Great book! I love suspenseful stories that keep me guessing!

This follow-up to The Widow is just as thrilling and engaging. I loved it! I could hardly put it down!

Fiona Barton has delivered another edge-of-your-seat psychological thriller with "The Child." It was impossible to predict the ending until the last page was read. Barton is a skilled storyteller who knows how to create characters and draw out a plot to a n unexpected ending.

I’m excited and honored to be posting today as a stop on the blog tour of Fiona Barton’s latest book, The Child.

The Child was a quick and enjoyable read from start to finish. It’s told from the perspective of four different woman and differs somewhat from many multiple-perspective books in that only one is narrated in the first person. This gives the book a bit of an unreliable narrator feel, which is something I loved.

The characters are well thought-out. The author gave just enough to make me feel that I knew them, while holding back enough to make me wonder if there was something suspect about each one. I felt a particular affinity for Emma, our potential unreliable narrator. I rooted for her throughout the story even as I questioned her credibility. I can’t even scratch the surface as to why without giving away too many details. I suspect those that have read the book will understand exactly what I mean.

As for the story itself, I found it to be much more mystery than thriller. It was a steady page-turner but lacked the intensity and constant action of a thriller. This is an observation and not a criticism, as this story did not require those elements in its telling.

I thought the ending was brilliant from several standpoints. I won’t elaborate so as not to give too much away. That said, I struggled a tiny bit with the believability factor but, in the end, decided the author’s creativity and the steady pacing made up for it.

Though The Child is not a sequel to Fiona Barton’s wildly popular The Widow, reporter Kate Waters from that novel is one of the main characters in this book. I hadn’t read The Widow and wondered if that would have any effect on my experience in reading this book. Though there were a couple of minor references to a case in Ms. Waters past, which I assumed was the case in The Widow, it was nothing that detracted from the book or made me feel as if I was missing a key point.

Fiona Barton is a world class storyteller, bringing Kate and the other characters to life. Barton does what writers are told and taught to do: she SHOWS readers the story rather than TELLS them a story.

In The Child, Barton uses multiple narrators to lead readers through the mystery, setting it and shrouding it in suspense. By telling the story from different points of view, readers are given each character's insights and memories, keeping readers guessing until the very end.

I'm not always a fan of multiple narrators. Often I find it obscures the story and makes everything just more confusing. But Barton uses it well. Yes, I was unsure of the indentity of the child and who was at fault for its death, but I was never lost. Barton used her voices well.

And, in solving the mystery of the child, the other narrators help Kate get to the bottom of another mystery -- and it's discovery is, in someways, more satisfying than the mystery of the baby.

The Child is both thought provoking and suspenseful. It keeps readers guessing and thinking without a hitch in the pace.

I highly recommend The Child to anyone looking for an intelligent, fast-paced thriller.

Now that I have had a taste of what author, Fiona Barton is all about with this book, I plan to go back and check out The Widow. Instantly, I connected with the story and the characters. Although, I was surprised that this was a very character driven story. What I mean by this is that sometimes in thriller books I find myself gravitating more towards the main lead character and killer. Yet, in this story, there was not a killer or was there? There was just three women. Two whose stories intersect with one another. The person responsible for helping to put all of the pieces together is journalist, Kate Waters.

Kate is a strong character. Although, I do wish that she would have taken more credit for herself a little more. Yet, she is right on point with her journalist skills. Back to the story. After reading this story a while, some readers may pick up on where the story is going like me. However, I can guarantee you that you will still enjoy how the story ends. The Child will have you lost for hours (in a good way) with engaging characters.

This chilling book by popular author Fiona Barton is a fast-paced, hair-raising read. Perfect for fans of her other works, Gone Girl, and thrillers / suspense novels.

It all starts with the skeletal remains of a baby found at a demolition site. Mysteries from decades past are suddenly thrust into the glaring media spotlight. The story dragged a little for me at the beginning but kept my curiosity engaged. There were so many bombshells dropping and unexpected turns in the story that I just had to finish.

This book was not exactly what I was expecting. There were many twists and turns right from the beginning. The fact that the book is told from different perspectives keeps you guessing at exactly what happened in the past. While I did enjoy the first 75% of the book I felt like it fell off at the end. By the 75% mark you had all the information you needed to figure out who's baby it is. I obviously then felt that the last 25% was dragging on and on. I was just waiting for Kate to finally figure it out. The story was great. The progression of the facts was just okay.

Loved this book! Fast paced and excellent character development. Couldn't wait to unravel the mystery and was totally caught off guard by the ending. Excellent read.

This is the second book I've read by Fiona Barton and although her first book was a five-star read for me, I still really enjoyed this one.

Builders in London who are demolishing a building are shocked when they discover the skeleton of a baby buried there. They turn to the police for help to identify the body, and reporter Kate Waters picks up the story for her newspaper. As Kate digs in to the case she finds out about an old case where a baby disappeared from a hospital years ago. Could this be the long lost baby? And if it isn't, whose baby is it?

This was an exciting read, and one that I thoroughly enjoyed. I figured out some of the plot twists, and others remained a surprise, but they were all enjoyable! I read through this one quickly and I was eager to find out what would happen next. Barton is a talented author and I can highly recommend this read to fans of psychological suspense. I can't wait to read her next book!

Review published on NightsAndWeekends.com and aired on Shelf Discovery

Secrets. Everyone has them. Yet, some secrets are a bit more potent and therefore life-altering than others, and what at first seems simple and straight-forward can actually be quite complex. Kate Waters finds this out as she investigates the mystery of the unearthed baby in The Child. As with her first novel, Fiona Barton's second novel is an excellent example of stories taking on a life of their own.

Unlike her first novel, The Child is a much more engaging story from start to finish. It spans three different narrators, and readers must wait to find out what, if anything, connects the three. As Kate's exclusive story about the found baby eventually twists and morphs into something completely unexpected, readers can only hang on for the ride.

For all that, it is not a novel that rushes towards its denouement. Rather, it takes its time, peeling back each layer of the various mysteries much as an archaeologist carefully brushes away each grain of sand and dirt. Ms. Barton builds into each uncovered layer depth and character development that forces you to truly care about the characters. What follows is a slow burn to an emotional ending, one that is well worth the time it takes to get there.

This is not to say it is a boring novel, for it most definitely is not. Kate and her search for answers allows readers a glimpse into the world of news reporting and the changes brought about by the advent of the Internet, social media, and blogging. Emma brings readers into the world of ghost writing, while Angela shows some of the never-ending anguish mothers feel at the loss of a child. They are three very different women with three distinct perspectives on life, and each character takes on a life of her own while she narrates. Readers find their sympathies split between the three as they all wrestle with their demons past and present that Kate's questioning brings to the fore.

The Child is a quiet thriller in that there are no life-or-death moments or sadistic killers haunting the narrators. The action is subdued, if nonexistent. Rather, the dangers faced by the women are much more circumspect and ordinary, making them much more terrifying. Ms. Barton carefully builds her narrative around these everyday dangers to create a story that pulls on the heartstrings because at least part of it could so easily happen to any one of us. One might be able to find fault for the ending being a trifle too predictable, but others will find themselves so absorbed in the three women's lives that they don't bother predicting anything. Regardless if you figure it out in advance or not, the ending is satisfying, providing closure and hope for all. You can't get much better than that.

A infant baby is found during construction and there is more than one person who may have connections to the baby, but reporter Kate is on the case and wants to get the story before anyone else.

I have to say that I did figure out all of the things early. I doubted myself at a few points, but in the end I was correct and I am still not sure how I feel about how easily I came to the conclusion.

I loved how the story was set up, there were chapters told from the reporter Kate, a young woman named Emma who lived in the neighborhood where the baby was with her mom, who also has a few chapters from her perspective and the other person who did a lot of narrating was Angela who had a baby kidnapped from the hospital. I loved how it hopped between all of these women and the story moved forward from one story to the next and even a few times a scene was repeated from a different perspective - it was very cool how she weaved it all in and out.

I will continue to read Fiona Barton, I like the way she puts together her stories and completely adore her characters!

"The Child" is the story of three women. There is Angela, a woman that had her baby stolen from the hospital many years ago. She still dreams that her child may be alive but realizes that may be too good to be true. There is Emma, a young woman trying to come to terms with her majorly messed up childhood as an adult. Then there is Kate, an intrepid reporter, who wants to find out the mystery behind the baby buried in the garden that captivates the whole country. This book had tons of twists and turns and definitely kept me guessing.

Thrillers are still one genre that I don't seem to get around to all that much but during the summer, sometimes you just want a book that is going to take you on a wild ride and this book certainly does that. It's not too fast paced but the twists and turns make this book thrilling. There were a few points in the book where I really thought I had everything figured out only to have Barton turn everything on its head again and again. I really liked how she was able to do this! She definitely knows how to build up excitement.

Another thing that I liked is that she actually puts a lot into making sure her characters aren't flat (a flaw that often seems to be hiding in more action oriented books). I especially enjoyed reading about Emma and Jude, her mother. Jude is a terribly flawed, sort of horrible character that doesn't seem to get that the world does not revolve around her. Although she wants a relationship with Emma, she seems to want to make sure it is a contentious, strained relationship at every turn. Emma seems to have some deep-rooted issues that are slowly unraveled throughout the book.

Overall, this is a good read that will keep you on your toes!

Loved this book! The author wrote a story that explores themes of family and betrayal, while managing to create characters that I loved and want to keep reading about. I loved the mystery behind the child in this book and the multiple twists and turns that lead to a climactic ending. Definitely recommend!

A real spellbinding book. I couldn't stop reading it! Figuring out the mystery of the missing baby with Kate had me riveted.

This intense psychological thriller will have you reading late into the night. I couldn't put it down. Highly recommended.

I enjoyed the story of this book. I liked the mystery and the connection between multiple families. I also enjoyed the journalistic aspect of it and how she was doing a lot of the investigating and not just a cop.

A satisfying page-turner! The short chapters and multiple perspectives kept me engaged and up until the wee hours finishing the book. The story opens when a tiny skeleton is found during excavation of a building site. The book is told from the perspective of four people: the journalist Kate, Emma and her mother Jude who used to live in the neighborhood where the skeleton was found, and Angela, whose baby was stolen from the maternity ward many years ago. While it seems obvious the skeleton is Angela’s baby, the truth is more complicated than the set-up would lead you to think.

The suspense was carried throughout the book, with enough twists and turns to keep things interesting. I had a little trouble keeping everyone straight at first but my persistence paid off. There are secrets to be discovered and the author reveals just enough to keep you turning the pages. I found the surprise twist and the ending satisfying on several levels.

Although this is a standalone, I liked the recurring character of the journalist, Kate, who we first met in the author’s first book, The Widow. The author’s background in journalism is evident in how she writes her character, and I hope she is featured in the author’s next book.