Product Description

A mother, a daughter, and a family torn apart - this title offers the heartbreaking true story of an unimaginable betrayal. For the first six years of her life, Sarah Harris was a normal, happy, popular little girl. But, from the age of six her life was a living hell - as she became the victim of a vicious eighteen-month hate campaign. Before long, she was suspended from school, alienated from her friends, completely bewildered and utterly terrified. Her happy childhood had been destroyed forever. For her mother, Lyndsey, it was a life beyond her worst nightmares. Her little girl, the daughter she loved so much, seemed to have transformed overnight, doing things unthinkable in a six-year-old child - things that made Lyndsey scared of her own child - stealing razor blades; attempting to poison her friends; and accusing her parents of sexual abuse. Soon, Lyndsey's marriage was on the verge of collapse, social services stepped in, and suddenly Lyndsey was fighting to keep her family together - and to save her daughter's sanity. But, worse was to come as Lyndsey discovered her family had been victims of the most hurtful betrayal of all...

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #391682 in Books
• Published on: 2006-06-22
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 320 pages

Customer Reviews

How could she
I read the book with interest. It starts as an average everyday read about an average everyday family - but it becomes far from average.

Oh yes - with the benefit of hindsight there is no mystery to the story. We the readers have that hindsight. But the poor family living with nightmare had no such hindsight.

They had on the one hand a trusted family friend. An Adult. An apparently deeply caring and worried adult. And on the other a small child, bewildered and believing the adults who told her she was bad.

I read thinking - how could she. How could she betray their trust like that. How could she take a small, defenceless, loving child and do so much pychological damage to her. And to her poor parents. A loving family driven to their wits end by this person's lies.

I can't blame the family at all. They had no reason to doubt what they were told. They were distraught, caught in circumstances that left them tearing their hair out - but with nothing to point them to the truth.

Their sense of devastation when the truth is revealed is palpable. And you are left with the feeling that it will take many years for them to put it right, before they can ever trust like that again.

This book is not some grand literary endeavour. It's a plain, simple story about an ordinary family written by an ordinary woman. But it is an excelent, undemanding read, perfect for anyone to pick up whenever they have a moment or two.

And it sends a very important message. Sometimes it isn't the 'stranger' who is a danger.

I would thoroughly recommend it to any mother.

An Unusual true story
An Unbelievable story,hard to think that somebody could be so wicked.

Worth reading if you want an insight into the evil people living all around us - in this case a close family friend.
This book is not supposed to be a "who done it" - its a true account of betrayal.

A very touching account
I bought this book only 3 days ago and could barely put it down, finishing it just before I wrote this review. The story itself is a bit of a whodunnit, although unlike Agatha Christie's novels, this one is true, albeit with pseudonyms to protect their real identities.

I could not help but feel so sorry for Sarah who saw all those horrible crimes happening around her, with all the evidence pointing to her, but having no recollection of committing them; you can't blame her for admitting some of the crimes... not just to keep someone else from getting upset, but if someone keeps asking you the same question over and over again, you do often end up giving them the answer they want to hear, even if it is not true.

I also have to give huge praise to Lyndsey, Sarah's mother... despite all of the events, the hardships, the torment and the sheer danger of it all, she stayed true to Sarah and the rest of her family.

Mind you, I did guess the truth behind the events fairly early on, as I myself know from past experiences that even your closest friends may not be who they seem to be. Plus, there's also a clue in the title of the book. The simplest explanation is often the right one, and people should listen to their instincts, but I cannot blame Lyndsey for not seeing it, especially if false accusations of abuse and bad parenting are thrown at you.

I suppose you could say I am somewhat gullible for believing the account told... I would feel a little betrayed if it turned out to be totally or partially fabricated, apart from the pseudonyms. I'm fairly sure it is true though.


"No one ever listens to kids"... all too true sometimes, which is upsetting; they really do see straight to the point sometimes.



As a final note, all my congratulations go out to the Harris family (I know that's not their real name, but that's all I can go by) and I wish you the very best for the future.