Sold to Sweden ! Top of the bestseller list ! Movie rights optioned !

Romy Hausmann’s debut thriller LIEBES KIND was published 14 weeks ago and is still at the top of the Spiegel bestseller here in Germany with 120.000 copies sold!

  • Pre-empts from the Netherlands (HarperCollins), Italy (Giunti), France (Actes Sud), and Sweden (Nona)
  • Rights sold to Czech Republic (Euromedia), World English (Quercus), Spain ( Adn/Alianza), Poland (Foksal), and Korea (Balgunsesang)
  • Movie rights optioned.

Unlike other thrillers, the novel turns many ingrediences upside down: it starts where most thrillers end – with the rescue of the victims. It constantly challenges our urge as readers to put our trust in its characters. More than telling acts of violence it explores the results of violence on the victim’s psyche and it does so along gender power structures. Brilliant! Here comes an author of international format!

≫I’ve been excited about DEAR CHILDfrom the minute I heard about it first and having read it now I must say I’ve totally loved it from the beginning to its gripping end. […] I think it ticks all the right boxes for the current thriller market around the globe.≪ -Stefanie Bierwerth, Publisher-at-Large Quercus

A windowless shack in the woods. Lena’s life and that of her two children follows the rules set by the father: Meals, bathroom visits, study time are strictly scheduled and meticulously observed. Oxygen comes from a “circulation machine”, food is provided by the father only. He protects his family from the dangers lurking “out there” and makes sure that his children, conceived and born in captivity, will always have a mother to look after them. One day Lena manages to flee – but the nightmare continues. It seems as if her tormentor wants to get back what belongs to him. And then there is the question whether she really is the woman called “Lena”, who disappeared without a trace 14 years ago.

Three people are liberated from years of hell on earth only to find unimaginable horror staring back at them. Romy Hausmann has written an emotionally charged, high-caliber page-turner that gets right under your skin from the very first line.

ROMY HAUSMANN was born in the former GDR in 1981, and became the chief editor of a TV station at age 24. There she has met a variety of protagonists, whose stories she told: Stories of domestic abuse, Somalian refugees of war and neglected children. Since the birth of her son she is working as a freelancer for several TV formats.

»What an astute and exciting thriller! What a sound! I’m completely captivated by Romy Hausmann’s narrative voice«-Melanie Raabe, bestselling author of The Trap

»If you’re lucky youfind a jewel like this every few years. You’ll be mesmerized by the story of Lena, Hannah und Matthias – suffer with them, doubt their credibility and then put your trust in them again. It’s an emotional seesaw until the very last line.«-Christin Dwertmann, Hörbuch Hamburg, Bonnier

»The author does an expert job of planting the revelations and twists in ideal story beats. Yet the writing really shines in the quality of the character depictions and […] the crisp dialogue does its share of the work.« – Steve Anderson, translator for Amazon Crossing

291 readers left reviews on amazon. 92% give it 5 and 4 stars:

»›Liebes Kind‹ heißt das starke Thrillerdebüt der deutschen Autorin Romy Hausmann – ein verstörender Roman mit großer Sogwirkung.«
Doris Wassermann, Westfalen-Blatt 17.03.2019

»Ihr ist mit diesem Psyhothriller etwas ganz Besonderes gelungen.«
Manuela Haselberger, Freie Presse 22.03.2019

»In ihrem emotional schockierenden und zugleich tief berührenden Thriller entrollt Romy Hausmann Stück für Stück das Panorama eines Grauens, das jegliche Vorstellungskraft übersteigt.«
Der lachende Manager 13.04.2019

»Den Namen Romy Hausmann sollte sich jeder Thriller-Fan unbedingt merken!«
Stefanie Rufle, booksection.de 04.03.2019

»Kurzum, ein Thriller, den man nicht aus der Hand legen mag.«
Andrea Kahlmeier, EXPRESS 07.04.2019

»Außergewöhnlich!«
Ute Horak-Mayr, ekz Bibliotheksservice 25.02.2019

»Die Leser sind gefesselt von der Geschichte, denn die ist von der ersten bis zur letzten Seite absolut mitreißend.«
Andrea Weide, Friesenanzeiger april 2019

»Ein brillantes Debüt!«
Mainhatten Kurier 16.04.2019

»Sie ist eine Meisterin der Andeutung«
Georg Pepl, Hessische Allgemeine 15.04.2019

»Schon lange habe ich kein Buch mehr gelesen, das mich derartig in seinen Bann gezogen hat!«
barmandola, bookreviews.at 17.04.2019