{"product_id":"the-guest-children-isbn-9798892423120","title":"The Guest Children","description":"\u003cb\u003eThe search for two missing children goes terribly wrong in this haunting and insidiously creepy ghost story debut by acclaimed showrunner Patrick Tarr.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWith terror mounting in 1940 London, thousands of \"Guest Children\" were evacuated out of England to escape the bombings. Two of those children, Michael and Frances Hawksby, were never seen again. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRandall Sturgess wanted to do his part in the war--but stayed home instead to look after his troubled younger brother. Impoverished, shamed as a coward, and running out of work options as veterans come home, when he’s asked to investigate the disappearance of the Hawksby children, he agrees.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eReluctantly leaving his brother behind, Randall follows the children’s trail to a remote corner of northern Ontario, where he finds an isolated resort. There, he discovers the secretive couple who initially took in the young Hawksbys, along with their collection of strange, seemingly permanent guests. But there’s still no sign of the children.  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePlagued by vivid nightmares and a persistent feeling that he’s being watched, Randall searches the imposing woods and lake for any trace of Michael and Frances. Randall's certain something terrible has happened to them, linked to a spectral presence he senses around the lodge and glimpses out of the corner of his eye. Appearing first in his dreams and then in waking life, strange visions call to Randall, even as his every instinct tells him to stay away–and he’s increasingly convinced that if he ever wants to find the children, he must succumb to the call. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eVividly atmospheric, layered, and twisty, \u003ci\u003eThe Guest Children\u003c\/i\u003e is sure to appeal to fans of \u003ci\u003eShutter Island\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe Others\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cb\u003ePraise for \u003ci\u003eThe Guest Children\u003c\/i\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e“Deeply disquieting . . . [and] moving as it explores the effects of grief and guilt that trap some in the painful past and lead others to replace the past with a less painful but wholly imagined present . . . Recommended.”\u003cbr\u003e—\u003ci\u003eHistorical Novel Society\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A mesmerizing ghost story. It reads like a collaboration between Mary Higgins Clark and Stephen King.”\u003cbr\u003e—\u003ci\u003eGumshoe Review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Combining the childhood otherworlds of C.S. Lewis, the dark horror of Stephen King, and the psychological gothic of Shirley Jackson, \u003ci\u003eThe Guest Children\u003c\/i\u003e is a novel at once unsettling and deeply moving. Patrick Tarr's debut takes readers to unexpected corners of the heart where both buried grief and our most constant attachments reside. Uncommonly well-written, gripping, deliciously entertaining, this is a book that will not only carry you away, but return you to a forgotten place within yourself.”\u003cbr\u003e—Andrew Pyper, #1 international bestselling author of\u003ci\u003e Oracle \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eThe Demonologist\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Reminiscent of Markus Zusak's \u003ci\u003eThe Book Thief\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Guest Children\u003c\/i\u003e masterfully blends history and the supernatural, taking readers deep into the minds and hearts of children scarred by war. Haunting, immersive, and unforgettable—I loved it!”\u003cbr\u003e—Daniel Kalla, bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eThe Deepest Fake\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Eerie, atmospheric, and wonderfully original, \u003ci\u003eThe Guest Children\u003c\/i\u003e by Patrick Tarr is a unique exploration of what it means to be haunted—by trauma, by family, and by the ghosts that linger in dark places. Set in a vivid postwar landscape, Tarr’s debut takes us from war-torn London to a remote lodge in northern Canada full of secrets and strangeness, where nothing is as it seems and reality is increasingly uncertain. Readers will devour this captivating, psychological ghost story!”\u003cbr\u003e—Jo Kaplan, Shirley Jackson Award-nominated author of\u003ci\u003e It Will Just Be Us\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“\u003ci\u003eThe Guest Children\u003c\/i\u003e is a wrenching supernatural novel that comes disguised as a subtle ghost story, a terrific debut where a cast of unforgettable characters wage private wars of grief, lost childhoods, and truths too painful to confront. It's also a tightly-paced mystery: a remarkable book.”\u003cbr\u003e—Naben Ruthnum, author of \u003ci\u003eHelpmeet \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“\u003ci\u003eThe Guest Children\u003c\/i\u003e delivers all the pleasures of a war time ghost story—missing children, a mysterious inn, closely-guarded secrets, and a man with a haunted past set to solve it all—but then goes one step further to upend your expectations, leaving you to turn the pages faster and faster, far into the night. It is a lush, visual haunting that will get into your bones—and your dreams.”\u003cbr\u003e—Elisabeth de Mariaffi, author of \u003ci\u003eHysteria\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe Retreat\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“\u003ci\u003eThe Guest Children \u003c\/i\u003eis a moody, gripping, unnerving mystery that evokes the giddy but disorienting thrill of waking up from the nightmare of the Second World War to discover that some ghosts don’t stay in the dark . . . Crisp, propulsive storytelling.”\u003cbr\u003e—Elan Mastai, author of \u003ci\u003eAll Our Wrong Todays\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003ePatrick Tarr \u003c\/b\u003ewas born in Vancouver. He spent many years working   in various roles in film production before becoming a screenwriter,   winning a Writers Guild of Canada award for his first produced script   before gathering a decade of experience as a staff writer, creative   producer, and showrunner. For his work as head writer and executive   producer on the international hit series \u003ci\u003eCardinal\u003c\/i\u003e, Patrick was   awarded the 2020 Canadian Screen Awards for Best Writing in a Dramatic   Series and Best Dramatic Series. A graduate of the Canadian Film Centre,   he returned as executive producer in residence for the 2022 prime-time   TV program. He currently lives in the west end of Toronto with his   family.","brand":"Crooked Lane Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48233677684965,"sku":"NP9798892423120","price":19.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9798892423120.jpg?v=1767739683","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/the-guest-children-isbn-9798892423120","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}