‘Whatever was happening with these girls,
his gut instinct warned him that they were in a whole world of trouble’
[ About The Nowhere Girls ]
On a cold afternoon in December 1995, two young girls are found abandoned on a platform at Pearse Station in Dublin.
Thirty years later, investigative journalist Vega is determined to find out what happened to the so-called ‘Nowhere Girls’. Where did their mother go? Why did no one come forward to claim them? And where are they now?
Searching for answers takes her on a journey with twists she never could have imagined. And one that could put everything else she knows at risk; including her new relationship, her career, and her life as she knows it.
[ My Review ]
The Nowhere Girls by Carmel Harrington will publish January 29th with Headline Review and is described as ‘gripping and suspenseful‘. Taking the reader on a sweeping adventure from Dublin to Wexford and from Vermont to Connemara this emotive tale tells the shocking mystery surrounding two little girls and their missing mother.
Vega and Nova were left seated on a bench in Pearse Station in Dublin in 1995 by their mother, with a promise that she would be back very shortly…but she never returned. Their mysterious origin story was never unravelled, so the state had to step in and find them new homes. Nova was adopted but Vega was put into fostercare, leaving her guarded and very protective of her story, and her own personal space. In later years Vega’s career choices led to her becoming an investigative journalist. She owned a small cottage in Wexford which was her sanctuary. She would often sit outside, wrapped in a blanket and looking at the stars, hoping that one day she would reconnect with Nova and her mother.
Vega never stopped searching, with the online trail eventually leading her to Vermont. Using all her skills she set off on a journey that would eventually reveal some answers to her lifelong questions. But would they be the words she wanted to hear?
Vega had always kept her relationships very loose, never committing to anyone, and never bringing anyone home to her cottage in Wexford. But slowly she lets someone in, someone she starts to have feelings about. Vega isn’t used to this type of connection and the possibility of her spoiling it before it even starts is very real. She has never learned what it is to be truly loved, truly accepted for who she is. Can she let her guard down? Can she finally let someone in to share her heart and home with?
Vega is relentless and, as time passes, she digs up more and more information that could potentially lead to the truth. On this journey of self-discovery Vega is faced with many challenging obstacles, leaving her, at times, unsure of herself. But Vega is tough. All her life she has had to stand on her own two feet. Now, as she finally closes in on what actually happened on that fateful day in 1995, she may have to accept certain painful truths but will it be worth it?
I am being intentionally vague in my review, as the truth behind The Nowhere Girls is one that, like Vega, you have to unravel all by yourselves. While I wasn’t totally sold on the outcome of one particular thread, the rest of the novel does carry plenty of surprising and fitting moments. Carmel Harrington vividly depicts the ache that seems to constantly inhabit Vega, that sense of belonging that she hankers after at all times. There is something very authentic about her character as she pushes her way through some extremely emotional obstacles in her search for her family. There are numerous twists and turns in The Nowhere Girls as the scent picks up and the momentum gathers speed. Is this crime fiction? Is this a novel of suspense? Is this a contemporary tale? The Nowhere Girls seems to straddle all three, which gives it a broad appeal and will definitely please Carmel Harrington’s fans, both new and old. A mysterious and emotional story The Nowhere Girls is ultimately an exploration of our need as human beings to feel connected, to have a loving family and to belong.
[Thank you to Elaine Egan and Hachette Ireland for a copy of The Nowhere Girls in exchange for my honest review ]
[ Bio ]
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.
