Last Bench

From the bestselling author of The Stolen Child, a brand new gripping and emotional story of loss, family devotion and buried secrets . . .

Journalist Vega Pearse arrives at the home of Anne and John Davis to interview them for a piece she is writing on the local drug crisis.

The devoted couple show Vega around their beautiful blossom tree maze, which sits at the top of their garden. They tell Vega their family's life story and share their devastation at losing a child.

But as they approach the last bench in the maze, Vega starts to suspect there is something they're not telling her.

And secrets, like memories, rarely stay buried for ever . . .
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Readers love Carmel Harrington!

'OMG! Unputdownable! Shocking! Brilliant! Amazing!' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'This author's books are always brilliant and I honestly think this is her best one yet . . . Brilliant characters and some OMG moments. I loved it' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'I love a book with a twist and this one was both unanticipated until the time was right, and believable - a rare combination! Add it to your pile!' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'I couldn't put this book down. I had so many theories to how the story would end, it kept me guessing . . . it just begs to be read in one sitting' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'Carmel Harrington at her best. Plot twists & turns on every page!' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Praise for Carmel Harrington:

'This complex novel requires faultless plotting, and Harrington pulls it off with consummate ease' SUNDAY TIMES

'One of the greatest twists I've ever read' CATHERINE RYAN HOWARD

'An addictive, immersive, incredibly poignant page-turner' ANDREA MARA

'Clever, compelling and compulsive, a read-until-the-early-hours rollercoaster' AMANDA GEARD

'A compelling, extremely tender page-turner' ADELE PARKS

Carmel Harrington is a No. 1 bestselling and award-winning author from Ireland. Her novels are published internationally and have been Irish Times, USA Today and Kindle bestsellers.

Her most recent novel, The Stolen Child, was an Irish Times No. 1 bestseller, a Good Housekeeping Good Books winner, and was shortlisted for the Irish Book Awards Crime Fiction Book of the Year. It was also a Sunday Times Best Crime Fiction of the Year pick. Carmel's next book, The Last Bench, has been chosen by the Reading Agency as one of their Quick Reads for April 2026.

Carmel is a regular on Irish television and radio, has been a guest speaker at literary events in Ireland, the UK and the USA, and served as Chair of the Wexford Literary Festival for three years. She lives in Wexford with her husband, children and rescue dog George Bailey.