A Sharp Scratch

'Satisfyingly dark, cleverly plotted and pleasingly Donna Tarttish' Emma Flint, Little Deaths<BR>'Seamlessly blends Gone Girl and Promising Young Woman. Smart, sophisticated, seductive' S J Watson, Before I Go To Sleep<BR><BR>Sunday Times Bestseller<BR>Shortlisted for the Bloody Scotland Crime Debut of the Year 2023<BR>Longlisted for the McIlvanney Prize<BR>One of Cosmopolitan's Best Books for 2023<BR><BR>------<BR><BR>In there, them, us, it's everything you've ever wanted, and you're going to love it.<BR>I promise. I'll look after you.<BR><BR>All her life Clare has never fit in.<BR><BR>So when she arrives at Edinburgh University, she seizes the chance to reinvent herself.<BR><BR>Then she meets Tabitha who is everything she's not: charismatic, dazzling and intimidatingly wealthy.<BR><BR>Soon Clare is sucked into Tabitha's enigmatic circle of friends, and it's all she hoped it would be. Until it's not.<BR><BR>Because they are not all they seem.<BR><BR>And they've been waiting for Clare.<BR><BR>With friends like these, who needs enemies?<BR><BR>An intoxicating feminist page-turner with shades of The Secret History and Promising Young Woman, this novel will take youon a journey from Edinburgh's dazzling spires to the dripping staircases and dark alleyways of its underbelly.<BR><BR>------<BR><BR>'Startlingly lovely, like a fine, dark silk shivering on your skin' Julia Heaberlin, We Are All the Same in the Dark<BR><BR>'Perfect for fans of dark academia stories like The Secret History and If We Were Villains' Cosmopolitan<BR><BR>'A deeply compelling story of friendships turned rotten' Rosemary Hennigan, The Truth Will Out<BR><BR>'Darwent has a great career as a thriller writer ahead of her' Sunday Times<BR><BR>'Dark academia and twisted friendships in gothic Edinburgh - what more could you want?' Cailean Steed, Home<BR><BR>'Creepy yet compulsive, this impressive novel will stay with you long after reading' Heat<BR><BR>'Dark and compulsive, this will have you turning the pages late into the night' Sarah Bonner, Her Perfect Twin<BR><BR>'Themes of obsession, revenge and desire collide in a twisty, dark and delicious feminist thriller' Big Issue<BR><BR>'An intriguing and complex heroine' Phoebe Wynne, Madam<BR><BR>'Darwent keeps the reader guessing. Any time the balance of power appears to settle, the plot takes another twist' Scotland on Sunday<BR><BR>'Such an immersive, surprising, impressive debut' Niamh Hargan, Twelve Days In May<BR><BR>'Power, privilege and the most toxic of friendships. All set against the stunning backdrop of Edinburgh' Carys Jones, The List<BR><BR>Sunday Times bestseller, January 2023