Absolutely brilliant why didn't I read this sooner.
One of the first books I requested and I totally forgot about it.
I would love to read more books by this author.

This is a debut novel which is the start of a series focusing on social worker Kit Goddard. She is given a case of historical sexual abuse claims against a middle class man from a very affluent family. With Kits own childhood having heavy involvement from the care system she has to use her own experience with what she’s been taught to tie this case up.

This is a very British book centring on the UK care system with likeable characters and conflicting opinions of people who work in this sector,

A good and very gripping read, full of twists and turns to keep you guessing. I'm looking forward to reading more from the author.

This is such a well written well researched book
I couldn’t stop turning the pages. It had me hooked. A great book

Although I started off enjoying this book, the story became hard to follow and became uninteresting. Overall a good read to pass the time, but not to my taste.

A man who was the pillar of the society had been accused of child abuse, and it was upto social worker Kit to decide of his 3 children were safe in their home while cops were investigating the charges.

This was a new author and a new premise. I generally avoided books with child abuse. But there was nothing graphic in this, just an investigation to check the veracity.

The book was slightly slow, but that was because it was extremely character driven where the truth was revealed only in the last few pages. I liked how the author provided tiny clues as bread crumbs. But sadly enough, I couldn’t begin to piece them together.

With such a sensitive topic, I felt the author did complete justice to the issue as well as build up suspense later down the pages. Power play seemed authentic, the rich did like to have their way. Kit was wonderful in her portrayal of a social worker who was stepping into a minefield of lies and facts. I enjoyed how she led the story to a finish.

Quite a different read from the norm, the story captured me where the balance of truth was kept in check by power and money. But unlike realities of life, truth did shine through in this book. I was happy to see that.

A young social worker, Kit Goddard, is assigned a high profile investigation into the family of a well-connected and respected man in Sandbeach, South Wales. The case involves historical sexual allegations against Matt Cooper -- in fact the incidents were said to have happened over 17 years ago. Now, Matt is married to Annie and they have 3 children -- one of whom is a several disabled daughter. Kit is meant to decide if the children need protection or further action should it be found that evidence will take Matt to trial. Matt has been removed from the home as the interested parties perform due diligence but Kit is convinced that more is going on than the current accusations. Is Matt guilty or has an innocent man been unfairly targeted? NO SPOILERS.

The narrative was interesting and the protagonist engaging, but this story seemed to move way too slowly so it took me a long time to read. The other issue was that the plot was complicated by Kit's baggage and events that happened to her family many years prior. Having a social worker as a main character was a different tack and definitely readers will have an opinion about their role and whether the power they have to disrupt a family can be seen as overstepping or if they often don't do enough to provide the necessary protection. We all read the news so know that mistakes can be made and are often blamed on budgets and staffing and the sheer volume of incidents that require some sort of intervention. So, in the end, this novel was not about Matt Cooper per se, but was more a vignette of how a social worker interacts and works with a particular situation and carries the day through her persistence.

Some reviewers have indicated that this will be a series and I don't know if I'll continue or not. Also, am curious to find out if this author's name is a pseudonym. Thank you to NetGalley and Quercus Books riverrun for this e-book ARC to read and review.

Hopefully there’s another one, loved it, loved Kit and her story and loved everything about the book. I read it in two sittings and didn’t finish it until the early hours, loved Kits office characters and thought it was a great little insight into how things work on that setting, I just loved it and hope there’s another one on its way!!! The ending wasn’t what I expected and thought it was fab...more please, quickly!!!!

Allegation addresses a heavy subject which I wouldn't normally opt to read but the author does so in a highly sensitive manner. It felt very well researched however a little Google search told me the author has thirty years experience across all areas of social services, which makes sense.

A thought provoking story following the strong minded protagonist, Kit, who is willing to go out on a limb and put her job as a social worker on the line to ensure children are protected and justice is served.

What stood out the most for me were the characters; they all felt so authentic and believable. I'm not sure whether this is a standalone or to become a series but I would very much like to revisit Kit in future releases. This was the first book I have read by R. G. Adams and I certainly look forward to more.

Thank you to NetGalley & Quercus Books for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review 📖

I loved this. Thought the character of Kit, and the role of social services was fascinating, as well as giving a slightly more unusual narrative viewpoint. Found it compulsive, pacey, and unexpected. Can’t wait to read more from the author.

I very much enjoyed this book. It has a good story and excellent main characters. I would definately recommend this book.

A well written book dealing with a difficult subject. Some bits were a little stereotypical but on the whole it was a page turner. New author to me but would look at more from this writer.

I received an Arc copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I found this book gripping, initially, I was concerned over the subject matter, but I need not have worried. Great story, well-written, I am looking forward to reading more from this author.Recommended

This was a fun read. Well written. Held my interest. Just an enjoyable read overall.

I would recommend this book to my friends and family for sure!

Allegation is the first in a new crime procedural series featuring formidable young Welsh social worker, Kit Goddard, and is the author's debut novel. When historical sexual abuse allegations regarding two young girls are made against affluent, influential and well-connected local businessman Matt Cooper, it is up to rookie social worker Kit Goddard to investigate and reveal if there's any truth to them. Regardless of their social standing Kit must ascertain whether the three Cooper children are at any risk given the nature of the allegations against their father. What makes this interesting is Kit knows more than most the importance of making the right decision in these circumstances as she is a product of the care system herself and understands the far-reaching implications of deciding one thing over another. Annie Cooper, Matt’s significant other, is extremely hostile towards Kit and the entire investigation swearing her husband has not carried out any such crimes.

This is a riveting and topical thriller with a plot that is both thought-provoking and exciting. It is crafted in such a way that you instantly feel its authenticity oozing from the pages, and as the author herself has thirty years experience as a social worker it is easy to tell that this has informed her work and is all the more compelling due to this. Kit is an intriguing character and one I love already. The thought of learning more about her and seeing her evolve in future instalments has me really excited. She is resourceful, humble and a hard worker with a conscience making her very conscientious when it comes to making do or die decisions in tough circumstances. It is sensitively written and shows the battle of truth v power, wealth and influence. This ripped from the headlines story is a potent mix of entertaining thriller and intense and important social commentary with an emotional side to it all too. A real multifaceted page-turner. Many thanks to riverrun for an ARC.

I liked Kit and I think it's well researched but I couldn't connect to the story and it fell flat.
I think it's one of those "Not-the-book-but-me" cases.
Not my cup of tea.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

Allegation is a gripping thriller about a social worker’s investigation into an historical allegation of child sexual abuse. The allegations are made by two women against Matthew Cooper who is a middle class, upstanding member of the community and a married father of three children. The investigating social worker is a relatively inexperienced one, Kit Goddard.
Kit is led by her manager, Vernon Griffiths, who has allocated her the case even though she does not have any experience in this area, as one of her colleagues has called in sick and the others ‘wouldn’t be able to handle it’...
Kit must investigate the matter in the face of hostility from the family who cannot see why such an historic matter is being looked into and why the word of these women is being given any possible credence at all. Kit must also battle her own demons that come to the surface as she her training as a social worker was not her first encounter with social services.
An excellent book which is a realistic portrayal of such an investigation, which makes this work of fiction a brilliant read. It had me captured from the first to the last page.
Thanks to NetGalley for a Kindle copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Sandbeach, South Wales. Two women have come forward to make historical sexual allegations against a pillar of the local community, Matthew Cooper. And child-safeguarding protocol demands that Social Services remove the accused from his home and his family, while a formal assessment is carried out.
The Cooper case lands on the desk of inexperienced Social Worker, Kit Goddard. Although intrepid and intuitive, she is ill-prepared for such a high-profile case.
Kit finds herself navigating a local minefield of connections and class, reputations and rumour. Unsure whether her interference is a heroic intervention or a hurtful intrusion, she knows one thing: it will have an impact. The question is whether this impact will be to expose an iniquitous lie, or destroy an innocent life.

Thank you for my gifted copy of this book. The book was a captivating read. I thoroughly enjoyed it. The characters are portrayed so real and I felt like i knew them. I could imagine them appearing on my screen, cameras flashing at them. The book is thought provoking and a great legal suspense novel

Wow, this is one of those books that’s so fitting with what’s going on in our world today! I thought it was well written, relevant, and very chilling! I think that the character development was excellent and the subject while not new very important! I found lots of thrills, chills, shocks, and turmoil while reading this book! If you enjoy books that really coincide with today’s headlines, this is definitely your book!
Will make sure I buzz it up on the different platforms and use low Amazon reviewer number on release date!

A local businessman, Matt Cooper has been accused of the historical a use of two girls. Local, social worker, Kit begins her investigation of the family. She has to ascertain the risk Coopers three children. Annie Cooper (Matt's wife) is hostile to to Kit and she defends her husband, adamant that the allegations are false. Will Kit's inexperience cloud her judgement or end up,being influenced by people wanting to protect one of their own.

Kit knew the system inside out as she had grown up in Foster care. As the story unfolds we learn more of Kit's background. The story is sensitively written. The author has done their research into the subject matter. This is a gripping and thought provoking page turner. It's well written and covers all episodes of the case. I really enjoyed this story.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Quercus Books and the author R. G. Adams for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.