In Conversation with Louise Candlish: A Knock at the Door

The wonderful Louise Candlish is back on the podcast to talk about her new book, A Knock at the Door. A three-year-old girl goes missing on a family weekend away. Eighteen years later, a young woman turns up at her parents’ door claiming to be their lost daughter. Is she really her, or is she an imposter?

Louise tells me:

• why this book feels different in tone from her last few
• its original working title
• how a young intern helped her make the Telegram messages sound authentic
• why she has called this one “imposter noir”

We also talk about:

• her dream writing location, a silent penthouse suite overlooking a royal park
• her nightmare one, a noisy train, and what happened when her husband challenged a fellow passenger on the Stansted Express
• twists and blurbs, and why publishers shouldn’t promise a twist
• the book Louise thinks has the best twist ever
• why e-readers turned her into a speed reader
• my 15 holiday books and their run-in with Athens customs
• the brownie that powered the words

Before that, I review three books:

• What We Ask Google by Simon Rogers. I finished it in a day and it made me feel hopeful about the human race. My non-fiction Christmas present pick.
• The Castle by Jon Ronson. I really enjoyed it, with a couple of stodgy bits.
• The Players Club by Rachel Mills. Lots of people are raving about this one, but it didn’t quite work for me.

You’ll also hear about a retired couple and some spontaneous synchronised swimming.

Books mentioned

• A Knock at the Door by Louise Candlish
• What We Ask Google by Simon Rogers
• The Castle by Jon Ronson
• The Players Club by Rachel Mills
• Eyes on You by Adele Parks
• Fallen Women by Tammy Cohen (out February 2027)
• The Other Passenger by Louise Candlish
• Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane
• Fingersmith by Sarah Waters

Watch the episode

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