It became known as the dinner party from hell. It was 1979 in suburban Adelaide. Four couples from a sleepy neighbourhood street gather for an adults-only party. They left their children at home, safely asleep in their own beds. Or so they thought. Despite regular checks on their children, four-month-old Megan Callaghan is found missing, her cot empty, the window to her room broken. Who took baby Megan and why? And is she still alive?
On the 40th anniversary of her disappearance Megan’s older sister Amanda and her family gather to remember. Amanda has spent her whole life consumed with the search for her baby sister, which has had a huge impact on her marriage and the lives of her two daughters.
Then there is a knock at the door. A woman claims to be the missing Callaghan baby. And she has proof. Donna claims to be baby Megan, that she was given to her mother who was desperate for a child and unable to have one of her own.
Told through the eyes of Billie and the Baby Callaghan Podcast, which reveals a multitude of shocking secrets from the past, it seems that all those involved in the dinner party might have secrets to hide.
The Dinner Party had me intrigued from start to finish, a satisfying page-turner.
Reviewed by Joanne Brewer
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rebecca Heath studied science at university, worked in hospitality and teaching, and wrote obsessively whenever she could find the time. She wrote several young adult novels as Beck Nicholas, published in Australia and Germany.
She lives in Adelaide, Australia, halfway between the city and the sea with her husband, three children and a much-loved border collie. She spent her childhood summers at a remote beach not unlike where The Summer Party is set. The Summer Party was her debut adult novel.
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