Overview
THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER "Brilliant....About as good as a thriller can be."-- The New York Times Book Review " A] nail-biter perfect for Room fans."-- Cosmopolitan "Sensationally good psychological suspense."--Lee Child Praised by Karin Slaughter and Megan Abbott, The Marsh King's Daughter is the mesmerizing tale of a woman who must risk everything to hunt down the dangerous man who shaped her past and threatens to steal her future: her father. Helena Pelletier has a loving husband, two beautiful daughters, and a business that fills her days. But she also has a secret: she is the product of an abduction. Her mother was kidnapped as a teenager by her father and kept in a remote cabin in the marshlands of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Helena, born two years after the abduction, loved her home in nature, and despite her father's sometimes brutal behavior, she loved him, too...until she learned precisely how savage he could be. More than twenty years later, she has buried her past so soundly that even her husband doesn't know the truth. But now her father has killed two guards, escaped from prison, and disappeared into the marsh. The police begin a manhunt, but Helena knows they don't stand a chance. Knows that only one person has the skills to find the survivalist the world calls the Marsh King--because only one person was ever trained by him: his daughter. A Michigan Notable Book
Professional Reviews
"[A] nail-biter perfect for Room fans."
-- Cosmopolitan
"Exceptional....Helena''s conflicting emotions about her father and her own identity elevate this powerful story."
-- Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Sensationally good psychological suspense--I loved this book."-- Lee Child, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Jack Reacher series
"If you only read one thriller this year, make it The Marsh King''s Daughter . It''s sensational."-- Clare Mackintosh, New York Times bestselling author of I Let You Go
" The Marsh King''s Daughter is a masterpiece of crisp prose and fine storytelling. Sinister and complex, this book''s twists and turns lead to a final confrontation so intense it will leave your heart pounding. The Marsh King''s Daughter is bound to become a classic. Read it."
-- Sara Gruen, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Water for Elephants and At the Water''s Edge
"I was drawn into Karen Dionne''s The Marsh King''s Daughter from its first captivating sentences. Troubling, sinuous and powerfully told, you won''t be able to stop turning the pages."-- Megan Abbott, author of You Will Know Me
"[A] well-crafted, eerie, and unnerving psychological thriller. With a strong setting and swift pacing, this novel is recommended for readers who enjoyed Emma Donoghue''s Room and Travis Mulhauser''s Sweetgirl ."
-- Library Journal
"[W]ill keep readers gripped until the end. . . . For fans of Emma Donoghue''s Room and of novels with strong female leads."
-- Booklist
"This gorgeously written eerie suspense novel gave me chills as it raced toward an unexpected climax. I loved it!"-- Karin Slaughter, author of Pretty Girls
"Expertly written, gripping, compulsively readable-- The Marsh King''s Daughter is a stunner of a tale that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last page. Karen Dionne has created a world, a mood and a heroine that you won''t forget anytime soon."-- Melanie Benjamin, New York Times bestselling author of The Swans of Fifth Avenue
"A psychological thriller of the highest level. . . . Dionne has set up an intricate balance between the lush richness and harsh reality of the natural world with the love, respect and genuine fear Helena has for Jacob, creating a taut page turner that haunts the reader long after the last line is read."
-- ShelfAwareness
"Eerie and breathtaking, terrific and terrifying in the best possible way. Karen Dionne holds you under her spell from the first word to the last--and then some."-- Tea Obreht, New York Times bestselling author of The Tiger''s Wife
"Dionne''s creativity is on display in her amazing imagining of the life of a child born to a mother held captive, and the child''s conflicted relationship with her abductor father. Firstâ€rate plotting builds the tension with psychological suspense and action sequences. Chapters vary between present day and backstory, providing insight into the narrator''s character as an adult and as a child. The story is at once both horrific and fascinating."
-- RT Book Reviews
"Totally compelling and different from anything I can remember reading before. The pull of both parents on Helena is beautifully worked. All her suffering and privations aren''t enough to free her until the book''s resolution comes, so congratulations to the author on devising such a perfect, ultimately satisfying plot."-- Peter Lovesey
"We are haunted by stories of girls imprisoned by feral misfits, and we wonder -- did rescue come soon enough to save body and soul? What do they remember, and, if they remember everything, do they dare to sleep given what dreams might come? Karen Dionne''s terrifically realized new novel tells the story of the child born to such a girl and the strange, brooding survivalist who went to prison for kidnapping. When
"the Marsh King" escapes from prison, his daughter, every inch her father''s child, prepares to meet him, this time on her turf. Don''t think you know how this plays out, just hand the reins to Dionne, who is completely in control of this unexpected narrative, and of your pounding heart."-- Jacquelyn Mitchard, author of The Deep End of the Ocean
"In my 44 years as a published author, I don''t recall ever having written a note for a manuscript, and certainly not a note that is this enthusiastic. I''ve known Karen Dionne for many years. She asked me to look at The Marsh King''s Daughter , and I''m thrilled that I agreed--because it impressed me on so many levels that I''m dazed. I don''t use the word
"brilliant" often, but no other adjective feels adequate to describe Karen''s amazing novel. Its plot immediately grabbed me, as did its palpably vivid details, its gripping tone, and its expert handling of an unusual, awe-inspiring structure. The brooding undertone of unease that reverberates from the pages kept me spellbound, and the ultimate violent cathartic confrontation literally made me gasp. From my perspective, it doesn''t hurt to have a dog named
"Rambo" in it, but of course, what Karen does with the dog is what''s important. For me it''s an understatement to say that The Marsh King''s Daughter is an exceptional achievement."-- David Morrell, author of Murder as a Fine Art; creator of the iconic character Rambo
"Karen Dionne''s The Marsh King''s Daughter has everything I could ask for in a psychological thriller: a stunningly fresh and confident voice, gorgeous writing, originality, and a complex protagonist I could really root for. I wish it were possible to read a book for the first time more than once so I could have the joy of discovering it all over again. Readers will love this magnificent and compelling story!"-- Carla Buckley, author of The Deepest Secret
