An ingenious hook, expertly developed and carried through in a typically propulsive, intelligent read. Watt manages to take the most disturbing of subjects and avoid making it feel exploitative or mawkish. Her love of Dartmoor - wild and secretive - shines through, even as we understand its danger, but it was the sense of past traumas impacting on the present that struck me in this cat-and-mouse read

Sarah Vaughan, author of Anatomy of a Scandal and Reputation

In Holly Watt's electrifying new novel, The Good Listener, she manages the near-impossible feat of balancing a heartbreaking and original premise with edge-of-the-seat suspense. Bold in style and beautifully written, grieving mother Clara Brennan is a protagonist to root for, and this rare gem of a thriller deserves to rocket to the top of your reading list

Fiona Cummins, author of The Neighbour and Into the Dark

A cut above. A poignant, intelligent and genuinely gripping thriller woven from a mother's worst nightmare and her search for the truth. Holly Watt is a brilliant writer

Anna Mazzola, winner of the 2025 CWA Gold Dagger for The Book of Secrets

The Good Listener is a taut, elegant thriller that grips from the first page and won't let you look away. Holly Watt balances heart-pounding suspense with nuanced characterisation, giving the main character, Clara, depth beyond her tragedy. Tense, assured, and heartbreakingly human

Paula Daly

A fabulous premise and a thrilling, complex mystery. I was hooked from the first page

S. E. Lynes, bestselling author of The Housewarming and Every Mother's Nightmare

I adore Holly Watt's storytelling. The Good Listener is an intelligent, involving novel with the pace of the most propulsive thriller, and a story that sweeps you into its emotional heart

Charlotte Philby, author of The End of Summer