Bowen, John - The Girls

In their lovely Cotswolds village, Janet and Susan are known simply as ‘the girls’. Partners in love and work, co-proprietors of a picturesque shop, they lead an enviably peaceful life. But when a moment of surprising passion disrupts the equilibrium of their world, the girls’ lives take a deeply unsettling turn. First comes motherhood. Then comes murder. Part-dark comedy, part-crime thriller, part-cosy love story, John Bowen’s The Girls is a novel like none other. Told with warmth and affection, yet laced with dark unease, 'the girls' will ensure you never look on Middle England quite so quaintly again.