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The Good Children

4.0 out of 5 stars (26)
3.7 on Goodreads
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Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less
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Book details

  1. Print length
    272 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Fawcett
  4. Publication date
    March 1, 1999
  5. Dimensions
    4.25 x 0.75 x 7 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0449004554
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0449004555
  8. Lexile measure
    720L
  9. See all details
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Book overview

It started with a promise. A pact. It became a secret that no one must tell--that their parents were dead and gone. Including the one they'd buried in the backyard.

Now the McNair children are growing older, discovering love, college, careers. But their lie haunts them. Their home holds them captive. Only the horrifying truth of their mother's death can set the children free. And only the truth can destroy them all. . . .

From the Inside Flap

ith a promise. A pact. It became a secret that no one must tell--that their parents were dead and gone. Including the one they'd buried in the backyard.

Now the McNair children are growing older, discovering love, college, careers. But their lie haunts them. Their home holds them captive. Only the horrifying truth of their mother's death can set the children free. And only the truth can destroy them all. . . .

About the Author

Kate Wilhelm is the author of more than thirty novels, including For the Defense, Death Qualified, and The Best Defense. Her science fiction has won the Nebula Award, the Prix Apollo, the Hugo Award, and the Jupiter Award. Her fiction has also been adapted for film, stage, television, and radio and has been translated into many languages. The author lives with her family in Oregon.

About the author

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Kate Wilhelm
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Born in 1928, Kate Wilhelm the author of more than thirty novels including Where Late the Sweet Bird Sang and The Unbidden Truth. Her work has been adapted for TV and film and translated into twenty languages. She has been awarded the Prix Apollo, Kurd Lasswitz, Hugo, Nebula, and Locus Awards. In 2003, she was inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame. Her short fiction appeared in landmark anthologies such as Again Dangerous Visions, Orbit, The Penguin Book of Modern Fantasy by Women, and The Norton Book of Science Fiction. A cofounder of the Clarion Writers' Workhops, she continues to host monthly writing workshops in Eugene, Oregon.

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Product information

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4 stars and above

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Customer reviews

4 out of 5 stars
26 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Michael J. Keyes
5.0 out of 5 starsVerified Purchase
A beautifully written and very suspensful novel
Reviewed in the United States on October 7, 2004
I had read and enjoyed several of Kate Wilhelm's excellent science fiction stories before I picked up "The Good Children," a novel that is not science-fiction. I won't attempt to summarize the plot of this book, because that would destroy the reader's anticipation of what... See more
I had read and enjoyed several of Kate Wilhelm's excellent science fiction stories before I picked up "The Good Children," a novel that is not science-fiction. I won't attempt to summarize the plot of this book, because that would destroy the reader's anticipation of what lies around the next corner. Let's just say that this is the story of a highly unusual family, with the focus on the four children and the staggering problems that are unexpectedly thrust on them. I found it impossible to predict the outcome of any of the page-turner crises. This first-rate novel is an easy, fast, and thoroughly engrossing read.
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mystery nut
5.0 out of 5 starsVerified Purchase
amazing book
Reviewed in the United States on December 2, 2013
of all her books this is the best. kate wilhelm has a series with a father and daughter legal team but this is not one of them. when the ending came i was so surprised but wonderfully so.
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Spikesingetail
3.0 out of 5 starsVerified Purchase
It was okay.... did we all read the same book?
Reviewed in the United States on June 11, 2009
I bought this book because of all the stellar reviews, but sorry to say I was a little disappointed. The whole first half of the book could be found right on the back cover, that's not a 5 star rating. The author really failed to develop the heroin's love interest, and... See more
I bought this book because of all the stellar reviews, but sorry to say I was a little disappointed. The whole first half of the book could be found right on the back cover, that's not a 5 star rating. The author really failed to develop the heroin's love interest, and some other touched upon ideas. Don't get me wrong it wasn't a bad book, it was average, and at times perhaps juvenile.
5 people found this helpful
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Sarah
5.0 out of 5 starsVerified Purchase
Great book
Reviewed in the United States on January 30, 2017
Read it as a teenager and enjoyed it, re-read it as an adult and loved it even more. One of the few books that stuck out from my younger years.
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hermitshouse
5.0 out of 5 starsVerified Purchase
Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on March 26, 2016
Was totally unexpected story line but love how it was but together. Great book!
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Tally Lady
5.0 out of 5 starsVerified Purchase
Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on September 29, 2017
Absolutely marvelous--couldn't put it down.
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Melanie Baxter
5.0 out of 5 stars
Definitely worth a read
Reviewed in the United States on October 21, 2022
I picked this book up on a whim from a free table at a yard sale and didn't expect much. It was such a pleasant surprise to find myself completely immersed in the story and I ended up finishing the 246 page book in one sitting. (Roughly 6 hours, all total.) The story moves... See more
I picked this book up on a whim from a free table at a yard sale and didn't expect much. It was such a pleasant surprise to find myself completely immersed in the story and I ended up finishing the 246 page book in one sitting. (Roughly 6 hours, all total.) The story moves along at a steady pace, without making large jumps that leave you confused. It's entertaining all the way throughout and all in all a great read.
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Joe Hohmann
3.0 out of 5 stars
A OK read.
Reviewed in the United States on November 17, 2013
I found certain premises in this book hard to swallow, and this made me less than happy with the story. Also, I could not help comparing it to a book I read with a similar theme, "The Death of Bees: a novel" by Lisa O'Donnal (which I rated very highly).
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Top reviews from other countries

Susan Cook
5.0 out of 5 starsVerified Purchase
Great!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 6, 2018
I have read it twice and | know I will probably read it yearly. Great!

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