I really enjoyed Truth and Lies the first book in the DI Amy Winter series and I was fascinated with the storyline here with our main character DI Amy's background. The baggage she carries is different from most characters with secrets from the past. Lilly was one fascinating character, and I was excited to see more of that dynamics here in The Secret Child. The story here in this one focuses more on the crime and it's a disturbing one but didn't really take off for me. It starts off as a cat and mouse game and I love a good one but then turned more into a wild goose chase. I also wanted more with Amy and Lilly and was disappointed I didn't see the dynamics between them as I did in the first one.

I love Amy and she is an interesting character and I liked her drive, compassion and strength she has for the victims here in the story. When her pasts catches up to her I loved how her drive kept her focused on what she needed too. The dynamics between her and her team are interesting and I enjoyed that.

Overall I enjoyed this one and look forward to future books in this series

I shared this reading experience with my reading sister Lindsay!

3.5 stars.

It was great to get back into DI Amy Winter’s life! I love her character and immediately reconnected with her in this book. She is a strong yet vulnerable character whose take charge personality had me rooting for her team to solve their case.

The main case itself was interesting but lacked the tension and build up I felt in the first book in the series. I was invested, but not gripped by the story. Having Amy face her serial killer mother in jail was a brilliant addition to the novel that I wish would have had a stronger focus throughout.

Overall, this was an entertaining and enjoyable book. I love Amy’s character and look forward to what may come next.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

A well respected doctors 4 year old daughter is kidnapped, and due to the high profile Amy Winter and her team are given the case. But why did her family wait to report her missing? And why are they so fearful of a boy who died in a fire years ago. Amy soon realises the doctor isn't all be seems and that he's about to learn something she already knows - the past will always catch up with you.

Part two of the Amy Winter series, the first was a blinder and this doesn't disappoint. The plot is pacy and well constructed, as always a highly enjoyable read from Caroline Mitchell.

I think I liked this book even more than the first in the series. The premise that DI Winter is the daughter of a serial killer was still present, but as more of a side story. Winter is dealing with the after effects from the events in the first book while working on a psychological case. I love the involvement of a questionable psychological study. I found that very interesting. Great read! Looking forward to continuing the series.

I love Caroline Mitchell books and this second book in the Amy Winter series is a real page turner and I cannot wait for the next book.

It was fast paced and thoroughly engaging, a four year old goes missing from her home and they receive a package with 4 vials of liquid - one of which is poisoned - and a note saying they will get the child back if they drink one of the vials.

I would recommend reading the first in the series before this one

I loved meeting Amy Winter in Truth and Lies, what an opener for a new series!! How could The Secret Child follow such a fab book? With a seriously sinister opening of the kidnap of a child – that how, and that feeling did not disappear as the book went on. I was hooked from the start, keen to read on.

Not only is there a creepy kidnapping lunatic on the loose but Amy’s personal life come crashing into the limelight. Her ex Adam returns to her life and what a sleaze bag; he gives Italians a bad name! The lengths he won’t go!! Shocking! Amy is so better off without him by her side!

Now then Luka – is he who he says he is? I wasn’t so sure. I thought he was a delusional psychopath but then there were the horrifying flashbacks to his childhood and the clinic. Bejeezus….those #poorpoorchildren. All in the name of science and research, the experiments push the child to the limit and no wonder Luka turns out as he did.

The Secret Child is a dark crime thriller with a twist in its tale. This is a prime example of why I love Caroline Mitchell’s writing! I hope there is more to come from Amy Winter!

Really enjoyed this book. Had read the first Amy Winters novel so was excited to read this one and it doesn't disappoint. Looking forward to reading more in the series.

The story starts when a child is abducted and our DI is called to action. Her actions are influenced by her desire to "make up" for the crimes of her parents. The kidnapper believes their story will only be answered by punishing the parents of these children.
A well written story that works back and forth in time to build the tension and explain the actions of the main characters. Caroline Mitchell made her characters brave but flawed as most humans are. She keeps the mystery yet gives us enough clues to almost anticipate the ending...notice I said almost. As the second book in a series, the central characters are becoming more developed. let's see where she takes them next.

*thank you to Netgalley, Thomas & Mercer and the author for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

3 stars.

This was good and I did enjoy it for the most part. I was not so fussed with the main character, D.I Winters. Yeah she wasn't so bad as a character but I didn't feel that connected with her. Still I enjoyed her enough to be able to quite like this book. It is the second in the series and I haven't read book 1 yet and I can't help but wonder if this is one of those series that you do need to read the first to be able to fully get the most out of this. 

The whole way through it kept my interest. I did enjoy reading the chapters that were about Luka's past and I did keep wondering how the story was going to turn out. The twist in this was not expected so I'm glad about that. It shows to me that this was well written. I will be looking out for the next book in this series. The ending, which I won't go into details of, has spiked my interest to see how this new change will play out. I would recommend this.

The Secret Child by Caroline Mitchell has a storyline based in the past about experiments using children for drug trials, which were not authorised. Dr Curtis, was responsible for carrying out these experiments and became a wealthy, successful married man, until his four year old daughter is kidnapped and the revenge begins.
It is up to D.I. Winters with the help of her team to find Ellen and then Jody, will she manage in time or will the children die? The storyline is thought provoking and you emphasise with the person who has kidnapped the children but you also know that both children are innocent, it is the parents who were to blame.
Recommended.

Really enjoyed this fast paced thriller... excellent characters and writing from start to finish... I look forward to the next book already to follow Amy's story! A must read !

Woah let me just tell you go and buy the book! I’ve akready gone and bought the 1st in the series (this is the 2nd) and I’m halfway through it...

Excellent author and book, 2 children have been taken from their home and have been taken and the kidnapper will only talk to DCI Amy Winters, both sets of parents seem to have secrets and don’t want them getting out, and so your not quite sure who to trust and what they’ve got to hide or why anyone would want to take their kids, is there a link between them?

DCI Amy Winters is fab and a brilliant character, you really end up rooting for her, she’s had a terrible time recently losing her Dad and finding out she was adopted (can’t say more than that) and so you really get to know her well in this book and I loved her!

It’s shaping up to be a fantastic series!! Buy it...!

The Secret Child by Caroline Mitchell follows DI Amy Winters in her second outing.

After four year old Ellen goes missing from her home, her distraught parents are desperate to get her back and willing to do anything. When they receive a package with four vials of liquid - one of which is poisoned - and a note saying the mother will get Ellen back if she drinks one of them, she goes right ahead. She is unlucky and ends up fighting for her life. Another child then goes missing, and the family s faced with the same clues. What links them? And how will they get these children back to their homes?

This book is the second in the series. I would recommend reading the first as there were a lot of things I felt like I'd missing by starting with book 2. I think If had read the first, I would have preferred this. It was an exciting and intriguing idea and I think I will try the first book to gain more from the series.

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is the second book in the DO Any Winter series, I haven't read the first (but will be!) so occurred I didn't know anything about Any and her past. There was enough of an explanation for this not to be an issue however.
Little Ellen is kidnapped from her wealthy parents, but why didnt they report her missing sooner? And what are they not telling the police?
As the story unfolds, there is a comparison between the kidnapper, his family story and Amy's background which is cleverly written.
Another child goes missing and the links start to become clearer. Can Any and her stranger to the bottom of things before time runs out for the children?
Really enjoyed this book and looking forward to the next one.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I finished this book a few weeks ago but completely forgot to review it at the time. But even now i still remember how engrossing and face paced it was. Caroline Mitchell is fast becoming one of my favourite authors because of her work like this.

When four year old Ellen goes missing from her bed, her distraught parents will do anything to get her back, so when a messenger delivers a package with four vials of liquid - one of which is poisoned; her mother is told she will get her daughter back if she takes one of them. She is unlucky & is soon fighting for her life. Another child goes missing with the same 'clues'. It would seem that these children belong to people involved with an illegal experiment on children many years ago.

DI Amy Winter is still struggling to come to terms with the story of her past. Discovering she is the child of the notorious 'Beasts of Brentwood' child killers haunts her, making her all the more determined to bring evil doers to justice. This case will need all her skills so that these children find their ways safely home.

This is the second in the series. I loved the first one & there is always the worry that the second won't live up to first. I needn't have worried. This was every bit as gripping. The characters are well written and believable. I can't wait for book 3! Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

My Goodness, what an amazing and intensely satisfying read Caroline Mitchell’s new thriller was!

An addition to her ‘DI Amy Winter’ thriller series, I really enjoyed reading "The Secret Child."

While this book is the second instalment of the series, it really worked as a stand-alone novel as the author provided enough contextual information to pick up the series without interrupting the flow of the story.

I found Caroline Mitchell’s writing style very solid, as was the plot development. Her characters were all strong and dynamic and I particularly liked the way she made them believable and likeable. Also very commendable was her gift for revealing the subtleties of their personalities and relationships.

The plot itself was extremely engrossing and intriguing and I didn’t want to put down my e-reader once I had started reading this. It had me enthralled until the very fulfilling and fabulous conclusion.

This book was so good that I will be adding Caroline Mitchell to my list of newly discovered authors, for sure!

Packed with loads of thrilling suspense and highly emotional, this was, most definitely, a very worthwhile read.

Thanks to NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer and the author, Caroline Mitchell for my complimentary copy of The Secret Child. My honest review is entirely voluntary.

Thank you #NetGalley for an advanced copy of #TheSilentChild!

So this book was just average for me. It wasn’t necessarily bad but it wasn’t speculation either. Some of the plot twists were a little too predictable and there weren’t any “wow” moments. This is the second book I’ve read in the DI Amy Winter series. This book is about two children being kidnapped by someone a lot of people suspected was dead. The chapters alternated between what happened to Luka, the kidnapper, back in 1985 and what DI Winter and her team are doing to catch him. I felt at times there were chapters that probably weren’t really needed. There was a lot about DI Winter’s background, as she found out in the last book that she was the biological daughter of a serial killer couple. Maybe if I hadn’t read the last book certain things in this book wouldn’t have sounded so repetitive...

A dark psychological read. I always worry when young children are involved in a plot line, but this book is well-written although it did have a touch f Fred & Rosemary West about it. Don't read it alone. Recommended.

This is great writing. I absolutely love Caroline Mitchell ever since I read Truth and Lies. If you get a chance, read it first before this as its a continuum, but its not really necessary. Its fast paced so expect to read it in one or two sittings.

Great plot? ✔
Great characters?✔
Great ending✔

Looking forward to more DI Amy in my future. And looking forward to reading the books I have missed. Will be reserving a bookshelf aside for Caroline Mitchell's books.