Day One

A Novel

By: Abigail Dean

Narrated by: Emma Atkins, Nigel Pilkington, Sarah Durham

“A gripping examination of a community devastated by a school shooting and the ‘truthers’ who deny it ever happened. Within that story is a girl who’s hiding what she knows about what happened that day. A chilling, thought-provoking read. Brilliant.”—Shari Lapena, New York Times-bestselling author of Everyone Here Is Lying and The Couple Next Door

A village hall, a primary-school play, a beautiful Lake District town in England. Into this idyllic scene steps a lone gunman whose actions set off a chain of events that will have devastating consequences for the close-knit community of Stonesmere.

In the weeks following the cataclysm, conspiracy theorists start questioning what happened. Two young people find themselves at the epicenter of the uproar: Marty, the town’s golden girl and daughter of a teacher killed that day, and Trent, whose memories of his brief time trying to fit into Stonesmere fuel his attachment to the conspiracies.

But what really happened at the Day One assembly? What secrets is Marty keeping and what blind spots does Trent miss? In this world where news travels fast and videos and gossip travel faster, how does a community move forward together?

Opening with a gripping moment of terror and then jumping forward in time to show how secrets, trauma, miscommunications, and unrequited feelings reverberate over a lifetime, Abigail Dean once again delivers “a riveting page-turner, full of hope in the face of despair” (Sophie Hannah, The Guardian).

©2024 Abigail Dean (P)2024 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“A gripping examination of a community devastated by a school shooting and the ‘truthers’ who deny it ever happened. Within that story is a girl who’s hiding what she knows about what happened that day. A chilling, thought-provoking read. Brilliant.”—Shari Lapena, New York Times-bestselling author of Everyone Here Is Lying and The Couple Next Door

“Superb! Day One is what brilliant thriller writing is all about: living, breathing characters, a nonstop plot, and—as we’ve come to love about Dean—a voice that is rich, evocative, and, dare I say it, literary. And given that the novel wrestles with a subject that has been wrenchingly close to many of us, the tale will stay with you long after you read the final page.”—Jeffery Deaver, New York Times-bestselling author of The Bone Collector and The Watchmaker’s Hand

“Gripping and beautifully written Day One confronts the darkest parts of human nature with guts and grace. I loved it.”—Emilia Hart, New York Times-bestselling author of Weyward

A bit of a slog

A well written book, it dragged on a bit too long for me. I got through about 2/3rds of the way through and gave up. It's not a bad book or a bad premise, it just moved along slowly. When Iistening to it started feeling like a job, I figured it was time to archive the title.

Real and Heart Wrenching

This author hasn’t had enough praise and recognition. Girl A was great and this one is better. I love the writing - all the tender details. Each character is fully fleshed out. It’s a very sad and depressing subject, but in good hands. I really enjoyed this book and look forward to her upcoming next one.

Too disconnected

I not recommend this book to anyone. It has a horrible story line and a terrible ending.