What I loved about this book was how many twists and turns there were. Barton, as she did in The Widow, keeps her readers on their toes.

She does this really effectively through having each chapter alternate points of view. This enables Barton to add layer upon layer to the story without giving everything away. A character may drop a hint about something, and then readers find themselves in another character's head, looking at everything a different way.

I also really liked that Barton brought Kate back, a character from The Widow, and made her such a focus in this story. Kate is a strong, smart female character who works well as the backbone of The Child.

The one thing I didn't love about this book was I did feel I was able to call some of the bigger twists towards the end. I would have liked to be a little more surprised at some points.

If you liked The Widow, or if you're a fan in general of well-crafted psychological thrillers with lots of suspense, I would definitely recommend The Child.

Favorite Quotes:

The problem is that a secret takes on a life of its own over time. I used to believe if I didn’t think about what happened, it would shrivel and die. But it didn’t. It sits in the middle of a growing tangle of lies and fabrications, like a fat fly trapped in a spider’s web. If I say anything now it will mean ripping everything apart. So I must say nothing. I have to protect it. The secret, that is. It’s what I’ve done for as long as I can remember. Kept it safe.

“Student Welfare? Goodness, he’ll be knee-deep in drugs and sexually transmitted diseases,’’ I say, relishing the idea of Derek, the most pompous man on earth, dealing with condom machines.

“Because I want to know what happened, Joe. It’s called human interest. Not all news is about soap stars or politicians. This has got the makings of a good story. I can feel it in my waters.” Joe looked slightly squeamish. “It’s a saying, dear. Nothing gyno about it.” He looked mortified and she felt terrible. She was turning into one of the dinosaurs.

Kate had been sent to try to get a talk with the family. They’d told her to piss off. She’d been glad. They looked like the cast of Deliverance.

My Review:

The Child was a tautly written, tightly coiled, complex, and intense read. I was transfixed by the intriguing, well-constructed, and maddingly paced storyline. I adored Kate, an overlooked reporter whose efforts solved a 42-year-old crime when she was unable to walk away from a quagmire of a mystery, one that started as a small snippet of detail from a two-line story she noticed in the newspaper. The storyline crackled with tension and Ms. Barton’s writing maintained a constant simmer as the plot slowly evolved with sharp and cleverly depicted details and emotional nuances. The plot bore an aura of heaviness emanating from the tragic find of newborn skeletal remains at a building site. I immediately began to devise and systematically discard multiple theories before finally settling on a heart-stopping possibility when the DNA evidence pointed first in one direction, then strangely, in another.

The characters weren’t always admirable or likable, yet were consistently and oddly fascinating, clever, and uniquely compelling. I was riveted and engrossed as the intricate web of deceit and multiple layers of secrets were gradually untangled. Sigh, Ms. Barton delivered an ingenious plot and an expertly written and well-crafted book, but I believe I need to invest in a spa day before I scour my list for a comedy to read next.

During a demolition, a worker finds the skeleton of a baby. Kate, a journalist, grabs at the chance to make this her winning story - "Who is the Building Site Baby?" She finds one immediate connection, involving a baby stolen from a hospital shortly after its arrival into the world... leaving the parents (Angela and Nick) heartbroken and forever looking for her. Could this found baby be theirs? Will they finally find closure after all this time? Kate's investigation also leads her to Emma, whose past secrets are coming back to haunt her and her atrocious mother, Jude - who put everyone else in her life above her own daughter. As Kate pieces things together, she realizes the puzzle is much larger than she had imagined.

Fiona takes us on our journey through various perspectives and there's no doubt she is talented in weaving her tale. Her debut, The Widow, left me wanting a bit as I couldn't quite get involved or understand the main character. However, The Child is extremely character driven and she immerses you right into each of their worlds. You hate them, you love them... you FEEL for them. Admittedly it's an extremely SLOW start. I felt my attention wandering and it took me quite a bit to stay with the book... but I'm glad that I did because that PLOT TWIST at the end was such a surprise! Emotionally redemptive and really pulling the whole story together in a completely unexpected way made me raise my eyebrows and my heart clap. For those who love the writing styles of Gilly Macmillan, you will love Fiona Barton's work. For those who need that faster speed, makes you binge type of read, this may be a bit too slow for your taste.
3.5 full blown stars!

A journalist begins to investigate what her gut tells her is an important story. As she looks into the death of an infant, she finds out that the truth is far more complicated and shocking than anyone could have imagined. British author Fiona Barton brings back a character from her first book to headline her second novel in the thought-provoking story of The Child.

It’s 2012, and reporter Kate Waters has hit a lull in her work. Everyone seems to be talking about the upcoming London Olympics, but Kate wants to work on something different. When she runs across a tiny blurb in a newspaper about the skeleton of a baby found in a neighborhood slated for demolition and rebuilding, she gets a tingling sensation. Kate loves nothing more than taking a seemingly innocuous piece of information and chasing down the story behind it.

Emma spends her days managing her emotions and cleaning up the manuscripts of ghostwriters who tackle minor British celebrities. She finds herself circling back to trauma from earlier in her life, but she can’t approach it with shoulders squared and head held high. Instead she cowers in the face of her experience, sharing stealthy glances with it on her good days. On her bad days, she doesn’t look at anything. After she reads the bit about the remains of the baby, Emma wonders whether she’ll only have bad days from now on.

Angela does her best to forget about her kidnapped baby, but the child’s spirit hovers over her shoulder in the most unsettling ways. Even though she now has two other children, she can’t forget about the little one who made her a mother for the first time. It’s inevitable, on hearing about the infant skeleton, that hope starts to flutter in her chest. More than anything, she’s just wanted to know what happened to her little girl.

Kate’s investigation brings her to both Emma and Angela, for different reasons and in different capacities. Her instinct keeps pestering her to follow leads, even the ones that come across as half-baked, much to the chagrin of her editor who just wishes she would get on with a “real” story. Despite being saddled with a new intern who sees the world with digital eyes first, Kate refuses to get sidelined. As she chips away at the truth, however, even she isn’t prepared for what she discovers.

Author Fiona Barton drew in the world with her debut novel about a woman hiding the secrets of a man accused of a horrific crime, and after the positive response to journalist Kate Waters in the first book Barton decided to make Kate the star of The Child. In Kate Barton finds a plucky protagonist, the kind readers will cling to as she makes her way through the facts and the confusion. Choosing Kate as the main character proves to be a smart move on Barton’s part. Readers will get to spend time in Kate’s world without feeling like they’re treading well-worn ground from Barton’s first book.

Despite the ultimate tragedy of a dead baby, Barton manages to infuse her story with trademark British wit. The one-liners offer relief in the midst of a sad book, but, really, readers won’t mind this brand of sad at all. Barton shows that in a world where monsters exist, heroes and heroines also stand tall to fight against evil forces.

The multi-layered novel seems to be Barton’s writing approach of choice, and it works on every single level. She doesn’t leave a single question unanswered, but she also doesn’t make readers feel like everything has been wrapped up with a neat bow. Life is messy; so is the reality these characters live in. Barton captures both with satisfying precision.

I recommend readers Bookmark The Child.

I don't know what to say about this book. Like Fiona's previous book, this book had my mind in overdrive. Barton has a way of giving things in pieces that keep you hunting for more as you turn the page.

This story is told by four different people, all connected in one way or another; not all ways are apparent at first. You get piece by piece who the baby could possibly be. I was turning the pages furiously trying to figure out the puzzle like it was urgent I get to the end. Fiona is such a pro at having her readers jumping at the bit to know what happens at the end.

So, there was a point in the book where all of the pieces finally fit, and I had it all worked out. However, how the book played out from there was very vital. Even though I had connected the dots, that did not lessen the impact the ending had! The events that followed had my eyes watering and me smiling like a Cheshire cat!

Thriller fans... You MUST read this book. All other book lovers, READ this book.

I didn’t read The Widow by Fiona Barton, which was apparently an international best seller, but the teaser for her second book, The Child, intrigued me:

While razing an old neighborhood, construction workers make a grisly discovery at the building site: the remains of a baby buried years earlier. Thrown by the ongoing changes at her newspaper—where hastily written online content is increasingly valued over long-format investigative journalism, and layoffs loom—reporter Kate thinks finding the truth behind the baby’s story will put her byline back on the front page. Digging into the history of the working class neighborhood where the baby was found, Kate soon finds herself entangled in the lives of two women, Emma and Angela, whose lives and long-kept secrets are upended the discovery of the child. The story is told through the alternating perspectives of each woman, as their search for answers sets them on a shocking collision course.
So I agreed to participate in the blog tour and offer my thoughts. I grabbed the book on NetGalley and dove in.

I found it to be a mostly well done psychological thriller/mystery with a clever hook. But I am wondering if it was just not my style. A little too much drama and perhaps the dark subject matter made it slow going at times.

Plus, I found a lot of the characters unlikable and the early setup of the story a little slow. To be fair, as the mystery unraveled it picked up speed and there was definitely tension and excitement as it drove to its conclusion. It was interesting enough to keep me reading but it just never switched gears and sucked me in.

At the risk of being accused of sexism or gender stereotypes (or whatever term is used for this particular sin these days), let me also note that there is likely a bit of an extra appeal to women due to the themes of motherhood, mother-daughter relationships, and the role of women in relationships and family, etc. If those themes and roles interest you, there is likely a great deal more emotional punch to the story.

I do think the character of Kate Waters gets stronger as the book develops. I enjoyed her sense of humor and her often emotional reactions combined with, or perhaps driven by, her dedication to her career and desire to again break a big story.

Publishers Weekly notes the slow start but likes the finish:

Readers patient with the relatively slow initial pace until the intertwining stories gain momentum will be rewarded with startling twists—and a stunning, emotionally satisfying conclusion. Author tour.
Kirkus notes the melodrama:

Barton flirts with melodrama at times but pulls back and allows her characters to develop into fully realized, deeply scarred women whose wounds aren’t always visible. This is as much a why-dunit as a whodunit, with the real question being whether it’s possible to heal and live with the truth after hiding behind a lie for so long.
Marry Cadden at USA Today was a big fan:

In addition to being a page-turning whodunit, The Child is also a subtle exploration of the relationships between mothers and their children, their bonds and battles. What makes a good mother? When it comes to maternal love, is there a fine line between helping and hindering?

Barton again weaves a tale that keeps us on our toes. A novel that is both fast-paced and thought-provoking, it keeps the reader guessing right to the end. The Child truly is the best of both worlds.
Maureen Corrigan at the Washington Post was a bit more harsh that I was:

“The Child” is a middling and much-too-long suspense story that would have benefited from a ruthless red-pencil. As she did in “The Widow,” Barton relies on multiple points of view to tell (and retell) the larger story of the “Building Site Baby” as the unidentified infant comes to be known. Three other female characters get drawn into this story by learning about that same news item that piqued Kate’s curiosity.

[…]
Figuring out how all these women are connected — to each other and to the unidentified infant — is the hypothetical draw of this kind of fragmented, multi-perspective type of storytelling. I say “hypothetical draw,” because “The Child” is more tedious than tense. Characters chew over the same events from chapter to chapter until they’re as worn out as a stick of used Trident; even when the final revelation seems undeniably clear to readers, it takes Barton a good 80 pages or so to wrap things up. “The Child” isn’t a terrible novel; it’s simply much too much of a just okay one.
If you like the psychological drama of the women, the internal monologues if you will, I think you would enjoy The Child. This seems like a great beach read for example. But if this style and the themes noted are not your preference than it might not live up to its hype. Alas, I can’t tell you if reading The Widow makes the second book better or whether the expectations are lessened by not having read it.

"The Child" by Fiona Barton is fast paced and totally engrossing!

When workmen uncover the tiny bones of a baby, the ghoulish discovery is good for a brief, back page story for journalist Kate Waters.

But then Angela, a woman whose baby was kidnapped many years ago, comes forward wishing to know if the baby could possibly be her child.

Although Kate’s boss is not convinced the story is worth pursuing, Kate is determined to give Angela peace of mind, one way or another.

So, with her rookie partner, Joe, in tow, she winds her way through a myriad of old crimes, with the help of a mysterious telephone source, and amazing DNA forensics. But, quite suddenly, the case takes a strange and unexpected turn that shines an entirely new light on things.

Is the child ‘baby Alice’ and if so, what really happened all those years ago?

Many of us who read “The Widow” have been eagerly anticipating Fiona Barton’s next book.

This novel centers on a missing child, in a way, but is more character driven, in my opinion.

The atmosphere here is suspenseful, loaded with heavy emotions, and addictively readable. I couldn’t put it down. The short chapters, which normally, is a huge pet peeve of mine, worked in this case, keeping the pacing brisk and the alternate perspectives fresh.

The only downside to the story, for me, was the slight predictability. If you read many thrillers, or novels of suspense, you might begin to suspect where the plot is headed even after a puzzling twist is tossed in the mix.

However, the family dramas, which are equally compelling, and heart wrenching, makes up for the small flaws, in a big way.

The characters are all suspect, at least in the beginning, but they also drew out my sympathies, including Kate, who wanted to see the child rest in peace and bring closure to all who were involved, and hopefully, see justice done.

The suspense level, compared to ‘The Widow’ is not quite as edgy, but the story is so absorbing, I think that might be a good thing, in this case, and it shows the author’s growth, proving the sky is the limit for Fiona Barton. Well done!

Fans of psychological thrillers and mysteries will enjoy this one!!


*This review is the copyrighted property of Night Owl Reviews. However, I have left a portion of the review on Goodreads and will feature the book and partial review on my blog tomorrow.

This is a great psychological thriller with intriguing characters. What makes this thriller stand out is the characters. None of the characters get lost and they all have very distinct lives and personalities. You can't help but feel like you personally know each of the women involved in this story. Although I enjoyed this book I did find it to be drawn out at times and had unnecessary plot lines (for example - we briefly hear about trouble at home for Kate but it is never expanded upon or resolved). I also was able to figure out the plot twist before it actually occurred in the book which does put a damper on the reading experience. Even though I was able to solve the mystery before the book I still really enjoyed it. I will definitely be recommending this book to my friends who enjoy a good thriller!

Full of twists and turns, The Child is a great sophomore book from author Fiona Barton. Suspense and mystery abound as questions surface about a baby's body found long buried under a demolished house. I was on the edge of my seat all the way to the final secret revealed - a major twist to the story I did not see coming.

Ms. Barton's characters were well-developed and complex; the plot extremely well thought out and executed. I look forward to more from the author in the future.

The Child started out confusing for me, just for the fact that there were several characters introduced rather quickly. This is not a negative about this book—I knew their storylines were connected somehow by I was stumped about how that was going to happen.

This is a story that kept me riveted and turning pages, trying to get to the bottom of the mystery baby found buried at a worksite. So many secrets, by so many people. I loved all the twists.

The Child is the first book of Fiona's that I have read. I will definitely be reading her previous book, The Widow and will be on the lookout for all of her future books. I love her ability to keep me confused and guessing, while giving me a satisfying ending.

My Highly Caffeinated Thought: An intricate and tense tale of secrets, lies, and heartbreak.

Last year I read THE WIDOW, the debut novel by Fiona Barton, and was blown away by her story telling. With her second novel, THE CHILD, she continues to amaze me by giving her readers characters that are so realistic you can’t help but get sucked into the story. The eloquence of the prose combined with emotion and secrets will keep you at the edge of your seat wishing for an ending that brings closure for all involved.

What makes the story so addictive are the threads that Barton weaves together. I loved the way that the author teases us with bits of information and carefully unravels the mystery of who the child is. In fact, the suspense comes from not knowing where the story will lead. You will not be getting high action with this novel, but what you do get with a slow rise in tension and the complexities, flaws, and humanity of the characters make this book so good.

If you can’t tell, I loved this book. Hanging out with Kate Waters again was so amazing. I cannot wait to see what story she uncovers next.

Join Me June 27 Blog Tour Host

Fiona Barton returns following her award-winning debut The Widow, landing on my Top 50 Books of 2016, with a riveting follow-up, THE CHILD — as readers catch up with journalist Kate from the first book.

From love and loss, a character-driven intense psychological suspense tale of three women. Emotional destruction — dark secrets and lies are exposed, a whodunit mystery keeping readers glued the pages to the twisty finale!

You can bury the story . . . but you can’t hide the truth.

“When truth is replaced by silence, the silence is a lie.” — Yevgeny Yevtushenko

Kate Waters, a journalist was bored. She needed a story. She soon finds an intriguing case and she will not stop until she writes the story and solves the mystery.

Headlined “Baby’s Body Found.”

An infant’s skeleton had been unearthed on a building site in Woolwich near London. The police were investigating. No other details. She tore it out of the paper to save for later as she often does when running across a potential story.

Who is the baby and how did it die? Who would bury a baby? How could anyone kill a baby?

When checking with the authorities she found newborns were tricky when it came to DNA especially if they have been underground for years.

Kate loved a glint of something in the dark. Someone to absorb her totally. Something to sink her teeth into. Anything to get her out of the office. She is obsessed with finding out the name of this baby. She wants the story. The Building Site Baby. Who drove someone to bury a baby?

From alternating POVs, we hear from Kate and the three women: Emma Simmonds, Jude Massingham, and Angela Irving. (enjoyed the way each section is clearly defined).

Angela’s newborn daughter went missing some 28 years earlier. Every March 20 she would cry, thinking of Alice’s birthday. She had less than twenty-four hours with her. The dread would come each year before the baby’s birthday. She could not put the painful memories behind her.

Emma suffers from anxiety and depression from her past. She knows that a secret takes on a life of its own. She must protect her secret. She will keep it safe.

“I’ve always thought that’s a funny saying. Let sleeping dogs lie. Because sleeping dogs always wake up eventually, don’t they?”


Angela soon calls Kate to find out more. Could this be her daughter? She has never given up hope her daughter would one day be found.

Jude had been a single mom in the late seventies trying to forge a new career with a child to look after, but the rent was cheap. It did not matter where she lived, she was caught in her own little world. She threw Jude out of the house when she was sixteen, choosing her boyfriend Will over her daughter.

How does this current tragedy connect these three women? Secrets threaten current lives. A nameless child.

With alternating time periods (2012-2013) with flashbacks to the 70s-80s, Kate continues to dig deep to solve the mystery of the baby. She begins looking at old missing children cases from the 70’s to the mid-1990s. (Loved Kate from The Widow) and her tenacity!

Barton captivates readers with an enthralling page-turner, as addictive and intense as her debut. How well you know those closest to you?

A well-written slow-burning whodunit suspense mystery with depth, Barton once again shines, using her own career as a journalist to enhance the intensity and mystery of the Building Site Baby. Even though each of the women brings emotion to the story, the real mystery to be uncovered comes from the relationship between Emma and Jude and how this connects with Angela.

Highly recommend, both The Widow and The Child. For fans of Mary Kubica, B.A. Paris, Clare Mackintosh, and Ruth Ware. These talented ladies are TOP-Notch authors and enjoy their writing style.

Often a psychological suspense makes a big impact, even though they may not always be edge-of-your-seat fast paced action. I also enjoyed reading about the inspiration behind the novel.

A strong theme of motherhood with a twisty surprise ending. A mother who has not given up after forty-two years. Readers will be drawn into the lives of each of these women. Savor and unravel the mysterious puzzle, with many red herrings. The tension mounts and all the secrets and lies surface. Enjoy the journey.

Well-crafted, twisty, addictive, and intriguing. Can’t wait to see what comes next. . .

A special thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for an early reading copy. Also purchased the audiobook, narrated by Mandy Williams, Rosalyn Landor, and Full Cast for an engaging performance.

JDCMustReadBooks

Fiona Barton's The Child is a story that rapidly draws you in and won't let you go until everyone's secrets have been revealed. The style of this book is reminiscent of Kate Atkinson in the manner in which the story unfolds. Told in alternating chapters by Kate and the three women involved-- Angela, Emma, and Jude-- the voices may not be particularly distinctive, but their stories kept me guessing clear through to the end.

Barton definitely has a knack for creating memorable characters and strong storylines. I can't wait to see what she comes up with next.

We all know the saying “Oh, what a tangled web we weave… when first we practice to deceive.” In Fiona Barton’s engrossing new thriller, The Child, that tangled web is spun around a single act. Like a stack of dominoes falling when just one is pushed over, it seems almost inevitable that when one string on that web is pulled, the whole construct is torn apart until a shocking secret is completely revealed.

Like most buried secrets, its discovery was always a question of when, not if. As a building is demolished, a workman stumbles across the skeleton of an infant covered by a large cement urn and left undisturbed for years. When London reporter Kate Waters sees the simple two-sentence write up about it in the Evening Standard, she is intrigued. Visiting the neighborhood and then chasing down the construction worker who first found the remains, she writes a larger article about the event, hoping to stir some memories and shed some light on the identity of the baby and why it was left to rot in such a location.

Emma Simmonds has been battling depression for decades, a result of a traumatic childhood experience which ended with her being thrown out of her home at just sixteen years of age. In the present, she has a good job, a loving husband and a cold but cordial relationship with her mother. But the past is a dark pit, a well of memories which into which she could easily fall and drown. When she sees the article about the infant dubbed the ‘Building Site Baby’, she finds herself once more heading towards that dark place.

Jude Massingham is annoyed by her daughter Emma’s melodramatic take on the past. Yes, bad things happened but Jude is all about the future. She’s just received a call from an old flame, an ex whom she never really got over and she doesn’t understand why Emma can’t share in her joy at their possible reunion. She grows increasingly frustrated as Emma’s trip down memory lane begins to throw shadows on her dreams for a lovely future.

Angela Irving has never gotten over the abduction of her infant daughter. Every new case of a missing child being discovered, every case of an unidentified infant body being found is cause for both elation and concern. It’s possible that she will finally reconnect with the child she still longs to hold but it is also possible the police will return with the nasty allegations they threw at her in the past. She desperately wants to know what happened to her precious daughter but she doesn’t want to stir up the hornet’s nest that was the previous investigation. Connecting with Kate Waters looks like a marvelous opportunity to find out all that is happening with the the Building Site Baby but can she really trust a reporter?

Four lives collide as Kate carefully follows a story that will take her to a surprising but deeply satisfying ending. I was intrigued from the first page by what was happening and how the case was unfolding. The tale is deliciously startling, with each twist and turn seemingly coming out of nowhere. Barton is a master storyteller who uses her pacing carefully, starting out slow and easing us into a fast paced conclusion that leaves the reader stunned. In fact, my only quibble with the book is that we start out at what feels like a crawl. This lasts for only a short time and didn’t bother me personally, but I know some fans require more explosive momentum from the start. Stick with it a tiny bit and I promise,you will find it well worth your while.

Each character in our little drama plays their role to perfection. Each of them are at times vulnerable, sympathetic or suspicious. Almost everything is colored in shades of gray, so that it is hard to make out who will wind up the villain of the piece and who the hero. While I enjoyed getting to know most of them, what made this book great for me was the return of Kate and Sparkes. Kate is perfect as a reporter, a combination of just right amount of social justice warrior and ruthless, career conscious woman. Sparkes is exactly how we expect a police officer of his rank and experience to be: curmudgeonly, smart, focused and caring. I like how he and Kate don’t have an easy relationship: They like each other but neither completely trusts the other, and this seems natural given their careers and their often conflicting goals. While this is the second book featuring this duo, it completely stands alone.

The Child is an onion of a mystery, with each layer a wondrous revelation. Fans of psychological thrillers featuring compelling female characters will NOT want to miss this book. Fans who enjoy a good intellectual mystery with some heart will be completely delighted with it. In fact if you like suspense at all, I strongly recommend it; this is likely to be one of the best of the year.

For fans of Fiona Barton's debut thriller [book:The Widow|25734248], you will be happy to see that journalist Kate Waters is back and has found her next big story: The skeleton of a baby has been discovered at a construction site. The only evidence the police have to go on are the remnants of shredded paper that the skeleton was wrapped up.

As the story starts to unfold, new characters are introduced. each with their own dedicated chapters and stories to share.
Angela-Who has never gotten over the loss of her first born who was stolen right out of her hospital room.
Emma-Who suffers from anxiety so she works from home. She see's the article on the discovered baby and her world is shaken.
Jude-Emma's mother. The two have a delicate relationship that indicates many secrets untold.

As Kate starts to dig in and build her story, what she soon discovers throws these women together and changes their lives forever.

This was a pretty intricate plot that held my interest up to the end. I did struggle a bit in the middle as the pace was a bit slow, but once the twist was revealed everything really sped up and provided some nice closure. I did start to put the pieces of the puzzle together before the big reveal, but it didn't take away from my enjoyment at all.

My guess is that Kate Waters is here to stay, so I look forward to seeing what story Kate will find herself entrenched in next!

ARC provided by NetGalley

Well done. I felt like a visitor and was privileged to tag along as the truth is unearthed

Fiona Barton, the author of The Child is a former reporter and is able bring her journalist narrator, Kate Waters, to life with realistic details. She is a character I would happily follow to another book. Kate is only one of four women who tell the story of a tiny skeleton found at a building site. Alternating viewpoints can be confusing, but it works well here. Each woman knows a part of the story, no one knows it all until Kate's persistent digging brings them all together as decades old secrets are exposed.

This is the first book I've read by Fiona Barton. I plan to look up her first novel and keep my eye open for the next one.

I enjoyd this, however not as much as Barton's first book. I found it similar in feel, but for some reason it just didn't hit as much with me. Though without having kids I find that books that drama around motherhood sometimes don't hit the mark for me. I also guessed the entire ending pretty early on, which I don't usually do so easily.

Fast-paced, entertaining mystery. Great character development and plot. Liked being back in the trenches with Kate Waters. Hope this isn't the last we see of her.

This book was so engrossing, I could not put it down. I liked The Widow, but this is definitely even better.