The Godsend

Alan and Kate Marlowe are a typical, loving, middle-class couple, with four small children. But they wish they had just one more, a beautiful baby daughter. So when a strange young woman abandons her infant at their house, they view it as a blessing—a godsend—and adopt little Bonnie as their own. But not long after Bonnie’s arrival, terrible things begin to happen to the Marlowes, starting with the death of their son Matthew. As the tragedies mount, Alan suspects that Bonnie is somehow responsible. Is he losing his grip on sanity? After all, surely this angelic child could not be responsible for such horrors . . . ?

The classic first novel by Bernard Taylor, The Godsend (1976) earned widespread critical acclaim on its initial publication and was the basis for a 1980 film. This edition features a new introduction by Mary Danby. Taylor’s chilling novels Sweetheart, Sweetheart and The Moorstone Sickness are also available from Valancourt.