm clouds to add variety.
Reviewer 1394760
Up until the dark part tying up, some chunks of this book is about summer days as a young girl, Alix’s life.
She narrates the story through her strong and authentic voice. which is the strongest suit of this book.
The setting is rather new to me, which added to the sense of the mystery, but the nostalgic elements, and the childhood perspectives were familiar.
Overall, a very well written debut.
Claire C, Reviewer
This book had a great plot with intriguing characters. I’ll definitely be looking out for more from this author.
Account D, Reviewer
A Beautiful Family is the excellent debut novel by Jennifer Trevelyan. Set in New Zealand in 1985 this is the story of a memorable, to say the least, family holiday as seen through the eyes of 10 year-old Alix. With her parents behaving oddly and her older sister sneaking out at night to meet with friends,not least new male friends,Alix makes her own new friend,young Maori boy Kahu. When Kahu tells Alix , who just feels she's in the way of the rest of her family, about a young girl who disappeared in the area a few years previously they decide to investigate.
This is a great story that's part coming of age tale,part domestic drama and part mystery as Alix's family begins to disintegrate barely noticing her and the potential dangers around them. Stories told from the perspective of children don't always work but author Trevelyan carries it off beautifully. The only viewpoint we get is that of Alix, which often leads the adult reader to see and understand things that she doesn't know about and other times leaves a degree of ambiguity in the narrative, which I really enjoyed and made the book something different.
An excellent debut and an involving story on many levels.
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