The boy in the photograph by Nicole Trope. Published 28th June 2019!

Six years ago

Megan waits at the school gates for her six-year-old son, Daniel. As the playground empties, panic bubbles inside her. Daniel is nowhere to be found. Her darling son is missing.

Six years later

After years of sleepless nights and endless days of missing her son, Megan finally gets the call she has been dreaming about. Daniel has walked into a police station in a remote town just a few miles away.

Megan is overjoyed – her son is finally coming home. She has kept Daniel’s room, with his Cookie Monster poster on the wall and a stack of Lego under the bed, in perfect shape to welcome him back. But when he returns, there is something different about Daniel…

According to the police, Daniel was kidnapped by his father. After his dad died in a fire, Daniel was finally able to escape. Desperate to find out the truth, Megan tries to talk to her little boy – but he barely answers her questions. Longing to help him heal, Megan tries everything – his favourite chocolate milkshake, a reunion with his best friend, a present for every birthday missed – but still, Daniel is distant.

And as they struggle to connect, Megan begins to suspect that there is more to the story. Soon, she fears that her son is hiding a secret. A secret that could destroy her family…


WOW! This is a must read! It captivated me from beginning to end! I don’t want to give anything away but it certainly is a riveting story. It had me glued from beginning to end! Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC! 📚

‘There are too many places he could be.’

Six years ago, Megan was waiting at the school gates to pick up her six-year-old son Daniel. The school empties, and Daniel does not appear. According to Daniel’s teacher, Daniel was picked up by his father Greg – Megan’s abusive ex-husband. Greg and Daniel vanish: the police can find no trace of either of them.
Six years later, Megan has remarried, and has a baby daughter, Evie. She’s feeding Evie when the she receives the phone call she has waited six long years for: ‘They found Daniel’.

Daniel is alive. He’s walked into a police station just a few hours away from where Megan lives.

But Daniel is now twelve years old. He has secrets. He is angry and confused, and he believes that his mother didn’t want him which is why his father had to take him in the first place.

The story unfolds from both Daniel and Megan’s perspectives, over the six years of Daniel’s disappearance and after their reunion. Can Megan give Daniel the space he needs? Can Daniel learn to trust his mother? And what about his stepfather Michael and half-sister Evie?

I started reading this novel and couldn’t put it down. I needed to know how it would end. I became caught up in Megan’s desire to make things right for Daniel and in Daniel’s confusion. There were a couple of twists which I did work out, and a couple I didn’t. And while the ending didn’t take me completely by surprise, it wasn’t quite what I was expecting.

Highly recommended.

Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and recommend it to others who like a suspense thriller/mystery. The story takes place in Australia and is about an extremely dysfunctional family where the husband is physically and emotionally abusive. The wife eventually leaves which backfires when the husband shows up at school and kidnaps his 6-year-old son. Fast forward to 6 years later when the mom has remarried and had a new baby and all of a sudden gets a call that her son has been found. The book goes into overdrive and keeps on going until all is revealed.
The book held my interest throughout and it was a very quick and easy read. I must admit that I had pretty much guessed the ending but that didn’t detract from enjoying reading it.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this advance copy in exchange for my unbiased review.

A really well written, emotional read...
I was moved by the story, the kind that happens in real life...
Amazing! Deep and meaningful. The kind you don't forget...

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

The blurb drew me in and I was not disappointed. The wonderful writing and characterisation of Megan immersed me into her life as I shared her emotional pain and turmoil when she loses and finds her son. The unimaginable scenario captivated me as the novel took me on a roller coaster of emotions; the past is cleverly revealed in successive anniversaries of his disappearance and shows her emotional journey through grief while always clinging on to hope. As a mum, it broke my heart in places as the fairy tale reunion she dreamt of fails to come true and the reality of the missing years sinks in. The underlying suspense and dread as the truth is revealed carries the story forward despite having suspicions of where it could possibly lead was going.

It is a well written, heart breaking story full of suspense. When I first started reading I was unsure whether it was a family based drama or psychological thriller but it is a good blend of both and would appeal to fans of both of those genres.

4.5★s
“…she has lost an affectionate little boy and found a skittish, rigid adolescent in his place.”

The Boy In The Photo is the eighth novel by Australian author, Nicole Trope. It’s hard to imagine. Six years of wondering if she would ever see her son again. When Daniel was almost seven, Megan’s abusive ex-husband collected him from school. Greg had a passport for the boy, and it soon became apparent that he’d fed her a bunch of lies: a false address, a job he’d quit, and a mobile he wasn’t answering. His parents, in England, were hostile, but Megan was convinced that’s where Greg and Daniel had gone.

Detective Michael Kade was so touched by Megan’s plight, he couldn’t let it go. His devotion to the case gradually led to him marrying Megan, and now they had a baby daughter, Evie. But six years on, Daniel suddenly walks out of the bush, into a police station and announces who he is. He says their bush shack near Heddon Greta burnt down with his father perishing inside. And says little else.

When they arrive at Heddon Greta, Megan is anxious: how much of her sweet little boy will be left after he has been fed a diet of his father’s hateful stories? She had eventually realised Greg was a sociopath and had spent too long during the intervening years feeling guilty that she had not prevented this. The reunion with this boy who is essentially a stranger is not quite the joyful event they had hoped for.

Some of what Daniel relates doesn’t tally with the physical evidence, but after the trauma he has obviously suffered, he is reticent and they are reluctant to push him too hard. In the days and weeks that follow, Daniel runs hot and cold: sometimes he allows himself to enjoy Megan’s attention and even shares snippets from the last six years (often to Megan’s alarm). At other times, Daniel almost seems to be channelling Greg and Megan feels helpless: “I don’t know who he is now. I don’t know how to speak to him. He won’t even let me touch him”.

The story is carried by a dual narrative that is split over time: Megan’s perspective gives the reader the day that Daniel was taken, and each successive anniversary of that day, as well as the days and weeks following Daniel’s return; Daniel’s thoughts on his birthdays reveal some of his life with Greg. The heartbreak of those milestone days is expertly illustrated.

The premise that underlies this story has such marvellous potential and Trope explores it to great advantage. Even if the plot is fairly predictable (Daniel’s secret is fairly obvious from the start, as are a few other twists), Trope’s strength is her portrayal of her characters’ emotional trauma, which is so realistic, it’s virtually impossible for the reader not to be moved by her situation and anxious for her to really reconnect with Daniel.

Trope gives Megan some insightful thoughts: “What happens to a child who has had this experience? wonders Megan. How does he grow up and get married or become a father? How does he ever learn to be safe inside his own skin, inside his own thoughts?” There’s an exciting climax (although the gimmicky shock is unnecessary) and a very satisfactory end to this thought-provoking novel.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Bookouture

What would you do if your abusive ex-husband stole your son? What if you couldn't find him for years? What do you do when suddenly, six years later, he turns up?

Megan has been looking for her son Daniel ever since he wasn't there when she went to pick him up from school. There is no trace of him, or her ex-husband. Her media and online appeals have come to nothing. Then one day she gets the call, Daniel has been found. Her relief and excitement are soon tempered by the realisation that Daniel is no longer the happy child she once knew. He is traumatised and damaged, having been fed a pack of lies by her now deceased ex. Daniel is uncommunicative and distant, though he shows glimpses of the child he once was. She knows Daniel knows more about his fathers death than he is letting on, but doesn't realise that his secret could well destroy the whole family!

I did enjoy this book. It was quick and easy to read. However I really failed to connect fully with the characters, and found the plotline predictable. It was clear what was going on very early in the piece, and therefore there were no surprises in it for me. I like a thriller with twists and turns I don't see coming, and sadly, for me, that wasn't this book.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The bait in the Photo is billed as a gripping thriller and it certainly doesn’t disappoint.

From the moment Megan’s son Daniel is found after being missing for six years, you begin to feel a sense of unease about him. Daniel blames Megan for many things and he’s struggling to fit in. Megan struggles to connect with him and no longer recognises his as her own. She also realises he has a secret that could destroy their family.

This book is instantly compelling, the plot flows well and the book gathers pace with each chapter.

I can certainly recommend this book as a page turner that will be a perfect way to while away a few hours.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author for the chance to review.

The Boy in the Photo was an absolute masterpiece! Gripping and thrilling, it was in a class of its own. I loved the original concept and found it to be a most compelling read. Nicole Trope's characterisation was very impressive
and the trauma they'd experienced felt very real, especially regarding Megan, the mother who never stopped searching for her son,

I loved the way the author slowly meted out the clues for the shocking twist and that nothing was as it seemed within the story. There was such a lot happening that I found this book really difficult to put down. I’d certainly read more from this author. Highly recommended and well worth five stars.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel, at my own request, from Bookouture via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

How? How can a man, a father, be such an evil person? It's sickening and I wanted to scream in frustration. this is the one ting a parent is scared of: losing a child and not knowing what became of it. And when, after years of hoping and praying, the almost impossible comes true and the child comes back? It's not all smiles and love and happiness. The problems seem to never end and the danger might never be over. What if the child that came back is not the same you remember? Really good psychological thriller with lots of nail biting moments.

To have your child disappear must be a mother’s worst nightmare. But to have him return years later a virtual stranger must almost be worse. Daniel is kidnapped when he’s six, supposedly by his father. Six years later he reports to a police station saying his father has died in a house fire. Daniel’s mother, Megan, is elated to have her son back. She has subsequently remarried and has a baby girl, but she has been waiting for years for this reunion. But this is a very different Daniel to the beautiful child who disappeared. What has happened to him?
Author Nicole Trope manages to introduce a deep sense of unease into the story and I found myself not trusting anybody. I was deeply suspicious of Daniel as well as Megan’s new supportive online friends. The only one I trusted was her wonderful new husband, Michael, who’s kind, patient and wise. At the same time I felt devastated. How I wished the reunion with her son could have been the one Megan had dreamt about. Instead, her son is now cold, unemotional and difficult to understand.
Right from the first day of Daniel’s return I felt a certain dread. There are subtle hints that maybe things are not as they seem and this suspense never lets up all the way through. This was an emotional read and the author does a great job of building the horror. The picture she gradually paints of just what Daniel had been through during the missing years is so well done, and I defy anyone not to abhor Megan’s highly dysfunctional ex-husband. This is a highly readable book and I raced through it really invested to find out how it would all pan out.

EXCERPT: She becomes aware of the silence at the other end of the phone, and without the slightest warning, a prickling sensation crawls up her arms. Her heart rate speeds up. Her breathing accelerates like it does when she's running.

'Found who?' she asks again, slowly, carefully, deliberately repeating the words.

'Daniel,' says Michael. 'They found Daniel.'

ABOUT THIS BOOK: Megan waits at the school gates for her six-year-old son, Daniel. As children come and go, the playground emptying, panic bubbles inside her. Daniel is nowhere to be found.

According to his teacher, Daniel’s father, Greg, has picked up his son. Except Greg and Megan are no longer together. After years of being controlled by her cruel husband, Megan has finally found the courage to divorce him. Hands trembling, she dials his number, but the line is dead.

Six years later

Megan is feeding baby daughter, Evie, when she gets the call she has dreamt about for years. Daniel has walked into a police station in a remote town just a few miles away. Her son is alive – and he’s coming home.

But their joyful family reunion does not go to plan. His room may have been frozen in time, with his Cookie Monster poster and stack of Lego under the bed, but Daniel is no longer the sweet little boy Megan remembers.

Cold and distant, Daniel is grieving the death of his father, blaming Megan for his loss and rejecting his family. And as Megan struggles to connect with the son she no longer recognises as her own, she begins to realise that Daniel has a secret. A secret that could destroy their family and put them in terrible danger.

MY THOUGHTS: OMG!!!!! An absolute meteor shower of stars for this one! Fantabulous! Jaw-dropping. Twisty. Emotionally draining. But so, so wonderful....

Told over two time-lines, the present when Daniel is reunited with his mother, and the time during which he was living on the run with his father, and from the points of view of Daniel and Megan, this book left me shattered and unable to start reading anything else for a couple of days.

Nicole Trope has the ability to transfer our emotions and fears and joys to the page, and to make us experience every emotion and feeling along with her characters. She has written some brilliant books previously, but The Boy in the Photo outshines every one of them.

If we could rate a book 100 stars, I would give them to The Boy in the Photo. An outstanding read.

*****

THE AUTHOR: Nicole Trope went to university to study Law but realised the error of her ways when she did very badly on her first law essay because-as her professor pointed out- ‘It’s not meant to be a story.’ She studied teaching instead and used her holidays to work on her writing career and complete a Masters’ degree in Children’s Literature. After the birth of her first child she stayed home full time to write and raise children, renovate houses and build a business with her husband.
The idea for her first published novel, The Boy under the Table, was so scary that it took a year for her to find the courage to write the emotional story. Her second novel, Three Hours Late, was voted one of Fifty Books you can’t put down in 2013 and her third novel, The Secrets in Silence, was The Australian Woman’s Weekly Book of the month for June 2014.
She lives in Sydney with her husband and three children.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Bookouture via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of The Boy in the Photo by Nicole Trope for review. All opinions expressed in this review are my own personal opinions.

Please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the 'about' page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com for an explanation of my rating system.

This review and others are also published on my webpage sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

Wow! This book took me for an emotional ride. It is every mother’s worst fear having their child abducted. Right from the outset as a mother I wanted to cry with Megan. Then to have by some miracle your child back home with you, elation! Except it’s not. I could not put this book down with all the twists and turns I just had to know what was going to happen next. To say this book is terrifyingly amazing does not do it justice, a must read!

Complimentary copy provided by bookouture through Netgalley.

Only my second book by this author, despite her writing so many! The blurb showed what promised to be an emotional and heart-breaking read, tugging at the heartstrings of everyone who reads it, and it certainly didn’t let up on that promise. There can’t be anything worse than someone taking your child, even when it’s someone you know and thought you would be able to trust. Despite only losing sight of mine for a few minutes in a busy park many years ago, I’ve always known where he is and with whom, but reading Megan’s story really made me feel uncomfortable and I could never begin to understand (or ever want to experience) how she was feeling for all those years. Megan’s character was written really well and her grief and loss came across with such emotion. Nobody could blame her for wanting to move on with her life, but she also never gave up looking for her son.

Daniel’s story, told through alternate chapters was heart-breaking and obviously showed why he behaved like he did when he returned home. He blames his mother for everything that has happened and Megan needs to try and reconnect with him, no matter how difficult that is. I knew that Daniel would be a completely different boy from before his father took him, but his behaviour literally sent shivers down my spine. The story took on a very uneasy feel when Daniel was around and it was very difficult to try and remember that he was in fact a 12 year old boy who didn’t know who to trust.

There were lots of twists and turns in this story and, despite guessing where it was going, the change in direction of the story shocked me! It did though all make sense, with lots of little clues throughout the book as to what was really happening. My heart went out to Megan and Daniel throughout the whole story and I was absolutely hooked by the end of the first chapter. Filled with emotion and drama, this story may not be an easy read for some though. However, it wasn’t all tears and sadness and with the tension throughout the story kept high, it was a fantastic thriller leaving your heart beating that little bit faster. Would definitely recommend!

Megan and Greg are married with a son, Daniel. Greg is abusive and Megan finally divorces him. One day, Greg picks Daniel up from school when he was 6 years old never to return with him. Megan never gives up hope finding Daniel alive and well. She marries one of the detectives that was on the case and they have a baby girl, Evie. Six years after Daniel's disappearance, Megan gets a call that Daniel has walked into a police department and told them who he was. This is a very emotional story from start to finish and I really enjoyed it. even though it was heartbreaking. Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC of this very powerful story in exchange for an honest review. I highly recommend this book.

The Boy in the Photo is about a family Megan (mom), Greg (dad) Daniel. Daniel is 6 years old. His patents are divorced. Greg blames everything that went wrong on Megan. Greg swears he will get back at Megan for this. Greg is abusive to Megan. One day Megan goes to school to pick up Daniel and finds he’s not there. Megan never stops looking and hoping Daniel will return. Greg has taken him. 6 years goes by Megan has remarried and has a baby girl. Then one day her new husband calls and says We found Daniel. Now Daniel is 12 but os he the same boy that was taken 6 years ago? Great book! Couldn’t put it down! Suspense mystery

The heartbreak of a missing child, matched by the heartbreak of a damaged child being returned to his mother, never leaves the pages and a feeling of dread stays with the reader throughout this well written, well paced novel. Just one more chapter, then I will put it down style of book. There is the required surprise twist that’s expected and I felt that it was well resolved. Recommended as a excellent domestic noir written with style with an extremely disturbing plan for revenge.

Well done. This is the story of Megan and Daniel and how they come back together after Daniel's father Greg took him and hid him for 6 years. Greg was a horrible person and Megan is dismayed to see that Daniel is not the same sunny boy she knew. This moves back and in time over the six years Daniel was missing. You'll see Megan's evolution, her new marriage, her daughter Evie and then you'll worry along with her as she deals with Daniel in the aftermath. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. This is a reminder that not all reunions are automatically easy and perfect. Well written and a page turner.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher (Bookouture) for accepting my request and giving a free e-ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are of my own.</b>

I loved this book. Though I predicted the suspense quite early, but it didn’t made any change in my approach to read it. I thoroughly enjoyed it. The twists and turns, the suspense made me read and enjoy each page. With each turning page, I got so hooked that I wasn't able to leave it.

Loved the concept of how the story traversed back and forth and presented me with snippets of both Megan and Daniel's life. How they progressed and took on to their life, but with that feeling of emptiness residing within themselves.

The plot, the characters, the twists, everything was great and worth it! A definite recommendation!

A full review will be up on my blog soon.
https://booksandtealife.com/

Hesitation... Trepidation... Fear was what I felt as I turned the pages of this book. Parental kidnapping was the initial plot arc. Megan and Greg were divorced when Greg kidnapped the 6-year-old Daniel and disappeared. It took another 6 years for Daniel to come back, but... Who was the boy who had returned? They shared the DNA but Megan wasn't sure there was anything left of her sweet boy. She was scared now for her daughter Evie and husband Michael.

Nicole Trope managed to combine emotions and suspense in this story, weaving them both together to make them shimmer on the pages of this book. I read this with my heart in my throat feeling all the emotions that Megan experienced with joy, sorrow, fear, and despair. How was a mother to reach a child who had been brainwashed to believing lies about her by the father? The story wrenched these emotions from my heart, but my brain was aware of the vein of danger that ran in the periphery of this book. A lot of Daniel's story had loopholes. What was he hiding?

Snapshots of his life and Megan's were shown, written as chapters, giving me a wider understanding of how the mother and son coped with their loss in the intermittent 6 years. I guessed the twist, it was quite obvious, but that hardly deterred me from enjoying the winding road of the story.

One of my midnight reads, I was so happy losing sleep over it!!