Review: The Child by Fiona Barton

 

Title:The Child
Author: Fiona Barton (Facebook) (Website) (Twitter)
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Publisher: Berkley (June 27, 2017)
Length: 384
Source: First To Read Reviewer Program/Netgalley

 

About the Book: (From Goodreads)

As an old house is demolished in a gentrifying section of London, a workman discovers a tiny skeleton, buried for years. For journalist Kate Waters, it’s a story that deserves attention. She cobbles together a piece for her newspaper, but at a loss for answers, she can only pose a question: Who is the Building Site Baby?

As Kate investigates, she unearths connections to a crime that rocked the city decades earlier: A newborn baby was stolen from the maternity ward in a local hospital and was never found. Her heartbroken parents were left devastated by the loss.

But there is more to the story, and Kate is drawn—house by house—into the pasts of the people who once lived in this neighborhood that has given up its greatest mystery. And she soon finds herself the keeper of unexpected secrets that erupt in the lives of three women—and torn between what she can and cannot tell

About the Author: (From Author Website)

Fiona’s career has taken some surprising twists and turns over the years. She has been a journalist - senior writer at the Daily Mail, news editor at the Daily Telegraph, and chief reporter at The Mail on Sunday, where she won Reporter of the Year at the National Press Awards, gave up her job to volunteer in Sri Lanka and since 2008, have trained and worked with exiled and threatened journalists all over the world.

Fiona and her husband are still living the good life in south-west France, where Fiona writes in bed, early in the morning when the only distraction is their cockerel, Titch, crowing.

 

My Review: I was very excited to have the opportunity to read, The Child by Fiona Barton.  I had read Fiona Barton’s debut novel, The Widow and love it!  In the beginning of The Child, there are a lot of characters and the narrative switches between them frequently.  It took me a little bit to get all the characters straight and feel a connection to them.   Three women are the main characters.   Katie is a journalist wanting to dig deeper into the story of a infant’s body found at a building site.  Emma is an Editor, she has some difficulty/anxiety.  She become very interested/obsessed in the infant.  Angela and Nick are parents of baby Alice who was abducted from the hospital shortly after birth. 

The character develop is great.  You have a good sense of each character and their inner thoughts while the story switches between past and present.  The Child by Fiona Barton starts off slow with giving you a glimpse into each woman’s life and you are also introduced to people in their lives as well.  Just as I began to feel like this story wasn’t going anywhere, my interest was peaked.   The small connections between the women’s life start to be skillfully revealed.  Ok, Ok…Fiona Barton you got me!  I am hooked.   Each connection brings you closer and closer to understanding the memories that haunt the women, with a few twist to keep you on your toes.

The suspense builds and builds.   I am reading the last few chapters in the morning before going to work.  Ok….I will have a second cup of coffee and read one more chapter.  Ok…. I will read one more chapter and work late tonight.  Ok…I am sitting on the edge of seat and on a total emotional roller coaster – tears and all!  I will finish this book before going to work.  Yes, I was late for work, but The Child by Fiona Barton was totally worth it.    Fiona Barton sure knows how to build the suspense and deliver a memorable ending! I give The Child by Fiona Barton 4 star – could I have a note for being late for work??

The Child by Fiona Barton is being released today,  June 27, 2017.

Happy Reading!

**Disclosure – The Child by Fiona Barton was received from The First To Read Program at Penguin Random House and Netgalley in exchange for a fair review. All opinions are my own.  This post contains affiliate links.