<i><b>Almost every graduating class had a girl who disappeared</b>. </i>A decades-old crime threatens to tear apart three generations of women in this unputdownable mystery that will keep you gripped until its last heart-wrenching page.<b><br/></b><br/><b>1949 </b>It is the coldest winter Orcades Island has ever known, when a pregnant sixteen-year-old arrives at Fairmile, a home for 'fallen women' run by the Catholic Church. She and her baby will disappear before the snow melts.<br/><b><br/></b><b>2013 </b><b>Frankie Gray</b> has come to the island for the summer, hoping for one last shot at reconnecting with her teenage daughter, <b>Izzy</b>, before starting a job as a deputy sheriff. They are staying with her mother, <b>Diana</b>, at The Fairmile Inn, soon to be a boutique hotel, but when an elderly nun is found dead in suspicious circumstances, and then a tiny skeleton is discovered in the grounds of the house, Frankie is desperate for answers.<br/><br/>At once an evocative, unsettling tale of past misdeeds and a crime thriller that will have you reading with your heart in your mouth, <i>The Only Child</i> is compulsively addictive storytelling from the international bestselling author of <i>The Silk House</i>.<br/><br/>'Page-turning ... For lovers of classic commercial fiction, <i>The Only Child</i> is a thrilling feminist tale revealing stories that have too often been left buried' <b><i>Books+Publishing</i></b><br/>'A great book entertains with a compelling narrative, one that keeps the reader's attention while weaving in universal truths about the human condition during the best and worst of times. Kayte Nunn's <i>The Only Child </i>will join Marge Piercy's <i>Braided Lives</i>, along with films such as <i>Blossoms in the Dust</i> and <i>Vera Drake</i>, as a reminder of what is at stake when the reproductive rights and choices of girls and women are diminished. It is a well-paced story with finely drawn characters - and it's hard to put down' <b>JACQUELINE WINSPEAR</b><br/>'A taut, clever whodunit ... Kayte Nunn keeps the stakes high and the characters compelling, making for a fast, fresh, engrossing historical mystery!' <b>KATE QUINN</b><br/>'A deeply moving look at a past when women's reproductive rights were denied . . . a heartbreaking and ultimately hopeful story that resonates in today's world' <b>SUSAN WIGGS</b><br/>'Richly drawn characters, masterful storytelling, and a slowly unraveling mystery kept me on the edge of my seat, right up until the satisfying ending' <b>KAREN McQUESTION</b> <br/><br/><b>Praise for Kayte Nunn:</b><br/>'All the elements of a classic gothic tale . . . that comes with a thrilling twist in the final pages' <b><i>Daily Telegraph</i></b><br/>'Beautifully written with heart-stopping pacing' <b><i>The Australian Women's Weekly</i></b><b><i><br/></i></b>'This spellbinding story intertwines three strong, fearless women in the pursuit of fulfilling their dreams' <b><i>Family Circle</i></b><br/><b><i> </i></b>'I found myself racing towards the final pages. Utterly spellbinding' <b>NATASHA LESTER</b><br/>'A haunting, atmospheric novel that is near-impossible to put down'<b> SALLY HEPWORTH</b>