The Girls by John Bown

Two women. One baby. And a secret in the sceptic tank.

In their lovely Cotswolds village, Janet and Susan are known simply as ‘the girls’. Partners in love and work, proprietors of a picturesque shop, they lead an enviably peaceful life. But after one moment of surprising passion, the girls’ lives take a deeply unsettling turn.

Part-dark comedy, part-crime thriller, part-cosy love story, The Girls will ensure you never look on Middle England quite so quaintly again.
 
Originally published in 1986.
 
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'Absolutely wicked’  - Armistead Maupin

‘[For] those who feel Barbara Pym-ish on some days and Stephen King-ish on others . . . The Girls charms us as only certain tales ‘of village life’ can’  - Washington Post
 
'A frisky murder story and terrific reading' - The TimesAbsolutely wicked’ Armistead Maupin‘[For] those who feel Barbara Pym-ish on some days and Stephen King-ish on others . . . The Girls charms us as only certain tales ‘of village life’ can’ Washington Post