A very well written psychological thriller. A real edge of your seat page turner. You will not be able to put this book down. I received a complimentary ebook from the publisher and Netgalley and this is my unbiased review.

This book was a bit of a miss for me. I was waiting for the WOW moment and unfortunately it didnt come through. It didnt seem to have tension/suspense and I found it hard to connect with the characters. Usually Kerrys books are full of thrills and spills but this one just didnt do it.

This is an author I really enjoy. This was a good story, it was well written and easy to follow. It was a great mystery/thriller.

Kerry Wilkinson has been a go to author for me. I have read all of his standalone novels, and enjoyed everyone of them. That’s is till now. This latest release was just a disappointment right from the start and a struggle to finish.

I will still be reaching for his next release as I know what an amazing author he is. This one was just not for me.

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review.

This is a completely riveting book. It’s very hard to put down.

Abi is a really interesting and complex character. She’s shaped by her past, and by being from Elmwood. She tried to escape both her past, and the town, but it has drawn her back again.

It’s a real slow burner of a plot, and the tension just builds and builds. It’s real edge-of-the-seat stuff.

The dynamics between the residents of this small town are very interesting, their stories and lives intertwine. It’s a classic down on its luck town, with the resulting difficulties for the people who live there.

As Abi gets closer to discovering the truth the pace really ramps up. I was totally unable to put it down until I finished it by this stage.

A clever and complex plot, so compelling and gripping, really worth a read.

I found this book hard to get into, but I persevered and ended up enjoying it. A hit and run of a local child, the adults around him of which some are suspect, causeIng many different emotions and Interactions. And I was surprised whodunnit. #thechildacrossthestreet #netgalley

Thanks to NetGalley for the free copy.

The basic plot of the story is about a woman who returns home for her father’s funeral only to witness a terrible hit and run involving a little boy. Overall, the story was good. The author’s writing flowed pretty well. However, there were parts of the book that did not keep my attention. The end was pretty good though.

I am a big fan of Kerry Wilkinson but feel that this was not one of his best books. After being away for twenty years Abi returns to her home town to arrange the funeral of her father. On her arrival she sees a young boy lying in a ditch after a hit and run accident. She calls an ambulance and when the boy’s mother turns up Abi recognises her as her best friends from when she was at home. Abi doesn’t intend staying for long as she has too many bad memories of when her mum abandoned the family and Abi was left with her alcoholic father. The police want her to stay as she is a key witness to the accident. Abi decides to stay on for a while to try and discover who the driver was . She becomes reacquainted with old friends an an ex boyfriend but quickly realises that everyone has secrets to hide. I found this a very drawn out story and I didn’t connect with the characters. A disappointing read.
Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

I am a big fan of this author who writes with such passion and conviction.  In this book you meet Abi who has returned to her hometown to deal with her estranged father's death.


As she returns she is dealing with multiple issues as she hasn't been back since her teens.  Her life was the stuff that would make you have nightmares.


When her friends son is injured and she is the one who finds him it becomes a large ordeal of who could have possibly done this to a young man.


In the process you get a glimpse at the past of Abi and see why she always seemed colder than what you would anticipate.  


I enjoyed this book and find it was very well written even though the story was uncomfortable and can easily be a story that could trigger people.  I think it was handled well and you really see what a master this author is.


I do wish we had seen a bit more about Abi and her past as well because I think that would have really made the story hit home even more.

Abi goes back to her hometown after 20 years away, to handle her father's house after he dies. On the way to the house, she witnesses the hit and run of a young boy who turns out to be the son of her old best friend. She gets drawn into the situation and secrets of the town once again as everyone wonders who hit Ethan. This wasn't bad, but it was slow and unsuspenseful. The description of the book makes it sound a lot more intense than it is. It's just a sad drama about sad people, and I never really connected with any of them or felt too invested in it. 2 stars.

The Child Across the Street is my first book I have read by Kerry Wilkinson. I loved the opener of this book - as Abigail Coyle returns to her home she left 20 years ago, she witnessed an 8 year old boy struck down in a hit and run accident. As our main character, I found it difficult to bond with Abi - and while it made the story drag a bit - I feel it was an authentic choice by the author knowing Abi’s history and flaws. As much as I found this small, blue collar town had plenty going on with the characters, it was tough to stick with at times. Overall, I would give this story 3.5 stars - Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an Arc of this book, all opinions are my own.

Firstly a big thank you to the publishers for my copy on netgalley . I dont think ive read anything from this author before. This is captivating book from start to finish, fantastic characters that are relatable. Secrets,lies,loss and loyalty are key themes throughout the plot. Unpredictable and fast paced. Very enjoyable and look forward to reading more from kerry.Published 23rd July

The Child Across The Street is a slightly depressing thriller that moves at a steady pace. Abi has returned to her home town to bury the father she hasn’t seen for twenty years. Struggling with alcoholism and traumatic memories of her childhood, she immediately becomes the sole witness to a hit and run. The child involved is seriously injured and as the story proceeds, Abi finds herself trying to discover the identity of the driver.
This book has a dour feel to it that some people may find atmospheric. Fans of crime thrillers may enjoy this book and to its credit, the ending does throw up some surprises.

I liked the Jessica Daniels series by Jerry Wilkinson so I thought I would like this . I didn’t . I found the story very flat and slow that didn’t grip me or hold my attention and felt the story was going nowhere. It felt like a run of the mill book for me

This was another killer read by a very talented author. Nothing is as it seems from the beginning, and I love the way everything comes together at the end. Recommended.
TB

3.5 stars. I have read many of this authors other books and enjoyed them but unfortunately this one fell a little short for me. It was very easy to read but unfortunately it just didn't grab me or hold my attention as much as his other books have. Very little happened in the story and I felt there was something missing, It doesn't put me off reading his other books and I will continue to look out for more by him.

I have read almost all of Kerry's books, especially the Jessica Daniel series and enjoyed them all.
This is totally different from his usual books. It got off to a good start but then seemed to go a bit flat. The settings are well described as are the characters but the plot kept me guessing right up to the end.

EXCERPT: I see the wheel first.

It's almost swallowed by the crown of swaying grass, but light catches one of the bent spokes and, as I take a few steps closer, I realise the wheel is attached to an upturned bicycle. The rear wheel is crumpled in on itself, almost folded in half. The entire back half of the bike has creased in two and the front wheel is detached, embedded in the encompassing branches of a bush.

It's past the bike, at the bottom of the gully, where the horror lies. I want to look away but can't stop staring at the contorted shape of the boy.

ABOUT THIS BOOK: Wheeling my suitcase down the familiar, hedge-lined street, I smile at the sound of children playing in the park nearby. Suddenly, there’s a screech of car brakes. I rush over to see a bent bike wheel sticking out of the ditch, and underneath, a little boy…

As I turn the rusty key in the lock of the house I grew up in, memories flood back. None of them happy. I never told anyone why I left home twenty years ago, and all I want is to sort out Dad’s funeral as quickly as possible.

Now I’m trapped here, the only witness to a terrible incident that has left an eight-year-old boy fighting for his life. But after a lifetime trying to forget my past, I don’t know if I can trust my memory, or be totally sure of what I saw today.

Sorting through Dad’s things one night – shopping lists in his curly handwriting, piles of old newspapers, dusty sports trophies – I think I hear the back door handle rattle. I tiptoe downstairs, past an open window I’m sure I locked. And a figure darts across the overgrown garden.

Someone is watching me. Someone who knows I’m the only one who saw what happened to little Ethan… or could they know the real reason why I left? Either way, I’m certain that coming back was my biggest mistake. I can’t leave, but the longer I stay, the more danger I’m in…

MY THOUGHTS: I enjoyed The Child Across the Street by Kerry Wilkinson. It's not a frantically paced book packed with action, but I was gripped by the hunt for a hit and run driver in a small town. I didn't particularly like any of the characters, or even the setting, but the compelling storyline overrode everything else.

Wilkinson had me absolutely stumped! Every time I thought I had figured out who was driving the car that hit 8 year old Ethan, he poured cold water all over my theory! And did it cleverly. There's no shortage of suspects and they all live in a small area. The relationships of the characters is almost incestuous. Everyone has grown up with everyone else, married friends brothers or sisters....typical small town life. They resent anyone who has gotten away and are defensive, while also being curious. It's almost one big, but not very happy, family. While they are outwardly protective of one another, they are also quick to judge and ready to ostracize not only the person responsible, but that person's whole family. Someone, behaving normally on the surface, is frantically paddling under the surface to stay afloat and ahead of the investigation.

An intriguing read.

😲😲😲.9

'He has the same suppressed fart of a smile as his mother.'

THE AUTHOR: Originally from the county of Somerset, Kerry spent way too long living in the north of England, picking up words like 'barm' and 'ginnel'.

When he's short of ideas, he rides his bike, hikes up something, or bakes cakes. When he's not, he writes it all down.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Bookouture via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of The Child Across the Street by Kerry Wilkinson for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

This review and others are also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage

Abi Coyle has returned to her home town after twenty years as her father has passed away and left her the house.
As she is walking towards the house she hears screeching tyres and the back end of a car . As she gets closer she see’s a bicycle wheel and looks further down and there is a young boy Injured . Abi phones for the police and an ambulance she then discovers the little boy is the son of an old school friend.
There is quite a few people in this book who could be the driver of the car . But who is it ?
Thanks NetGalley

As far as the premise in this thriller, it is very unique. The main character comes back to her hometown and discovers a child getting hit by a car, the driver speeding away. She makes it her goal to find the driver, but along the way find some demons of her own past too.

My biggest complaint was that there weren’t enough clues dropped along the way. While a good many paths led you to different people, I felt like the ending was not as satisfying to put together as I wanted it to be. Some of the characters acted really sketchy for no explained reason, and that made it hard for me to accept the ending given.

But the book does allow for you to experience things with the main character in a deep way, and I thought that was pretty effective storytelling.

You can see my video review here:
https://youtu.be/28nT91MTMVE