Girl in the Dark

An award-winning, internationally bestselling author makes her American debut with this taut, riveting domestic drama a twisting tale of psychological suspense about a long-lost brother convicted of a horrifying crime and a sister s fight to clear his name

A single mother and lawyer, Iris has a demanding boss, a young son with behavior issues, and a judgmental, aloof mother. Just a few years ago, Iris was confident and in control. But every day since Aaron s birth, she s condemned herself for being a failure a bad parent who cannot cope with a difficult child. Though she loves her son fiercely, she despairs over his intense outbursts, which are becoming increasingly harder to control.

One thing that keeps Aaron calm is the large aquarium in Iris s mother s home. Iris has never understood why Agatha, usually so detached, would keep an oversize tank filled with exotic tropical fish, and of course, her mother won t say until an incident involving one of the fish leads Iris to make a shocking discovery.

She has an older brother. His name is Ray.

Why did her mother hide Ray s existence from her? Did her late father know? And why does Agatha still refuse to say anything about Ray?

Curious about this sibling she has never known, Iris begins to search for long-buried truths. What she learns surprises and horrifies her. Her older brother is autistic and in a hospital for the criminally insane for brutally murdering his neighbor and her little girl.

When she meets Ray, she meets a man who looks heartbreakingly like her own son. A man who is devoted to his tropical fish and who loves baking bread. A man whose naivete unnerves her. There is no question that Ray is odd and obsessive, unable to communicate like the rest of us. But is he really a killer The Monster Next Door, as the media dubbed him a beast who committed a brutal murder because of a broken heart?

Told in the alternating voices of Ray and Iris, Girl in the Dark is a compulsive, page-turning thriller about lies, murder, and the tenacity of a family determined to stay together, even as they are pulled apart at the most vulnerable seams.

Praise for Girl In The Dark

One of the most thrilling and entertaining suspense writers of the Netherlands or any country, for that matter. With each new book we her ever-growing number of readers are surprised by her power of invention and brilliantly imaginative plots. Marion Pauw just may be the Dutch answer to Gillian Flynn. Herman Koch, author of The Dinner"