The Good Father

By (author) McIlvanney Liam
Short description/annotation:
What could be worse than your child disappearing? An emotional, whipsmart and brilliantly clever thriller about a child''s disappearance, and the disintegration of a family in the aftermath.
Description:

WHEN A CHILD DISAPPEARS, NO SECRET IS SAFE . . .

*THE TIMES THRILLER OF THE MONTH*

''This is McIlvanney at his masterful best'' - DAILY MAIL
''A moving and absorbing dive into grief and love, and how far a parent would go to save their child'' - OBSERVER
''Fascinating, moving, disturbing, and surely Liam McIlvanney''s best novel to date'' - SCOTSMAN
''Heart-stopping and heart-rending, this is Liam McIlvanney''s best novel yet'' VAL MCDERMID

THE POIGNANT AND BRILLIANTLY CLEVER NEW PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER FROM AWARD-WINNING CRIME AUTHOR, LIAM McILVANNEY.

Gordon and Sarah Rutherford are normal, happy people with rich, fulfilling lives. They have a son they adore, a house on the beach and a safe, friendly community in a picture-postcard town.

Until, one day, Bonnie the labrador comes in from the beach alone. Their son, Rory, has gone - the only trace left behind is a single black sandal.

Their lives don''t fall apart immediately. While there''s still hope, they dig deep and try to carry on.

But as desperation mounts, arms around shoulders become fingers pointed - at friends, family, strangers, each other. Without any answers, only questions remain. Who can they trust? How far will they go to find out what happened to Rory?

And the deadliest question of all: what could be worse than your child disappearing?

When the truth begins to emerge, they find themselves in a world they could barely have imagined.

''Beautifully written, this is easily one of the finest crime novels I''ve read in a very long time'' C.M. EWAN

Biographical note:
Liam McIlvanney was born in Scotland and studied at the universities of Glasgow and Oxford. He has written for numerous publications, including the London Review of Books and the Times Literary Supplement. His first book, Burns the Radical, won the Saltire First Book Award. His crime novels have won multiple awards, including the Bloody Scotland McIlvanney Prize, the Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Crime Novel, and he has also been shortlisted for the Theakston Crime Novel of the Year. He is Stuart Professor of Scottish Studies at the University of Otago, New Zealand. He lives in Dunedin with his wife and four sons.
Promotional headline:
What could be worse than your child disappearing? An emotional, whipsmart and brilliantly clever thriller about a child''s disappearance, and the disintegration of a family in the aftermath.
Feature:
A CUT ABOVE: A brilliantly written crime novel with photoreal characters and a cracking premise, flawlessly pulled off. Perennially successful subject, but subverted and pulled off uniquely.
Feature:
AWARD-WINNING: Winner of the Ngaio Marsh Award 2014, Bloody Scotland McIlvanney Prize 2018, finalist in the McIlvanney Prize 2022, shortlisted for the Theakston Crime Novel of the Year 2019.
Feature:
CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED: Has received rave reviews in the Times Literary Supplement, Daily Mail, Guardian, The Times, New York Times, Sydney Morning Herald and the Scotsman, and praise from fellow crime writers Val McDermid, Ann Cleeves, Mick Herron, Liz Nugent and more.