The First Day of Spring
Discover the year’s most page-turning thriller
by Nancy Tucker
Pub Date 17 Feb 2022 | Archive Date Not set
Random House UK, Cornerstone, Penguin

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Description
'So that was all it took,' I thought. 'That was all it took for me to feel like I had all the power in the world. One morning, one moment, one yellow-haired boy. It wasn't so much after all.'
Chrissie knows how to steal sweets from the shop without getting caught, the best hiding place for hide-and-seek, the perfect wall for handstands.
Now she has a new secret. It gives her a fizzing, sherbet feeling in her belly. She doesn't get to feel power like this at home, where food is scarce and attention scarcer.
Fifteen years later, Julia is trying to mother her five-year-old daughter, Molly. She is always worried - about affording food and school shoes, about what the other mothers think of her. Most of all she worries that the social services are about to take Molly away.
That's when the phone calls begin, which Julia is too afraid to answer, because it's clear the caller knows the truth about what happened all those years ago.
And it's time to face the truth: is forgiveness and redemption ever possible for someone who has killed?
Available Editions
EDITION | Other Format |
ISBN | 9781529156478 |
PRICE | £8.99 (GBP) |
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews

A haunting read which will remain with me for some time to come.
Chrissie is a neglected young girl , no love from her parents , no food to eat and left in dirty clothes , and she is also a killer.
The story it told through the eyes of the young eight year old Chrissie , and the older Chrissie now called Julia and it really is heart rending.
This book is expertly written covering themes that are emotive , disturbing and thought provoking .
An excellent soul absorbing read.
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK.

From the harrowing open line of this booked I was hooked.
It’s not an easy read due to the issues it covers - child abuse and neglect but is so beautifully written you have to keep turning the pages.
This is a great read and totally recommend it.