This is part three of a trilogy, and not having read the first two parts was a disadvantage. Amelia Crenshaw, an investigative genealogist, is searching for the birth parents who abandoned her as a baby. She is also searching for the daughter of NYPD officer Stockton Barnes. These searches are intertwined with the story of the murderous Gypsy. The action, alternating between 1968 and the present is often confusing. The time and point of view often change within chapters with no delineation. The most interesting part of the novel is the tragic inter-racial love story from 1968. The suspense did keep me reading, but I did not enjoy the violent story of Gypsy.

Great, mystery and suspense, but wish I had read the first two books in the Trilogy as there were so many characters and backstories that I needed to know. Amelia is a genealogist looking for her birth parents. Stockton Barnes is a detective of the NYPD investigating a murder of mother and daughter that circle back possibly to him and his daughter from a one night stand who he turned his back on believing his daughter would have a better life without him in it. Did she have a better life? In this book, the Foundling wasn't explained, which put me at a disadvantage and I had a hard time trying to keep up with the three generations and names who was who. Did enjoy Macheline LeBlanc and what she was able to do. Plenty of twists and turns with the deep south with racists overtones and KKK. Gullah/Geechie community in SC and migration to the New York, with mentions of the Bronx, Harlem and Brooklyn. Author captured SC and NY vibes authentically. Received an ARC from William Morrow Books through NetGalley from the Scene of the Crime Facebook Group.

The Butcher's Daughter is the 3rd book in The Foundlings Trigoly. I hadn't read the previous books in the series, and normally that doesn't really keep me from falling in love with a book and author. For me this book was a little harder to fall in love with, at times I enjoyed the book and at other times I really didn't enjoy it at all. I really don't enjoy books that bounce back and forward between difference decades. I normally suggest others read a book and make their own opinion about the book, because not everyone enjoys the same type of books.

I received a ARC from NetGalley and the publisher William Morrow-HarperCollins and am under no obligation to leave a favorable review, all opinions expressed here are my own.

Rating : 4
Series : The Foundlings Trilogy #3
Genre: suspense fow
Would I recommend it? Yes
Would I read the rest of the series?Yes, in fact it might be better to read the first two books first then this one, but you can read it as a standalone if you wanted to.
Would I read more by this author? Yes
First I want to give a big thanks to William Morrow-HarperCollins Publishers as Scene of Crime for the early copy of it as well as NetGalley . As soon as I saw that Scene of Crime was offing it as an early read I know I wanted to read it because of the title , what can I say some times its a title , author or cover that gets me to request a book, and this time it was the title . Plus not only is this series a new to me series so is the author . Going in to the book I would say that you don't have to read the other two books but it might help you a lot better to read them to get to know the main characters and what Amelia does but like I said you don't have to if you don't want to. I do have to say that the story is told in the past and present which is great because you get to see the backstory of the characters. As for the story its self its excellently written and tightly-plotted book. There were enough twists and turns that kept me wanting to know more which means I'll be looking into more of this author work.

Thrilling psychological suspense novel by one of the masters of the genre! The story is on about an investigative genealogist, Amelia Crenshaw, and her search of her biological background. I was drawn in from the beginning as the author expertly introduced the characters and the background stories for them. They characters were well-defined and multi-layered. The plot had many intriguing threads, which the Ms. Staub brilliantly joined together to keep the reader engrossed until the very end. #WilliamMorrow #SceneOfTheCrime #TheButchersDaughter #WendyCorsiStaub #NetGalley

The Butcher's Daughter was gory at times and creepy to read. The book is told in two timelines, 1968 and 2017.
In the 1968 timeline, the racial tensions are high, Melody and Cyril have a forbidden relationship in the Deep South. Gypsy, the butcher’s daughter, begins to suspect her father of unspeakable horrible crimes.

In 2017, Amelia is working with NYPD detective, Stockton Barnes, whose daughter was abandoned and lost to him. This is Book 3 in the foundling series, and I think I would have enjoyed the book more had I read the earlier books. I was not aware of this before I began reading. I did like the way the book wrapped up, but I thought it was difficult keeping some of the characters straight.
Thank you to William Morrow Publishing and NetGalley for my advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

Moving between 1968 and 2017, this is a story of two people looking for those they've lost and finding something they did not expect. Know that this is the third in a series- I read the first but not the second so this was more or less a standalone for me. Staub does a good job of providing info on the back stories so that you'll be fine if it's the first one for you. Amelia is an expert at finding lost people but she's never been able to find her bio-parents. Stockton Barnes wants to find his daughter. How do the two strands of the novel connect and who is Gypsy, exactly? We know that Gypsy is an evil woman but how did she get the way and how does she relate to Amelia and Stockton. No spoilers from me! it's twisty, a bit over the top at times, but a good one for those who like thrillers. Amelia is a sympathetic character (although I have to say, given what she already knew, some things might have been better left alone.). Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. A page turner.

I picked up this book because I’d enjoyed a previous series by Staub and the premise of this sounded intriguing. Sadly, it did not fulfill my expectations. The book is set in two different time frames, 2017 and 1968, and the events of the two timelines were supposedly interconnected. Those connections, however, were never really made clear, for the most part. The events of 1968 were fairly easy to follow, although the rationale behind The Butcher’s beliefs and actions (and what his ultimate goals were) was never given. He obviously had a whole belief system built up in his mind but it’s never explained to us. Conversely, the wide and varied cast of characters from 2017 were a lot harder tp keep track of. I’m also not sure what some of them were even there for. It seemed like they were all a part of Gypsy’s master plan (although, once again, exactly what her master plan consisted of and why she was so intent on carrying it out was never explained) but there was no reason why some of them were in her sights.

Events and people from between the two time frames were sometimes mentioned but, again, we were given no real information on who they were or why they acted at that time. Who was Red? What was the impetus behind those copycat murders? Gypsy’s “followers” in Cuba are mentioned multiple times but there’s never really an explanation for why they were following her or what they were expecting. I’m guessing we’re meant to believe she’s carrying on her father’s “ministry” but since his beliefs were never really explained, we’re still pretty much left in the dark. And the Gypsy that we’ve been introduced to in 1968 gives no indication that she’d make a charismatic cult leader.

The character that’s given the most development, Amelia, is what kept me reading. I still have no idea how or why either she or Stockton Barnes ended up on Gypsy’s list. It really made no sense at all. It’s almost as if there were two separate stories being told and the author was struggling to find some way to tie them together into a cohesive whole. Sadly, she failed. Between the events in Florida in 1968 and Amelia’s quest to figure out her parentage in 2017, there’s a great storyline that kept me interested. By itself, that would have been a great read and this review would have been much different. The other storyline that we’re given, that of The Butcher and his daughter, never feels fleshed out. There are two many missing pieces and the elements that make a good, suspenseful story are nowhere to be found. All in all, I was really disappointed in this one and had just as many questions about The Butcher and his daughter at the end of the book as I had at the beginning.

This is the third book in a trilogy and in order to fully understand what is going on you would need to read the first two books. I was lucky enough to be able to reread the first two books before starting this one and felt that Wendy was able to make the connections from book to book though you did have to pay close attention and maybe write down some of the characters and how they fit into the story because there were many of them. The dual timeline, past and present, contributes to understanding how things in the past have led up to the events of the present. I voluntarily reviewed an advanced readers copy of this book thanks to the publisher, William Morrow, and The Scene of the Crime Facebook Group

Thank you William Morrow and Netgalley for my arc

I am not aware that this book is a part of a series and in fact the third book already. There’s a few things that was mentioned that may be from the first two books, not a big deal, I was able to catch up still. A story told between past and present, which is written great. It is simultaneous that it actually answers many questions on pending mysteries. The characters are likeable. Plot is very intriguing. Author’s writing style is good. Will definitely check more of this author’s work.

Amelia Crenshaw Haines was abandoned at a church in Harlem when she was an infant, but was found by a local family and adopted. She grew up to become a genealogy consultant to help other foundlings locate their biological families. She is also still trying to trace her own family. Amelia thinks her latest client, NYPD Detective Stockton Barnes who is trying to find his daughter, may be able to help in Amelia’s personal search for her family. However, something about their search may have put both of them in the crosshairs of a ruthless killer.

I have enjoyed many books by Wendy Corsi Staub and I enjoy her style of writing. I didn’t realize this book was the third book of a trilogy when I started reading it. This is definitely not a standalone novel. There are many parts of the book I enjoyed, but since I didn’t read the first two books, I could never catch up. A cast of characters at the front may have helped somewhat because this book has so many characters in it in different cities and timelines. I was a third of the way into the book before I could come close to figuring out how all the discounted parts of the book could come together into one plot.

I enjoyed Amelia and Stockton’s story and wish more of the focus of the book would have been on them instead of all of the details about Gypsy’s childhood experiences. I also liked Melody’s story even though it’s heartbreaking and all too realistic. Overall, it’s an intriguing story but the suspense didn’t build as well as it could if the telling wasn’t so choppy. That being said, the last few chapters are very exciting and I loved the way the story wrapped up. I’m sure those who followed this trilogy from the beginning will be especially pleased. There are a lot of positives in the book and I will rate it 3.5 stars even though I was confused during much of the book. I will give the book the benefit of the doubt and assume it’s because I didn’t read the prior two books.

Thank you to NetGalley, William Morrow, and Scene of the Crime Early Reads for this ebook. An advance copy was provided to me at no cost, but my review is voluntary and unbiased.

My first read by this author. I wasn’t sure what to expect. At first there were several characters, as well as a couple of different timelines, and a bit confusing to keep clear which characters were in which. Once I felt comfortable defining the timelines and characters, I enjoyed the book. I enjoyed how the author wove the time lines together as well as the characters to tell the story of a child born out of wedlock and the search for biological parents. The suspense surrounding how much one wants to find out about their lineage. I will definitely read more from this author. The writing style is brilliant. Thanks to Net Galley for the introduction to another wonderful author!

Although I have enjoyed several of Wendy Corsi Staub’s books before, this one was not one of my favorites. I repeatedly found myself rereading to keep the characters straight. As I lived my youth in the 60’s, I enjoyed reminiscing and avidly read about Melody and Cyril. I found Amelia to be a very intriguing character and at times grew frustrated when the story drifted away from her quest to find her birth parents. The ending answered some of my lingering questions. Many thanks to Wendy Corsi Staub, William Morrow, and NetGalley for affording me the opportunity to read an arc of this soon to be published book. Look for it on August 25th.

I was Happy to receive a free copy of this book as I love books by Wendy Corsi Staub. I have read her books for years. I wish I had read the first two books in this series first. I may have had more insight into the main character Amelia and her quest to find her biological family, The back story of Amelia's parents was very good, but Gypsy's didn't feel as evolved. The story did surprise me as to who Gypsy's accomplice was, Overall I did enjoy the story. and will read the first two books. I do recommend this book.

This was a tough book to rate. I started it not realizing it was the third book in a trilogy and spending the first quarter of the book asking who *are* these people? Once I did some research and found it was the third book, I had too much time invested to stop and read the first two. I read the marketing blurbs for the first two books and that helped. Once I bought into not knowing all of the backstories, it was a terrific read.

The story alternates in time between 1968 and 2017. Set in New York in 2017, it follows two characters, Stockton Barns and Amelia Haines as they are respectively trying to find a child born out of wedlock and biological parents. Switching to the South in 1968, the story is mostly about a white woman, Melody Hunter, finding out she is pregnant with her Black lovers child while her husband is fighting in Viet Nam. Woven between these two time lines is the mysterious, deadly Gypsy Colt, first as a child growing up in 1968, then as an adult in 2017. How the author ties the characters and their their quests together is masterful.

This was an excellently written and tightly-plotted book. There were enough twists to surprise me even though I had a good idea how things were going to turn out. This is the first book I have read by this author but now that she is on my radar, certainly not the last.

Many thanks to William Morrow, NetGalley and Wendy Corsi Staub for the opportunity to read this book for an honest review. It was a pleasure.

The Butcher's Daughter by Wendy Corsi Staub is the third book in the Foundlings Trilogy.

I had a hard time with this book. I think possibly because I hadn't read the previous two books in this trilogy, though the description read that it was a stand alone story.

There were SO many characters I honestly could not keep track and it altered my understanding of the story line.

I question if I read the first two books first if I would of enjoyed it more, but I won't go back and do that now.

Many thanks to William Morrow Books, Net Galley and Wendy Corsi Staub for an early read of this ebook for my honest opinion.
This is my first time reading WCS and it won't be my last. The Butcher's Daughter takes us back to a time of the early Civil Rights Movement and is a painful reminder given today's climate that the more things supposedly change, the more they stay the same.
Surprisingly, the character the book is named after is not the more interesting storyline. Melody and Cyril were the most intriguing characters and their whole storyline could have been a book unto themselves.
Gypsy leaves us wondering if we are doomed to be a product of our upbringing or can we change our destiny against all odds..is it easier to give in or can we fight and change our course in life.
This book was intriguing enough that I plan on searching out the previous 2 books in this trilogy and finding out more about these characters.

I was sent The Butcher's Daughter by Wendy Corsi Staub by William Morrow-HaperCollins Publishing as an ARC to give my honest opinion on. I just couldn't connect with this book. This is the final book in a triology. I have not read any of the other books. Lots of characters, too many to keep up with. Between the changing of time and changing of names over the years to protect the identity, its just too much. There is a lot of dialogue to read through and I will admit, I got lost in it. With that being said, I did enjoy the story line that took place in the 1960's. I could have read a whole book on that time, especially the story between Melody and Cyril. They had a beautiful, tragic love story that carried Melody through her years. Honestly, that was the only part of the book that kept me going. I struggled with this book.
Special thanks to NetGalley, Wendy Corsi Staub, and William Morrow-HarperCollins Publishing for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
#TheButchersDaughter #NetGalley

If I don't connect with a book in the first 100 pages then it is really hard for me to finish. I was unable to connect with this book. None of the characters really stood out to me and there was nothing really gripping for me in this book.

*ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

The Butcher's Daughter is the finale of a series but reads well as a standalone. Amelia is searching for her birth parents, helping NYPD officer Stockton Barnes find his daughter, and also pulled into a murder investigation tying back to religious fanatics, the Butcher and his daughter Gypsy.

Taking place in both present day and 1968, Staub draws parallels between the powder keg that was the United States during the Civil Rights and Vietnam Era with current day. While there were a lot of characters to keep track of, and some that seemed less important than others in this storyline, overall character development was good. I enjoyed the pieces with Melody, Cyril, and Honeybee in the South during 1968 equally as much as Amelia and Stockton's search for answers in the present. There is enough question of identity and who is trustworthy to create tension, and the ultimate resolution that comes in the final chapters when Gypsy's final plan begins to unravel is satisfying and well paced.

I enjoyed watching these storylines develop and converge throughout the novel and will definitely be revisiting this series to read from the beginning.