To everyone who knows her now, Zoe Maisey - child genius, musical sensation - is perfect. Yet several years ago Zoe caused the death of three teenagers. She served her time, and now she's free.
Her story begins with her giving the performance of her life.
By midnight, her mother is dead.
The Perfect Girl is an intricate exploration into the mind of a teenager burdened by brilliance, and a past that she cannot leave behind.
Praise for Burnt Paper Sky:
One of the brightest debuts I have read this year - a visceral, emotionally charged story. (Daily Mail)
. . . heart-in-the-mouth excitement from the start of this electrifyingly good debut . . . an absolute firecracker of a thriller that convinces and captivates from the word go. A must read. (Sunday Mirror)
If you love Gone Girl and Before I Go to Sleep, you need to read this. (Closer)
What an amazing, gripping, beautifully written debut. Burnt Paper Sky kept me up late into the night (and scared the life out of me) (Liane Moriarty - author of The Husband's Secret)
Burnt Paper Sky is that rare thing in reading - a book which hooks you and keeps you focused on it until the end. (Shotsmag)
This accomplished, intelligent debut should come with a warning - it's completely addictive. A nail-biting, sleep-depriving, brilliant read (Saskia Sarginson)
Every parent's nightmare, handled with intelligence and sensitivity, the novel is also deceptively clever. I found myself racing through to find out what happened (Rosamund Lupton)
Tightly focussed and fast-paced. You won't rest until you really know what happened (Lisa Ballantyne)
What an exciting debut! Burnt Paper Sky kept me up until the small hours, from the nightmarish moment when a mother first realises that her son has disappeared, to the dramatic denouement. Gilly Macmillan's voice is innovative and confident, and she creates a cast of very human characters. There's a page-turning urgency, combined with an insightful exploration of the emotional fall-out after the abduction of a small child. Meanwhile the media and internet community are shadowy figures whose pitiless speculation and harassment seem all too believable. Burnt Paper Sky is written with passion and insight. Bravo, Gilly Macmillan (Charity Norman - author of After The Fall)
Deft, tense and utterly gripping, Burnt Paper Sky stays with you long after the final page has been turned (Tim Weaver - author of Never Coming Back)
This pacy, emotional and expertly characterised novel's sure to follow in the footsteps of fellow thrillers such as The Girl On The Train and Gone Girl by soaring to the top of the bestseller charts (The Media Eye)
A powerful page-turner and damning commentary on this age of the internet, where everyone has an opinion and a forum in which they can voice it. (Woman's Weekly, New Zealand)
