The Guest Children - by Patrick Tarr

Book Synopsis

The search for two missing children goes terribly wrong in this haunting and insidiously creepy ghost story debut by acclaimed showrunner Patrick Tarr.

With terror mounting in 1940 London, thousands of "Guest Children" were evacuated out of England to escape the bombings. Two of those children, Michael and Frances Hawksby, were never seen again.

Randall Sturgess wanted to do his part in the war--but stayed home instead to look after his troubled younger brother. Impoverished, shamed as a coward, and running out of work options as veterans come home, when he's asked to investigate the disappearance of the Hawksby children, he agrees.

Reluctantly leaving his brother behind, Randall follows the children's trail to a remote corner of northern Ontario, where he finds an isolated resort. There, he discovers the secretive couple who initially took in the young Hawksbys, along with their collection of strange, seemingly permanent guests. But there's still no sign of the children.

Plagued by vivid nightmares and a persistent feeling that he's being watched, Randall searches the imposing woods and lake for any trace of Michael and Frances. Randall's certain something terrible has happened to them, linked to a spectral presence he senses around the lodge and glimpses out of the corner of his eye. Appearing first in his dreams and then in waking life, strange visions call to Randall, even as his every instinct tells him to stay away-and he's increasingly convinced that if he ever wants to find the children, he must succumb to the call.

Vividly atmospheric, layered, and twisty, The Guest Children is sure to appeal to fans of Shutter Island and The Others.

Review Quotes

Praise for The Guest Children
"Combining the childhood otherworlds of C.S. Lewis, the dark horror of Stephen King, and the psychological gothic of Shirley Jackson, The Guest Children is a novel at once unsettling and deeply moving. Patrick Tarr's debut takes readers to unexpected corners of the heart where both buried grief and our most constant attachments reside. Uncommonly well-written, gripping, deliciously entertaining, this is a book that will not only carry you away, but return you to a forgotten place within yourself."
--Andrew Pyper, #1 international bestselling author of Oracle and The Demonologist

"Reminiscent of Markus Zusak's The Book Thief, The Guest Children masterfully blends history and the supernatural, taking readers deep into the minds and hearts of children scarred by war. Haunting, immersive, and unforgettable--I loved it!"
--Daniel Kalla, bestselling author of The Deepest Fake

"Eerie, atmospheric, and wonderfully original, The Guest Children by Patrick Tarr is a unique exploration of what it means to be haunted--by trauma, by family, and by the ghosts that linger in dark places. Set in a vivid postwar landscape, Tarr's debut takes us from war-torn London to a remote lodge in northern Canada full of secrets and strangeness, where nothing is as it seems and reality is increasingly uncertain. Readers will devour this captivating, psychological ghost story!"
--Jo Kaplan, Shirley Jackson Award-nominated author of It Will Just Be Us

"The Guest Children is a wrenching supernatural novel that comes disguised as a subtle ghost story, a terrific debut where a cast of unforgettable characters wage private wars of grief, lost childhoods, and truths too painful to confront. It's also a tightly-paced mystery: a remarkable book."
--Naben Ruthnum, author of Helpmeet

"The Guest Children delivers all the pleasures of a war time ghost story--missing children, a mysterious inn, closely-guarded secrets, and a man with a haunted past set to solve it all--but then goes one step further to upend your expectations, leaving you to turn the pages faster and faster, far into the night. It is a lush, visual haunting that will get into your bones--and your dreams."
--Elisabeth de Mariaffi, author of Hysteria and The Retreat

"The Guest Children is a moody, gripping, unnerving mystery that evokes the giddy but disorienting thrill of waking up from the nightmare of the Second World War to discover that some ghosts don't stay in the dark. Patrick Tarr's crisp, propulsive storytelling had me up way too late, equal parts excited and chilled to know how it all ends."
--Elan Mastai, author of All Our Wrong Todays

About the Author

Patrick Tarr was born in Vancouver. He spent many years working in various roles in film production before becoming a screenwriter, winning a Writers Guild of Canada award for his first produced script before gathering a decade of experience as a staff writer, creative producer, and showrunner. For his work as head writer and executive producer on the international hit series Cardinal, Patrick was awarded the 2020 Canadian Screen Awards for Best Writing in a Dramatic Series and Best Dramatic Series. A graduate of the Canadian Film Centre, he returned as executive producer in residence for the 2022 prime-time TV program. He currently lives in the west end of Toronto with his family.