Edgar Award Best Novel Winner

The Hours Before Dawn

by Celia Fremlin

Summary

An exhausted young mother, worn down by a crying baby and sleepless nights, grows convinced that her quiet new lodger is hiding something sinister. Celia Fremlin draws suspense from the ordinary strain of domestic life, leaving the reader unsure whether the danger is real or born of fatigue. The book is a pioneering work of domestic suspense that takes the anxieties of motherhood seriously.

Historical Context & Significance

It was Celia Fremlin's debut novel and won the Edgar Award for Best Novel in 1960.