Carmel Harrington’s thirteenth novel, The Stolen Child, will be published on 27 February 2025. Her novels are all stand-alone, and readers can enjoy them in any order.
THE STOLEN CHILD (2025)
“One of the greatest twists I have ever read”
Catherine Ryan Howard
QUICK TAKE
It’s every parent’s worst nightmare. But there’s no waking up from this …
Emotional Thriller – Immersive Family drama – Clever twists
Forty years after two-year-old Robert disappears without a trace from his family cabin on a Mediterranean cruise, his sister Lily meets Zach, who has a shocking theory about what happened to Robert – but can he be trusted?
KEY FACTS
Worldwide – Headline – February 2025
THE LIGHTHOUSE SECRET (2024)
“Carmel Harrington shines a light on generational secrets in emotive thriller. It’s easy to see why Harrington is such a popular author… this tale of dark secrets coming to light is definitely one to pack for the holidays.”
The Sunday Independent
QUICK TAKE
Somebody knows, but will they tell?
Emotional Thriller – Cross-generational mysteries – Twisty & Suspenseful Reveals
1951, four lighthouse keepers’ wives vowed never to tell anyone about a crime they’d committed. But someone does tell, and seventy years later, an anonymous letter was sent to one of the wives’ granddaughters, saying, “Family secrets never remain buried.” What did the Keepers’ wives do in 1951? And who is threatening to tell now
KEY FACTS
UK/Ireland Harper Fiction – March 2024. Further territories are to be announced shortly.
No. 2 Irish Times Bestseller and stayed in top 10 for seven weeks. Amazon UK bestseller.
THE GIRL FROM DONEGAL (2023)
“Heartwarming with Harrington’s trademark literary twist. We defy you not to say, just one more chapter”
The Belfast Telegraph
QUICK TAKE
Can you ever truly forget your first love?
Sweeping Love & Loss Story – WW2 Dual Timeline – Emotional Family Secrets
When Eliza Lavery leaves Donegal in 1939 for a new life in Bermuda, the fateful true-life events on the SS Athenia change her life, leaving her with an impossible choice between her past and present. Eighty years later, Saoirse O’Donnell visits her aunts in Bermuda, discovering that she is connected to Eliza and reveals a secret hidden for over eighty years.
What happened on board the SS Athenia in 1939? And who will Eliza and Saoirse choose in the battle of hearts between their past and present?
KEY FACTS
UK/Ireland (Harper Fiction) – March 2023. Further territories are to be announced shortly.
Instant No. 2 Irish Times Bestseller with six weeks in Top Ten, No 1. Amazon Bestseller, No. 1 Waterstones Bestseller
A MOTHER’S HEART (2022)
“A riveting family saga with terrific characters, that has you utterly engrossed from start to finish. I loved it.”
Patricia Scanlan, bestselling author of City Girls
QUICK TAKE
How far would you go to protect your family?
Intimate blended family drama – Motherhood – Custody battle – Emotional Reveals
When a stepmother finds herself in a custody battle with her children’s grandparents, an explosive secret is revealed that threatens all of their happiness.
What makes a mother – nature or nurture? Can Rachel find a way to heal the rift between her complicated blended family before it tears them all apart?
KEY FACTS
UK/Ireland (Harper Fiction) / USA/Canada (Bookouture)
No. 2 Irish Times Bestseller, Five weeks Top 10 Irish Times Bestseller, Amazon Bestseller, No. 2 Borrowed book in Cork City Libraries 2023
THE MOON OVER KILMORE QUAY (2021)
“Unashamedly full of heart … takes the reader on an unputdownable journey between New York and Wexford. It is a story about family and identity, about legacy and secrets … a touching love letter to Ireland”
Hazel Gaynor, New York Times bestseller of The Bird in the Bamboo Cage
QUICK TAKE
Two women, a twist of fate, one journey that changes everything
Emotional Family Drama – Identity & belonging – Heartbreaking Twists – Sweeping love story
A young woman receives a letter from her younger self, sending her deep into her family history, where long-buried secrets come to light. As Bea tries to discover more about her mother’s family, it sends her on a quest from New York to Kilmore Quay.
What happened to Bea’s mother and her sister when they emigrated to America? And what is Bea hiding from her family and friends?
KEY FACTS
UK/Ireland (Harper Fiction)/USA/Canada (Bookouture)
USA Today Bestseller, No. 2 Irish Times Bestseller, No. 1 Amazon Bestseller, RTE Culture Book of Note 2021
MY PEAR SHAPED LIFE (2020)
“Greta is everywoman, laugh, love and cry with her. I truly couldn’t stop reading. A beautiful, tender and joyful story“
Susan Lewis, Sunday Times Bestseller
QUICK TAKE
When things go wrong, they might just be right
USA Road Trip Dramedy – Feel-Good – Quirky Characters
A young actress has hidden so much behind her big smile that she’s forgotten who she is, until a life-changing road trip through the USA, with her uncle, reminds her of what is truly important.
Can Greta learn to accept herself for who she is?
KEY FACTS
UK/Ireland, USA/Canada, Australia/New Zealand (Harper Fiction)
Irish Times Bestseller, Amazon Bestseller, The Irish Independent Critics Choice Best Book of 2020, A Dublin City of Literature Featured Book 2020
A THOUSAND ROADS HOME (2018)
“Warm, uplifting & important … a very VERY special book“
Marian Keyes, International bestseller
QUICK TAKE
There are a thousand ways to find your home – you just need to be brave enough to look for them
Social Issue Drama – Aspergers – Homelessness – Unlikely Heroes – Quirky characters – Feel Good
A chance meeting between a homeless single mum, her son and a rough sleeper brings three ordinary people together to do extraordinary things. Why does Tom choose to live on a park bench? Where is DJ’s father? Can Ruth help her son and friends find their way home?
KEY FACTS
UK/Ireland, USA/Canada (Harper Fiction)
Irish Times Bestseller, Amazon Number One Bestseller, An Eason’s Top Ten Favourite Book 2018 (as voted by Irish Readers), Once Upon a Book Club USA Pick
THE WOMAN AT 72 DERRY LANE (2017)
“Beautifully written, emotionally intelligent & moving in the extreme“
The Daily Mail UK
QUICK TAKE
Behind close doors, everyone has a secret to keep
Gripping Family Drama – Deadly Disaster – Dual Timeline – Domestic violence – Grief
Agoraphobic Rea is trapped indoors, helpless to save Stella, her next-door neighbour, who is in an abusive relationship. Can Rea find the strength to face her traumatic past so that she can move forward? Can Stella find the strength to leave her husband? And what is the connection between Rea, Stella and a young girl called Skye?
KEY FACTS
UK/Ireland, USA/Canada, Australia/New Zealand (Harper Fiction)
Irish Times No. 2 Bestseller, Amazon No. 2 Bestseller, Shortlisted for Irish Book Award 2017
COLD FEET THE LOST YEARS (2017)
“Harrington has captured the characters’ colloquialisms, personalities and group dynamics. An immensely enjoyable companion to the TV show“
The Irish Times
QUICK TAKE
All the love. All the drama. All you missed.
Funny – Beloved characters – Relatable – Heartfelt
A standalone original novel based on the hit TV show Cold Feet, revealing what happened to favourite characters between series five and six.
Can Adam recover from the sudden death of Rachel, for the sake of their baby son? Can Pete and Jenny move forward, when she is pregnant with another man’s child? And can Karen and David keep their divorce amicable, when she finds out he has slept with the divorce lawyer?
KEY FACTS
UK/Ireland, USA/Canada, Australia/New Zealand (Hodder Stoughton)
Number 14 Sunday Times Bestseller, Amazon bestseller
THE THINGS I SHOULD HAVE TOLD YOU (2016)
“A bittersweet tale of family and love on a stunning road trip of self-discovery“
The Irish Times Gloss Magazine
QUICK TAKE
Every family has a story…
Campervan Road trip Dramedy – Family Drama – Marital stress – Teenage Angst – Heartwarming – Inspirational
For the Guinness family, a happy ending looks out of reach. Olly and Mae’s marriage is crumbling, their teenage daughter Evie is on a mission to self-destruct, and their beloved Pops is dying of cancer. Their once-strong family unit is slowly falling apart. They are sent on an adventure across Europe in a campervan, guided only by their grandfather’s letters of wisdom and love.
Can they find their way back to each other?
KEY FACTS
UK/Ireland, USA/Canada, Australia/New Zealand (Harper Fiction)
Irish Times and Amazon Bestseller, Shortlisted for an Irish Book Award 2016, Woman’s Way Top Read of 2016
EVERY TIME A BELL RINGS (2015)
“It embraces the spirit and the message of the movie, a must read“
Karolyn Grimes, the actress who played ‘Zuzu’, in It’s A Wonderful Life
QUICK TAKE
Magical Drama – Foster Parents – Festive Romance – Second Chances – Sentimental
Belle Bailey spent her early years in and out of foster homes, never finding a family to love her. Now a foster parent herself, with her husband by her side, she has given many children a happier start in life. They’ve loved them all as if they were their own. But when life throws several curveballs, Belle wishes she had never been born.
Before it’s too late, will Belle realise that her life is the most wonderful of all?
KEY FACTS
UK/Ireland, USA/Canada, Australia/New Zealand (One More Chapter)
Amazon, iBooks & Kobo Bestseller, Once Upon a Book Club USA Book Club Pick
THE LIFE YOU LEFT (2014)
“Engaging from the first page, at times emotional, at others thoughtful, will make you see life in a different way“
Woman’s Way
QUICK TAKE
Suspenseful – Heartfelt – Psychic – Amateur detective – Feel-good
When a mother of three small children is abandoned by her husband, help and complications arrive from an unusual source – her guardian angel, Edward. When a body is discovered on a nearby beach, Sarah begins to have psychic visions that will send her on the hunt for a serial killer.
Can Sarah find out who is behind the brutal murder of a local girl before he strikes again?
KEY FACTS
UK/Ireland, USA/Canada, Australia/New Zealand (One More Chapter)
No. 1 Amazon, iBooks & Kobo bestseller
BEYOND GRACE’S RAINBOW (2013)
“A bittersweet, quietly brilliant novel, that will make you cry, laugh and cry all over again“
Female First Magazine
QUICK TAKE
Romantic Tearjerker – Single mother – Friendship drama – Cancer – Heartbreaking Twist – Life-affirming
When a single mum finds out that she needs a bone marrow transplant, she embarks on a search for her unknown biological family, uncovering decades of secrets and lies
What is the mystery that surrounds Grace’s biological parents? Can she find them in time to save her life?
KEY FACTS
UK/Ireland, USA/Canada, Australia/New Zealand (One More Chapter) – September 2013.
Romantic eBook of the Year 2013, Kindle Book of the Year 2013, No 1 iTunes, Kobo, Amazon bestseller