Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced readers copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I thought this book was a very well written, dark and somewhat disturbing, suspenseful thriller.
It was quite different from a lot of the thrillers that I have read recently because halfway into the book, the reader knows who exactly the bad person is, and in the 2nd half of the book, the reader gets to see how the main characters figure it out.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves reading thillers.

Creepy well done thriller about child abduction, abuse, and murder with the classic tortured protagonist in Elliott Nash. While Iden has written a number of books set in WDC, he has not really captured the misery the homeless here suffer. More power to him, though, for using a different sort of character. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

Thank you Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for the ARC
Pageturner with well developed characters and dialogue. Short chapters make it easy to follow one person to the next. Excellent story including high creepfactor. Everytime a chapter said "Sister" my stomach turned.
Must read!

I was excited to have the opportunity to obtain an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this book from NetGalley.

BIRTHDAY GIRL is a thriller focused on child abductions. After the abduction of Elliott’s daughter Cee Cee eight years earlier, the once prominent criminal psychologist loses everything and takes to living on the streets. “He was blind to whatever the universe was trying to tell him, a sad, broken man tapping a stick in the dark, trying to find the edges of things.”

Detective Dave Cargill is forced to put aside the case of Amy’s missing daughter and suggests she seek help from his old friend and colleague. His rationale is that Elliott has a brilliant mind, endless time, and the skills to help Amy cope with her loss. Additionally, the case could be just the thing to allow Elliott to heal from his own loss. The down-on-his-luck psychologist admits to not being “the poster boy for successful grief management,” but he agrees to work with Amy.

Together Amy and Elliott find connections between several missing children. They discover that Amy’s daughter meets the same criteria. Unfortunately, the abductor assigns each child an expiration date. If their theory is correct, Amy's child could turn up dead in a matter of days.

The author uses multiple points of view, giving the reader the opportunity to peek inside the heads of Elliott, Amy, and Dave, as well as the abductor and numerous secondary characters.

Elliott’s character makes BIRTHDAY GIRL special. The author does a great job of providing a realistic portrayal of the homeless. With Amy being baby steps away from becoming homeless herself, the deck is stacked against them in finding the girl in time and earning redemption, which makes for a satisfying and realistic read.

One of parent's worst nightmares would be to have their child abducted. Matthew Iden's masterful skill at story telling brought this plot front and center in such a way that the reader gets pulled in right from the beginning. The story is so intense and full of suspense. A must read!

This was such a great read! I thought the storyline was really original.

<i>Birthday Girl</i> is about Amy, a mother whose daughter was kidnapped about a year ago, seeking the help of Elliot Nash to find her daughter. Elliot, now homeless, used to be a renowned criminal psychologist until his daughter was murdered. Together, they look through files of child abduction cases and found a connection between several missing children. All these children vanished and their bodies were discovered near their birthdays, hence the title.

I thought the concept of having the children disappear and their bodies discovered near their birthdays very interesting. I also particularly liked the different approach to the narration of the story. The story is told from many POVs: the kidnapper, the victims (children), and the "investigators." So from the very start, you already know who the kidnapper is. You usually have the typical mystery/thriller where the police/investigators find clues that lead to the reveal of who the culprit is. So when I started reading and I realized you know who the kidnapper is, I was reluctant on how this can keep me hooked. But it did. Slowly, the plot unravels and you get to know who the kidnapper really is and why they are the way they are. There were still some "OH" moments even when the big "who" is revealed from the start. I loved how this book gave me an eerie vibe. Not a lot of mysteries/thrillers can make me feel spooked. Overall, I thought this was a very entertaining read. I definitely recommend.

Thank you to the publisher, Thomas & Mercer, and author, Matthew Iden, for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

I read this book from start to finish in just over 3 hours. I couldn't put it down!! Well-written and captivating. I had to know how it ended. This is the first book I've read by this author and I look forward to reading more his novels.

This was a well-written, entertaining book. Elliott Nash's daughter was murdered and he's lost everything he once had. Now he's living on the streets of Washington, D.C. fighting feelings of guilt. Amy Scowcroft finds him and begs for his help finding her daughter who has been kidnapped. Together they investigate and desperately hope they can find Amy's daughter alive. I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more books by this author.

This is the first book that I've read that presents a large part of the story from the point of view of a homeless person. That person is Elliott Nash, whose daughter was murdered years ago and since then the former criminal psychologist has lost everything. Amy, who daughter has been missing for a year, finds Nash and convinces him to help her look for her daughter. Their research leads them to believe that Amy's daughter could be one of many children kidnapped/murdered by a serial kidnapper/murderer.

The story is told in short chapters and from the point of view of many people. As sad as the subject matter was, I really enjoyed the entire book and wouldn't mind reading more about Elliott Nash and Amy, in the future, I enjoy this book so much that I'm going to start reading Matthew Iden's Marty Singer series of books.

Thank you to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for providing this ARC in return for an honest review.

A fantastic thriller with loads of twists and turns I couldn't put this book down.

Two people who are barely clinging to life after losing their children cling to each other, seeking redemption for the circumstances that left them alone, homeless, and desperate for redemption. In this riveting thriller, a forensic psychiatrist and a former addict discover links between a number of disappearances - children who were cast off or cast out, vulnerable to the machinations of a deranged kidnapper whose motive for taking them is hidden in plain sight. . Unable to help themselves, the two protagonists may be able to help each other, if the clock doesn't run out first. A strong narrative, interesting supporting characters, and solid pacing make this a standout.

4 and 1 / 2 stars

Dr. Elliott Nash is now living on the streets of Washington, DC. Since the murder of his daughter Cee Cee eight years earlier, he has been homeless. His marriage broke up and he felt he had no place left to go. He feels guilty and is still bereft.

Interspersed with Elliott’s remembering, are vignettes of Sister. She is a very strict – and cruel – caretaker to some children. Who are these children? To whom do they really belong?

Amy Scowcroft’s daughter Lacey has been missing for a year now. Refusing to believe she is dead and with the police having shelved the case, Detective Dave Cargill refers her to Elliott. But, first she has to find him somewhere on the streets. At first, he refuses to help Amy.

However, in saving a little girl’s life, he came alive again. He felt something. He tells Amy he will help her. Detective Dave Cargill drops by with the police files to aid in their search. Going over their research, Amy and Elliott notice a pattern. Some of the children died on their birthdays. What is the significance of this? They make other connections and Elliot feels they are onto something.

Meanwhile Detective Cargill responds to a police call of a young boy found in an alleyway. He is an apparent drug overdose. He is barely alive and rushed to the hospital. The drug he overdosed on was fentanyl.

Cargill has a luncheon date. The clues given during that date are very revealing. Oh, oh turbulent drama is on its way.

Amy and Elliott notice on the television a report of a young boy named Jay Kelly who was found in an alley. The report doesn’t mention the drug overdose, but Elliott gets an idea. He calls Cargill and ascertains that the drug was fentanyl. How interesting… They must talk to Jay. They manipulate their way to his bedside in the hospital and get some answers. Then Jay suddenly codes and Elliot and Amy go on the run – literally. Elliott calls Cargill with what he knows and asks for another favor. This is a very big one.

Detective Cargill is driving home and has an epiphany. Something about Jay’s case is teasing his memory. What is it? A visit to the courthouse by Elliott and Amy brings the case to a head. They now know the identity of the kidnapper/killer.

Along with Cargill, they race to the last known address of their suspect.

This book is about the severe abuse of children, kidnapping, murder and the twisted mind of a person who thinks that they are doing right. It’s about love, loss and survival on many levels. The loss of a child is most painful. The guilt feelings weigh heavy. The “could have, should have” feelings overwhelm the individual into a state of almost catatonia. How sad the whole thing is.


This book is very well written and plotted as are all of Matthew Iden’s novels. While the identity of the kidnapper and murderer came as no surprise, the book is riveting. (The tacky cover picture aside.) The reader is entranced from the beginning of the story trying to sort out who these children are and from whence they came. The storyline was superbly put together, save the ease of being homeless in Washington, DC. That was a little hard to take. Either Elliott was extremely lucky or DC must be a good place in which to be homeless. The tension in this story continues at a fairly high level until the speedy denouement when all is a rush to save the children. Very well done, Mr. Iden.

I want to thank NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for forwarding to me a copy of this painful, yet excellent book for me to read and enjoy.

It’s been almost a decade since criminal psychologist Elliot Nash’s daughter was murdered. Her death cost him everything – home, wife and career. Now, he lives on the streets of Washington, D.C., caring about nothing, just living day-to-day. But he gets a second chance in life when Amy Scowcroft approaches him with a plea to help find her little girl, Lacey, who was kidnapped a year ago. The local police have written Lacey off as dead and are no longer actively searching for the child. Finding Lacey won’t bring his own daughter back, but it will give Elliot a chance to redeem himself. It’s not long before Nash and Amy discover that Lacey is only one of seven children who have disappeared. All were taken near their birthday and all came from homes with divorced or separated parents. Iden creates the perfect tortured hero in Nash, a man readers will be able to relate to and feel sorry for

I recommend it for those who like standard mysteries .it makes you wonder when will we ever read about a well adjusted detective.

Birthday Girl is such an amazing fast paced thriller, full of emotion and suspense. Every where you turn there are so many twists! It was so very well written that it keeps you entertained from the first page to the last!

I read and reviewed an ARC copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own