Grieving mother Kat gets caught up in a whirlwind of gossiping English upper class, pain from her troubled childhood and many secrets as she is grieving her only daughter's death.
The thriller is fast-paced and the main character Kat is really interesting. Sarah A. Denzil's commentary on personality disorders was done conscientiously with enough space for all the grey zones. Only Daughter is a fast paced thriller with some great female characters and a slightly messy ending. After having read Silent Child by the same author, and finding the premise intriguing but the plot ultimately too predictable, I am happy I gave her another chance.

This is a real page turner that will have you hooked from start to finish.

In just one moment Kat’s life is devastated. Her only child, Grace, is found at the bottom of a quarry, a known suicide point but Kat is positive that her daughter was not suicidal. The police and Charles, Kat’s husband, are convinced it’s suicide so Kat decides to investigate herself.

As Kat begins to delve into her daughters life she begins to think that maybe she didn’t really know Grace. Will Kat finally uncover the truth ? And will she finally face up to her own past ?

This is a great psychological thriller with lots of lies, betrayals and plenty of emotion thrown in. A compelling read that will have you hooked from the start.

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for a digital copy of this book.

An excellent theiller that draws you in and doesn't let go. Highly recommended ! I especially enjoyed the description of the characters, all of which were fascinating in their own way.

You can find this review and all of my others over at www.readbookrepeat.wordpress.com

"I'm sorry for your loss, Mrs. Cavanaugh."

The words that no parent ever wants to hear. That one sentence that completely shatters your existence, tearing your world down and all you can do is watch while the pieces of your life drown before you. Kat Cavanaugh is told "I'm sorry for your loss, Mrs. Cavanaugh." after she reported her daughter missing the day before. This is not the outcome that was expected, and this was not supposed to happen. And when the police add on the word 'suicide', it just makes everything worse. But Kat knows her daughter, better than anyone, she knows that Grace didn't commit suicide, Grace didn't want to die. It doesn't matter that the suicide note found in her dress is written in her handwriting, there must be a mistake. When the police do a brief investigation and find nothing that insinuates foul play, they rule it death by suicide. Kat however, does not give up, she is determined to find out the truth, even if it completely destroys everything that she built up. Even if it destroys the world before her eyes, she'd rather watch it burn than live in a world without Grace anyway. What follows is a story about a mother coming to terms with the loss of the one person in the world she truly loved, while finding out more and more that maybe she didn't know her daughter at all. Truths are laid bare in this dark, gritty tale of a mother searching for answers to questions that only she is asking. But what will her digging reveal?

Only daughter is a psychological thriller that definitely keeps you glued to the page. I recently found a love for this genre, and I'm eager to nab any book that I can find with the title. This one does not disappoint. At first I felt annoyed because we learn early on that Kat Cavanaugh came from a rough childhood, that she's not who everyone thinks she is and that she has dark secrets herself. We learn that she has antisocial personality disorder, read sociopath, so this is explored a lot throughout the book. When the ball starts to roll after Grace's untimely death, we are constantly reminded of her disorder and that she shouldn't be able to 'feel' at all. She's constantly writing off sympathy given to her as the other persons NEED for it. Yes it annoyed me a little at first, but the further I read I though "hang on, this is a real thing, this is a legit personality disorder that people face" and after I thought of it in that light, I was fine. I couldn't imagine living with such a disorder. Having to fake your emotions just to try and be seen as a 'good' person. So I'm actually really glad that this was such a big part of this story. It shed some light on a disorder that I know OF, but know not much about.

I found it really interesting the way that Denzil wrote the character of Kat. It was done so well, she is such a REAL character to me, she is so flawed and human. Running off rage and disbelief in order to get through such a terrible ordeal. And as we near the end, what she learns about herself is just wonderful. I love that this little bit of character growth was shown it just really added something else to the story. I can't say too much otherwise I run the risk of mentioning spoilers which I try hard not to do. Just know, that the character development of Kat Cavanaugh is amazing, and I sincerely applaud Denzil for this.

There are other characters in the story (obviously, duh) but the focus is so much on Kat, and her experiences and feelings (or not feelings), that all the other characters seem to take a backseat to her, which is actually fine in this instance. It works really well for the story progression and I thoroughly enjoyed the way the story moved along at a rapid pace.

I feel that this story not only sheds light on antisocial personality disorder, but also just on the parent/child relationship in general. What parent doesn't want to believe that their child is the epitome of an Angel. That they try hard, are such good people, and that they are loved by all. As the story progresses, Kat uncovers many things about her daughter to which she asks herself a few times "Did I know Grace at all?" I feel like this really brings home the realisation that, no one is perfect. You may hold someone on a pedestal, believing that they are sunshine personified, but in the end, everyone has flaws, everyone makes mistakes, and we're all just trying our best to be the best person we can be (some people obviously don't strive for this but I feel they are in the minority). I think that a lot of parents maybe forget that their children are more than just their children, they are people too. People with their own thoughts, feelings, emotions and personalities. I feel like all of us have a great fear of disappointing our parents and this is explored greatly throughout this book.

The story itself is wonderfully fast paced and had me completely glued to my kindle. I could not put this book down. As I said earlier, it is dark and gritty and it deals with mental illness and suicide is mentioned quite a bit. So if you find these things trigger you, maybe give this one a miss? Nothing is explained in great detail about the alleged suicide, but it still may be triggering for some, so I just wanted to put this in here. This book really kept me guessing, I had a few people that I had pegged for certain things, but I didn't realise how deep the rabbit hole went until the big reveal and oh boy! it was a big reveal. It was executed extremely well and I'm sure I'll still be thinking about the story as a whole for a long while to come.

If you enjoy psychological thrillers with dark themes and twist upon twisty turns, then give this one a go. I thoroughly enjoyed it and will be keeping my eye out for other books written by Sarah A. Denzil.

Having loved some of the authors previous books I was keen to read Only Daughter and started reading it without knowing what it was about, the blurb didn’t matter because I knew that I wanted to read a book written by Sarah A Denzil.

The book started with a bang and the twists and turns kept going from there. Kat’s beloved daughter is dead and the police are refusing to look into her death as they are convinced that it was a simple suicide. But Kat is adamant that her daughter wouldn’t have done that and so starts on a determined search for the truth.

What she discovered was not what she had ever expected, her daughter wasn’t the kind and happy girl that Kat thought and she is forced to question everything.

This was such a clever book, Kat is a flawed character who seemed to be so aware of that and I felt that added a clever element to the story as Kat discovers just as much about herself as she does about her daughter.

I’m not going to give too much away but if you like twisty books that keep you guessing and wondering and thinking then this is a book for you. Sarah Denzil really is an author to look out for and I’m looking forward to reading her next book!

4.5* rounded up to 5*

Oh. My. God. This thriller was chilling, twisted, and an absolute page-turner. This was my first book by Sarah Denzil…and she did not disappoint.

Kat endures every parent’s worst nightmare. Her and her husband are summoned to the morgue to identify the body of their dead teenage daughter Grace. Grace’s body was discovered at the bottom of a quarry and officials everyone, including her husband, presumes that Grace committed suicide. Kat refuses to believe that Grace would take her own life, so she launches her own investigation to get revenge for her daughter.

To say that Kat is an interesting character is an understatement. She’s an abusive mother and a sociopath with a dark past that is rattled with haunting secrets. Kat has been repeatedly told (by therapists no less) that she is cold, unemotional, and unstable. Regardless, Kat truly believes that the only person she has ever loved was her daughter. As Kat begins to learn more about Grace, she realizes that Grace was not the innocent daughter that she thought she was.

This book was filled with so many twists, turns, and shocks that had me hanging off of every page. I really must commend the author on her ability to get the reader to connect with a character like Kat. You know that Kat is antisocial and has done horrific things, but you sympathize with the desperate need for a mother to uncover the truth about her daughter’s death. I definitely recommend this for anyone who loves a good psychological thriller.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for an eARC. This did not influence my review. All opinions are my own.

Rating: 4 stars

Well that was intense.....the only words I can utter right now are gripping and compelling. If you like a story that has you second guessing every movement then this is the story for you. I was pulled into the plot on page one and read on with baited breath in complete anticipation to get to that all important reveal moment and what a moment that was. Just when I thought I had hit the nail on the head the story did a complete 180 which left me gob smacked. I loved it!

Kat was a revelation as far as characters go. Completely flawed and broken beyond repair, in her eyes, with a survival nature that is both terrifying and awe inspiring. Her love for her daughter, Grace, is fierce with a passion that burns to boiling point to fuel a campaign to catch a killer.

Only Daughter is a riveting read filled with twists and turns at every corner that I couldn't put down. I'm looking forward to reading more from this author in the future.

Wow, what a book! The main character, Kat Cavanaugh, was really refreshing. Most of the time, MC's don't acknowledge or are unaware of their personality traits but not Kat! She was unabashedly upfront about who she was. I loved Kat's relationship with her daughter, Grace- before and after her death. Again, it was refreshing as so many times parents only want to see one side of their child. Not only was it a great psychological thriller (red herrings, unpredictable story-line) but an emotional look at the relationships between mother and child, wife and husband.

Thank you to netgalley, bookouture and the author Sarah A Denzil for the digital ARC in return for my unbiased review

here comes the blurb as they say it better than i ever could!

‘Your daughter is dead.’

When Kat Cavanaugh hears the words every mother dreads, her perfect world shatters. She takes in the beautiful long blonde hair, torn yellow dress and chipped blue nail-varnish. It can’t be real.

And then the police add the word ‘suicide’. But Kat refuses to believe them.

Even when they show her the familiar looping handwriting and smudged ink on the note her little girl left behind. She knows her bubbly, vivacious daughter would never take her own life.

As she searches Grace’s perfume scented room, filled with smiling photos, she uncovers secrets her little girl had been hiding. Secrets that could put her in terrible danger too.

But Kat’s determined to find out what really happened to Grace on the night she died, whatever it takes…

the opening of this book is just heartbreaking i cannot imagine anything worse than the loss of my child and some of the story description of events was just so emotional. i did enjoy this book lots of twist and turn and the reveal while almost expected was still a good pay off

I've read other books by this author, so I knew she is good at crafting an emotional and compelling story. That was certainly the case in Only Daughter. The writing is taut and the story gripping from start to finish, but for me it was the characters that made this book memorable. Kat's grief and conviction that her daughter did not take her own life are palpable, and I felt for her as she embarked on her desperate quest to know what happened to Grace.

Lots of twists and turns I didn't see coming made this a truly engaging mystery that had me guessing until the end.

Only Daughter is a fast-paced, clever thriller perfect for fans of the genre!


Thanks to Netgalley for a copy of Only Daughter in exchange for an honest review!

My thanks to Bookouture for an eARC via NetGalley of Sarah A. Denzil’s latest psychological thriller, ‘Only Daughter’, in exchange for an honest review.

Kat Cavanaugh’s world is shattered when the police advise her that her daughter Grace is dead. The quarry where her body was found is known as a local suicide spot and a note in her pocket convinces the police that it was suicide. While her husband, Charles, grieves, Kat remains convinced that Grace didn’t take her own life. She begins to investigate.

Kat herself grew up poor on a council estate but all that changed when she married Charles, who was wealthy and an established member of local high society. Now someone is warning her off the investigation and seems to know of her past.

This novel had me hooked from the opening. It took some very interesting twists and held my interest to the final pages. Kat as narrator was someone that at times I didn’t like much but grew to admire her spirit.

An excellent example of this type of novel. Intense and pretty much unputdownable. No hesitation in recommending it. I now want to look into Sarah A. Denzil’s earlier novels and certainly will keep an eye out for her future projects.

Only Daughter by Sarah A. Denzil begins with a devastating scene. Kat’s only daughter, Grace, is dead. Everyone believes that she committed suicide and the police don’t want to investigate but Kat doesn’t believe that Grace took her own life. She is convinced that someone murdered her teen daughter.

Kat’s grief was heartbreaking to read. Some scenes still haunt me like one where the parents are waiting for the hearse to arrive or when they had to identify their daughter’s body. Kat was devastated but at the same time, she had to get answers. This is what I liked about her. The fact that everyone described her as a sociopath added something ominous to the story. How far would she go? I had so many questions and couldn’t wait to get answers.

Kat’s search for the truth was intense, captivating and had my heart racing a couple of times. There were so many red herrings and suspects along the way. On the other hand, I was curious about Kat’s past. What did she do? I mean, there must be a reason why she was described as a sociopath , right? I had many questions.

With a vengeful ‘sociopath’ mum, mysterious death, secrets, lies and haunting darkness from the past, Only Daughter is a gripping, chilling, twisty thriller that had me turning pages in search for answers. I couldn’t stop reading until the puzzle was complete.

When the body of Kat’s teenage daughter, Grace, is found in an abandoned quarry, police are quick to rule her death a suicide. After all, the quarry is a known suicide spot. But Kat refuses to believe her daughter would take her own life and is desperate to find out the truth about what happened to her. As she begins to piece together the last few days of her daughter’s life, Kat starts to realise she never really knew her daughter at all.

Only Daughter is an immensely gripping read. The kind you get stuck into and find yourself looking up from the pages hours later to find it’s gone dark outside and your cup of tea went cold ages ago. Despite Kat being one of those characters I couldn’t quite put my finger on, her search for the truth behind her daughter’s death was immensely engrossing. No matter how you feel about Kat, it isn’t hard to imagine that as a mother you never want to admit that you failed your child somehow, that it’s near impossible to accept that your child chose to leave this life behind and you’d do just about anything to find answers.

But Kat isn’t your typical mother. There’s a dark secret lurking in her past, one that is alluded to quite often but not revealed until later on. Kat doesn’t come from a particularly nice background and her journey to where she ended up now isn’t a conventional one. More than that though, she was once diagnosed as a sociopath and who even knows what they are capable of.

As to what really happened in the quarry, I had one aspect of it figured out but I couldn’t see the whole picture and there are plenty of twists and turns to go through before the reader gets to the reveal. Just like Kat, I ended up questioning everything and everyone. Especially when more and more things about her daughter are uncovered and you begin to wonder what kind of girl Grace actually was.

Only Daughter is a twisted tale of lies, deceit and revenge. A story that has a rather emotional beginning but soon turns into a tense and compelling psychological thriller. It is an utterly addictive page-turner so make you sure you have plenty of time to read when you tackle this one because you will not want to put it down!

Just brilliant! This was a fast paced, thrilling, completely addictive roller-coaster of a read that I just couldn't put down! Amazing and absolutely thrilling! Five very deserving stars!

This is a really good book which had me hooked from the first few pages.
Kat his heartbroken when she is told her daughter’s body has been found in the quarry, and will not believe that she committed suicide.
Kat had a difficult childhood and tried not to let her daughter, Grace, know what she was like.
As she kept some of her life hidden from her daughter she wonders if this made her withdraw from her and questions their relationship whilst dealing with her grief.
The police are unwilling to investigate Grace’s death so Kat starts to dig around into Grace’s past and is surprised what she finds out.
This is a great mystery thriller as the reader is enveloped into the story and I couldn’t wait to find out if there was more to Grace’s death than meets the eye.
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

I thought I was getting into a cliche "mom looks for daughter's killer" thriller...WOW was I ever wrong! Only Daughter is a bold, original tale that kept me up way past my bedtime!

"Only Daughter" by Sarah A. Denzil.

My first time reading that author.

5 stars.
WOW! That was GREAT! I was hooked from the start! I only had to put the book down to celebrate my birthday a bit. Then quickly went back to it because I wanted to know what happened!

If you think the dead can't talk, think again!
A mother's being told her daughter commited suicide, there is a note... But she knows her daughter, or she thinks she does... She wants to know the truth, even if she won't like it!

A great dark psychological thriller with interesting characters, good plot, good pace... this is sad and scary.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC of this book. This is my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Denzil starts only daughter off with a bang. Grace is found at the bottom of the quarry at the suicide spot and the police automatically write it off.From that moment, Only Daughter, had me hooked.
Kat, came from a troubled past and was raised by a toxic mother,  she was diagnosed as a sociopath, unable to show love. Her daughter now found dead sends Kat's world crashing down. Kat makes it her mission to uncover what really happened that night at the quarry by digging into her daughter's life, discovering things that have her question her mothering skills. This gripping page turner had me needing answers just like kat did.  The twists and turns of this psychological thriller had me on the edge of my seat. Much like the start it ended with a bang having me questioning everyone and everything with an ending i didn't see coming. 
This was a book full of suspense, and definately took me on a wild ride very addictive and faced paced read that i found i got sucked right into. Definately deserves  4🌟



I would like to thank @bookouture and @netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.


Review can also be found on my goodreads www.goodreads.com/teatime_with_a_book and on my Instagram www.instagram.com/teatime_with_a_book

The story begins with 17 year old Grace, who is found dead at the bottom of an abandoned quarry, more commonly known as ‘Suicide Spot”. When a suicide note is found in her pocket, the police find nothing suspicious with her death, but Grace’s mother, Kat knows that her daughter would never have committed suicide. Desperate to find out what happened, Kat tries to piece together the last few days of Grace’s life but what she finds make her wonder if she ever really knew Grace at all….

This is the first book I’ve read by this author and I’ve been left thinking why have I never read anything by her before! She is definitely one which has slipped under my radar, but I will certainly be looking for of her books! I was grabbed right into the storyline straight away, despite the very sad situation of Grace being found dead. The whole book was very emotional, but the first few chapters in particular were particularly heart-breaking watching Grace’s parents, Kat and Charles, trying to come to terms with their daughter killing herself. I have to admit my maternal instincts kicked in and all I wanted to do was protect my own child and keep them safe.

I liked Kat’s character and, as a mother, I could feel all the emotions she was feeling throughout the book. What mother wouldn’t feel that she knew her daughter better than anyone else, but when it started to appear that Grace wasn’t the person Kat thought she was I realised how painful that must have been for Kat. Kat obviously had something happen in her past which has affected her throughout her entire life, but this isn’t revealed until much later in the story. The other characters, for me, weren’t so likeable and they created so many questions which left me wondering throughout the whole book what was going on and what were they hiding.

The best part of the book though, had to be the last quarter when the suspense was turned up several notches which meant I couldn’t put it down! The story swapped from present day to when Kat was a teenager herself and the big reveal of what actually happened in Kat’s past was fantastic, and whilst horrifying, it had me glued to the pages! There aren’t many books which have me in big sobbing tears and then biting my nails in anticipation, but this was one of them!

The storyline was cleverly worked out, with lots of twists, turns and suspense, which kept the story moving at a great pace. It is a book filled with sadness, grief, lies, betrayal and revenge! Be warned though, it does contain scenes which some readers may find upsetting, although it has all be written sensitively and in context with the storyline. Brilliant writing, gripping story, well worthy of its 5 Stars!

There are thrillers that start with a bang and hook you right in and The Only Daughter by Sarah Denzil fits this category perfectly. And then it goes right ahead with slowly and gradually building up the tension and suspense.
I've read The Silent Child and I was pretty blown away by that one, so I knew that this book too would be the same, if not more intense and exceptional. I love the protagonist Kat Cavanaugh from this book. She's one tough cookie! The storyline too is very captivating. It's emotional but doesn't leave you feeling morose. The ending too, was very twisty and surprising. Very unputdownable!
Special mention to the fascinating cover -that lured me in to picking this one up.
Thank you Netgalley, Bookouture & Sarah Denzil for this arc.