Havoc

A labyrinthine mystery of emotional and psychological complexity - Jo Brand

Delirious and rewarding - Guardian

Unmissable - Woman's Weekly

Fleeing Scotland in the wake of family disgrace, 16-year-old Ida Campbell secures a scholarship at a failing girls' boarding school on a remote part of the south English coast. Despite the eccentricities of her new Headmistress, who warns her of the dangers of the Cold War and the ever-present threat of the bomb, St Anne's seems like a refuge to Ida. But all this is about to change. For a start, her new room-mate is the infamous Louise Adler, potential arsonist and hardened outcast.

Meanwhile, the geography teacher Eleanor Alston, in her late thirties, a disastrous love affair in her wake, faces the new term with weary resignation. But the fragile ecosystem of the school is disrupted by the arrival of a new teacher, Matthew Langfield. Eleanor has an uneasy feeling he is not who he says he is.

And things only get worse when a mysterious sickness starts to spread throughout the school, causing strange limb jerks and seizures among the pupils. What is happening to the girls of St Anne's? Could there be a poisoner among them? Is Ida's scholarship really an escape, or is it instead a new nightmare?

Readers are loving Havoc:

'Superb. Brilliantly funny, at times extremely poignant' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'Another beautifully written book by Rebecca' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'Utterly glorious, moving, enthralling and witty. I am so cross I have finished it' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'I absolutely loved the humour in this book. Bonus points for the Cold War references' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'Entertaining and humorous' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Praise for Rebecca Wait:

'It'll easily be one of my books of the year' - Hannah Beckerman

'It's a warm book and a touching one. And did I mention it's funny? Just read it. You'll see' - The Times

'Funny, tender and sad' - Sunday Express

'If you liked Meg Mason's Sorrow and Bliss, you'll love this novel' - Good Housekeeping

'One of the richest explorations of family dysfunction I've read' - i newspaper

'Shades of Fleabag in this smart, funny drama' - Mail on Sunday

'An enjoyably bittersweet novel about a dysfunctional modern family' - Independent

'Razor-sharp' - Observer

'One of the funniest novels you'll read this year' - Guardian