2025 CWA Twisted Dagger (longlist)
From the internationally bestselling author of Sweet Little Lies comes a dark and twisty thriller about secrets, lies and revenge. Perfect for fans of Liane Moriarty, Laura Marshall and T. M. Logan.
* LONGLISTED FOR THE CWA TWISTED DAGGER 2025 *
'A dark, addictive, suburban nightmare' Chris Whitaker
'Ferociously entertaining, spiky, bitchy, funny' Catherine Ryan Howard
‘A page-gripping, nail-gnawing good read’ Cara Hunter
'A deliciously dark story' Nikki Smith
Ellen Walsh has done something very, very bad. If only she knew what it was . . .
Teacher, mother, wife, and all-around good citizen Ellen is juggling non-stop commitments, from raising a teen and two toddlers to job-hunting, and renovating her dream home.
Amidst the chaos, a note arrives in the mail declaring:
Sooner or later everyone sits down to a banquet of consequences.
Ellen has no idea why someone would send this to her. She tells the occasional white lie, has a sharp tongue now and again, but she’s done nothing to incur the wrath of an anonymous enemy.
As she races to discover who’s set on destroying her life, Ellen receives more threatening messages, each one hitting closer to home and everything that she cherishes.
Could the five bad deeds that come back to haunt her explain why things have taken such a deadly turn?
Praise for Five Bad Deeds . . .
‘This book is genius. Funny, authentic, keeps you guessing and gasping as you can’t trust ANYONE’ Jo Callaghan
'Deliciously waspish, twisty, and relatable' Claire McGowan
'Five Bad Deeds is an absolute scorcher with a moral message about the effect of our actions on others at its dark and thrilling heart' Victoria Selman
'Layered characters, gut-punching twists and beautifully written' Jo Spain
'An utterly compelling, superbly characterised, constantly fascinating mystery' Gytha Lodge
Genre: Mystery
* LONGLISTED FOR THE CWA TWISTED DAGGER 2025 *
'A dark, addictive, suburban nightmare' Chris Whitaker
'Ferociously entertaining, spiky, bitchy, funny' Catherine Ryan Howard
‘A page-gripping, nail-gnawing good read’ Cara Hunter
'A deliciously dark story' Nikki Smith
Ellen Walsh has done something very, very bad. If only she knew what it was . . .
Teacher, mother, wife, and all-around good citizen Ellen is juggling non-stop commitments, from raising a teen and two toddlers to job-hunting, and renovating her dream home.
Amidst the chaos, a note arrives in the mail declaring:
Sooner or later everyone sits down to a banquet of consequences.
Ellen has no idea why someone would send this to her. She tells the occasional white lie, has a sharp tongue now and again, but she’s done nothing to incur the wrath of an anonymous enemy.
As she races to discover who’s set on destroying her life, Ellen receives more threatening messages, each one hitting closer to home and everything that she cherishes.
Could the five bad deeds that come back to haunt her explain why things have taken such a deadly turn?
Praise for Five Bad Deeds . . .
‘This book is genius. Funny, authentic, keeps you guessing and gasping as you can’t trust ANYONE’ Jo Callaghan
'Deliciously waspish, twisty, and relatable' Claire McGowan
'Five Bad Deeds is an absolute scorcher with a moral message about the effect of our actions on others at its dark and thrilling heart' Victoria Selman
'Layered characters, gut-punching twists and beautifully written' Jo Spain
'An utterly compelling, superbly characterised, constantly fascinating mystery' Gytha Lodge
Genre: Mystery
Praise for this book
"This book is genius. Funny, authentic, keeps you guessing and gasping as you can't trust ANYONE. Bravo Caz Frear." - Jo Callaghan
"It is glorious. Every line is a pithy zinger and every character so well drawn. I'm normally a fast reader, but I'm taking my time to savour every word, it's that good." - Michelle Davies
"An utterly compelling, superbly characterised, constantly fascinating mystery. I read with my eyes inches from the pages as each new reveal unfolded, and the final reveal was superb." - Gytha Lodge
"Deliciously waspish, twisty, and relatable." - Claire McGowan
"Caz Frear is on fire! Five Bad Deeds is an absolute scorcher with a moral message about the effect of our actions on others at its dark and thrilling heart." - Victoria Selman
"Layered characters, gut-punching twists and beautifully written. This is addictive reading from Caz." - Jo Spain
"Caz Frear writes with depth, intensity and insight as she relentlessly turns the screws of suspense. An involving, layered, and thrilling story of secrets, lies, and revenge, Five Bad Deeds takes us far beneath the surface of suburban bliss into the dark heart of human desire. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. Riveting!" - Lisa Unger
"A dark, addictive, suburban nightmare. FiveBad Deeds is an edge of your seat, up all night delight." - Chris Whitaker
"It is glorious. Every line is a pithy zinger and every character so well drawn. I'm normally a fast reader, but I'm taking my time to savour every word, it's that good." - Michelle Davies
"An utterly compelling, superbly characterised, constantly fascinating mystery. I read with my eyes inches from the pages as each new reveal unfolded, and the final reveal was superb." - Gytha Lodge
"Deliciously waspish, twisty, and relatable." - Claire McGowan
"Caz Frear is on fire! Five Bad Deeds is an absolute scorcher with a moral message about the effect of our actions on others at its dark and thrilling heart." - Victoria Selman
"Layered characters, gut-punching twists and beautifully written. This is addictive reading from Caz." - Jo Spain
"Caz Frear writes with depth, intensity and insight as she relentlessly turns the screws of suspense. An involving, layered, and thrilling story of secrets, lies, and revenge, Five Bad Deeds takes us far beneath the surface of suburban bliss into the dark heart of human desire. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. Riveting!" - Lisa Unger
"A dark, addictive, suburban nightmare. FiveBad Deeds is an edge of your seat, up all night delight." - Chris Whitaker
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Used availability for Caz Frear's Five Bad Deeds