> Skip to content
  • Published: 12 January 2017
  • ISBN: 9781473525368
  • Imprint: Transworld Digital
  • Format: EBook
  • Pages: 400

The Trophy Child




Can you push your child too far?

Paula Daly's latest gripping domestic thriller explores how far a tiger mother would go to achieve perfection, and the damage this can cause to a family.

A doting mother or a pushy parent?

Karen Bloom expects perfection. Her son, Ewan, has been something of a disappointment and she won't be making the same mistake again with her beloved, talented child, Bronte.

Bronte's every waking hour will be spent at music lessons and dance classes, doing extra schoolwork and whatever it takes to excel.

But as Karen pushes Bronte to the brink, the rest of the family crumbles. Karen's husband, Noel, is losing himself in work, and his teenage daughter from his first marriage, Verity, is becoming ever more volatile. The family is dangerously near breaking point.

Karen would know when to stop . . . wouldn't she?

  • Published: 12 January 2017
  • ISBN: 9781473525368
  • Imprint: Transworld Digital
  • Format: EBook
  • Pages: 400

About the author

Paula Daly

Paula Daly is the acclaimed author of six novels. She has been shortlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger Award and her books have been developed for the ITV series, DEEP WATER, starring Anna Friel. She was born in Lancashire and lives in the Lake District with her family.

Also by Paula Daly

See all

Praise for The Trophy Child

Sheer perfection. THE TROPHY CHILD is gripping, darkly funny and bound to induce spasms of guilt in even the least pushy parent. I can’t remember the last time I was so enthralled. I want to stand on a mountain top and tell everyone to read this brilliant novel

Mark Edwards

Another fantastic twisty-turny novel by one of my favourite authors. I am always enthralled by her books and this is her best yet

Jill Mansell

The UK's answer to Liane Moriarty. Amazing.

Claire McGowan

Kept me guessing right until the end. I devoured it.

Claire Douglas

Unravels to reveal a surprising and gripping read . . . Daly expertly crafts a thriller from within the walls of domestic life and shows how tragedy uproots the illusions and pretences of idyllic family life.

Eastern Daily Press

Daly has created a particularly monstrous "tiger mother" in Karen Bloom . . . Entertaining and insightful.

Daily Mail

Paula Daly bases her intricate, emotional domestic noir in seemingly ordinary suburbia and, set in the idyllic Lake District, The Trophy Child shows the turmoil underlying perfection . . . While this is family life at its darkest, Daly’s multifaceted but unlikeable characters are still shockingly relatable. The result is a fast-paced, enjoyable and suspenseful drama.

Daily Express

A terrific page turner.

Guardian