Harriet Walker

Harriet Walker is the fashion editor of The Times. She has been a broadsheet journalist for over a decade and has also written for Vogue, Harper's Bazaar and The Gentlewoman, among others. She has interviewed the likes of Cate Blanchett, Emma Watson and Hailey Baldwin, and has appeared on the BBC, Sky News, Woman's Hour, the World Service and TalkRadio. Her books Minimalism in Fashion and Cult Shoes were published by Merrell. Born in Glasgow and raised in Sheffield, Harriet studied English at Trinity College, Cambridge, and now lives in South London.

Current publication:

THE WEDDING NIGHT - Hodder (UK) and Random House (US) - 15th July 2021 / 1st June 2021

What do you do when the wedding of your dreams turns into a nightmare?

When Lizzie calls off her wedding in the south of France only a week before the big day, not even her closest friends know why. But since the chateau is already paid for, they figure it's the perfect place to take Lizzie's her mind off her suddenly single state.

But when the group arrives, the wedding is waiting for them - food, flowers, and all.

The next day, Lizzie wakes to find her friends have drunkenly revelled in the wedding-that-wasn't - but not all their antics were benign. Someone is set on tormenting Lizzie, and she can't think who.

The more the friends try to piece together exactly what happened that night, the more secrets start to come out . . .

Praise:

'A stylish, taut thriller, a perfect poolside read' - the Sunday Telegraph 

'A riveting new novel' - Grazias

'A thriller for people who hate thrillers: tightly plotted, smartly drawn characters, captivating story with a satisfying twist at the end. Delicious' -- Pandora Sykes

'Twisty, suspenseful, thought-provoking and terrifically written - another brilliant book by Harriet Walker' ― Leaf Arbuthnot

'An intricate and surprising story of friendship, revenge and redemption where no-one and nothing are quite as they seem. As with The New Girl, The Wedding Night places female friendships at the centre of both the story and the lives of its characters, who are so real you feel you know them. Harriet’s writing is beautiful and immersive, and bristles with wry observation.' - Charlotte Philby, author of The Double Life

'The Wedding Night' is a fantastically compelling portrait of female friendship and toxic relationships, as well as a tense, atmospheric thriller. It's the perfect summer read - I loved it!' - Katherine Faulker, author of Greenwich Park 

'A gripping account of what happens when a supposed happy ever ending turns into a living nightmare. It makes you sweaty-palmed just reading it!' - Anna Murphey, the Times

'With a strong theme of toxic relationships, the epic twist midway through makes this a real page-turner!' - Women's Weekly

'An epic twist makes this a real page turner' - Woman Magazine

Praise for THE NEW GIRL - Hodder (UK) and Random House (US) - 9th July 2020

‘I was so absorbed by The New Girl. In this suspenseful debut, Harriet Walker applies the finest of brushes to those shades of grey between friendship and rivalry – not so much domestic noir as domestic gris. I recommend.’ - Louise Candlish

“Offers a pacey account of modern paranoias… a cleverly observed study of the pressure on women to identify as professionals or parents.” - Sunday Times

“A proper page turner” - The Mail on Sunday’s YOU Magazine

“A smart page-turner (which) tackles female rivalry” - Picked as one of the Summer’s must reads by the i Newspaper

'An astute and gripping domestic thriller that holds a mirror up to the fragility of female friendship and the sometimes devastating effects of social media. We guarantee you’ll be up all night racing towards The New Girl’s explosive finale' - Women & Home  

'An insightful dissection of jealousy and insecurity' -  Peterborough Telegraph

“With elegant prose and complex, vivid characters, The New Girl is a delicious slow burn of a thriller. I can’t wait to read more from Harriet Walker.” —Andrea Bartz, author of The Herd and The Lost Night

"Harriet Walker's The New Girl, set against a backdrop of magazines, explores female friendships while ramping up the tension and is ideal for lazing in the sun with" - The Stylist

'This gripping tale of friendship and motherhood is the perfect summer read' - Grazia

“This debut thriller reads like The Devil Wears Prada meets Single White Female. I couldn’t put it down.”—Catherine Steadman, author of Something in the Water and Mr. Nobody

'"With elegant prose and complex, vivid characters, THE NEW GIRL is a delicious slow burn of a thriller. I can't wait to read more from Harriet Walker" - Andrea Bartz, author of The Herd and The Lost Night 

"[She] movingly portrays the fragility of friendship and the corrosive effect of mistrust and recriminations in a wickedly funny psychological thriller that’s in turn brutal and tender. Walker is off to a fine start." - Publisher's Weekly 

"Fusing society’s heavy reliance on social media with a plot that is both pacy and rich with tension and a cast of unreliable and flawed characters, The New Girl is suspenseful and stylish writing at its very best." - The Literary Edit

"Wonderfully twisty and richly psychological – a compelling read" - Leaf Arbuthnot, author of Looking for Eliza

"As smart and stylish as a fashion week catwalk show, this gripping debut kept me hooked late into the night!" - Annie Lyons

"A compulsive and gripping story that delves into the female psyche and explores how despite appearing to have everything we can be our own worst enemies. With a twisty plot and deftly drawn characters this was a compelling and all-consuming lockdown read." - Hannah Persaud, author of The Codes of Love

"Single White Female meets The Devil Wears Prada, this is an ingenious thriller that I couldn't put down. A beautifully written, tense and chilling story of toxic friendships, insecurities and guilt. This deserves to be huge." - Claire Douglas

'The New Girl does what the very best psychological thrillers do: takes a scenario that many of us know well and twists it so that it becomes utterly terrifying. Choosing a maternity leave rivalry as a plot device was a masterful stroke and it’s executed perfectly; the writing is beautiful and the storyline constantly refuses to head where you think it is going. I flew through this book in a few days (or should that be nights that were later than they were meant to be, as I read ‘just one more chapter’…)' - Caroline Corcoran