The Children on the Hill

By: Jennifer McMahon

Narrated by: Erin Moon

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Drowning Kind comes a genre-defying novel, inspired by Mary Shelley’s masterpiece Frankenstein, that brilliantly explores the eerie mysteries of childhood and the evils perpetrated by the monsters among us.

1978: At her renowned treatment center in picturesque Vermont, the brilliant psychiatrist, Dr. Helen Hildreth, is acclaimed for her compassionate work with the mentally ill. But when she’s home with her cherished grandchildren, Vi and Eric, she’s just Gran—teaching them how to take care of their pets, preparing them home-cooked meals, providing them with care and attention and love.

Then one day Gran brings home a child to stay with the family. Iris—silent, hollow-eyed, skittish, and feral—does not behave like a normal girl.

Still, Violet is thrilled to have a new playmate. She and Eric invite Iris to join their Monster Club, where they dream up ways to defeat all manner of monsters. Before long, Iris begins to come out of her shell. She and Vi and Eric do everything together: ride their bicycles, go to the drive-in, meet at their clubhouse in secret to hunt monsters. Because, as Vi explains, monsters are everywhere.

2019: Lizzy Shelley, the host of the popular podcast Monsters Among Us, is traveling to Vermont, where a young girl has been abducted, and a monster sighting has the town in an uproar. She’s determined to hunt it down, because Lizzy knows better than anyone that monsters are real—and one of them is her very own sister.

“A must for psychological thriller fans” (Publishers Weekly, starred review), The Children on the Hill takes us on a breathless journey to face the primal fears that lurk within us all.

A great intro to this author!

This is the FIRST book I have read by McMahon. And it did NOT disappoint me! I would say I am now hooked on her as author. The story was GREAT and had A LOT of twists and turns I didn’t expect! Definitely going to look up more of her books…RIGHT NOW!

Starts slow, gets really good!

I love this author. I'm always awaiting her next book. Her use of multiple perspectives and time jumping is so interesting! This book started out really slowly. I actually gave up and came back to it. In the end, it was worth it! This is my first McMahon audio book, and the narration is wonderful!

I liked it!

I thought the performance overall was really good though the children's voices did sound a little cartoonish and the teens voices were a little over the top. Definitely some plot twists - right up to the end. The characters were developed and likable and the story kept me engaged.

Amazing voice acting and story!

Loved this book for October! I didn't expect for everything to turn out the way it did and just really enjoyed the voice acting. Would absolutely recommend!

One of her best

I am a big fan of Jennifer McMahon. I have read many of her books and this is one of her very best. Creative storyline, well written , intriguing characters from the beginning. I especially appreciated it being a native Vermonter.