Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Soft Belly Days | 2011 | Carly Nugent | Buy |
| 2 | Dream Girl | 2013 | Carly Nugent | Buy |
| 3 | The Peacock Detectives | 2020 | Carly Nugent | Buy |
Carly Nugent’s standalone novels range from adult literary fiction to middle grade. Her first book, Soft Belly Days (2011), was adapted from a screenplay and tells the story of a woman coming to terms with her father’s death on a beach in Cornwall. Dream Girl (2013) follows three characters whose ordinary day takes a sharp turn when a nightmare event brings them together.
The Peacock Detectives (2020) marked a shift in audience for Nugent. Written for younger readers, the novel features Cassie Anderson, a curious eleven-year-old who investigates the disappearance of peacocks in her neighborhood. Despite its lighter setup, the book handles weighty subjects including mental illness and family grief, and it won the Readings Children’s Book Prize.