Review: The Child

The Child

Fiona Barton

When the body of a baby is discovered in an area of London slated for redevelopment, three women become linked in a psychological drama to determine the identity and the mystery behind the body. Kate is a reporter trying to get a good story for her newspaper and she's got a hunch that the body could be linked to an old case concerning Angela, whose baby was stolen from the hospital at birth. In order to find out how the body came to lie in an area of town, unfamiliar to Angela, Kate will have to find former residents of the area. This leads her to Emma who grew up in the neighborhood. But Kate will have to unravel a lot of old secrets before the truth about the baby is revealed. The truth may be more than anyone could have imagined.

When I first sat down to read this story I was intrigued. But, a few chapters in I thought it was going to be a rather sad tale and I almost put the book down. Luckily, I didn't, because it was at that point that the story took a turn, which ramped up the tension and I found that I could hardly put it down. I really wanted to know how things would turn out for all of the women. Clearly, the author knew just when to draw me in, and like a moth to a flame I was hooked. This suspenseful tale was one which got right into the heart of the characters and under my skin. It was skillfully written and thoroughly entertaining.

Thanks to Shelf-Awareness and Berkley Publishing for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.