Annie Ward’s brilliant psychological thriller, Beautiful Bad is published in hardback in the US today by HarperCollins / Park Row.
The novel is also being published early in eBook in the UK today by Quercus, ahead of its hardback UK release next month.
To date, it has sold into 14 foreign territories, and film rights were snapped up by Warner Bros., with the screenplay set to be adapted by the acclaimed scriptwriter, Gina Welsh (Castle Rock and Feud).
The novel follows Madeline Wilson as she explores the events leading up to a gruesome camping accident…
Things that make me scared: When Charlie cries. When Ian won’t wake up. When someone shoots kids in a school.
Exploring writing therapy after a horrific camping accident, Madeline Wilson lists her worries. She gradually reveals her fear of British husband Ian, a bodyguard struggling with PTSD; her concern for the safety of their young son Charlie; and her tumultuous friendship with aid worker Jo.
Drowning, especially little Syrian kids that wash up dead on the shore. When Charlie hides from me. ISIS.
From the Balkans to England, Iraq to Manhattan, and finally to an ordinary family home in Kansas, sixteen years of love, adventure and suspicion culminate in The Day of the Killing, when a terrified 911 call summons the police to a blood-splattered house.
That something is really, really wrong with me.
What in this beautiful home has gone bad?
The novel has received a lot of attention from world-renowned authors ahead of publication:
“As imaginatively constructed as it is compelling. Filled with unexpected twists, Beautiful Bad is a riveting read.” Sarah Pekkanen, New York Times bestselling author of The Wife Between Us
“You won’t be able to tear yourself away from the page. With fascinating characters that chill and horrify, the ending will leave you staggered.” Liv Constantine, author of the national bestseller The Last Mrs. Parrish
“Beautiful Bad is beautifully written, beautifully twisty – and beautifully twisted. A dark thriller with real psychological depth” JP Delaney, author of The Girl Before
“Utterly gripping and thrillingly original – I loved the unique settings. Cannot recommend this book highly enough” Karen Hamilton, author of The Perfect Girlfriend
Annie Ward has a BA in English Lit from UCLA and a MFA in Screenwriting from the American Film Institute. Her first short screenplay, Strange Habit, starred Adam Scott and won awards at Aspen and Sundance Film Festivals. Ward lives in Kansas with her two sons and husband, who she met in the Balkans.
