This is a really great book. It hooked me from the very beginning.

I'm really surprised how I got to like Fran, the main character. I don't usually like such nosy women, but she is a surprisingly non-annoying heroine. There's something about Fran that makes me enjoy seeing the world through her eyes. I guess maybe it's about that little bit of self-awareness and self-censorship. Fran is aware that she should not interfere in the affairs of others and knows perfectly well what is at the basis of her decision to do so. Which doesn't mean she doesn't do some stupid things later on. Fran seems to trust her abilities too much, but this fits her character somehow. That's why it doesn't bother me at all.

That being said, the personality of Esther seems to me not very convincing for a seven-year-old girl. She is too mature for her age, too mature even for an exceptionally developed seven-year-old. Her thoughts resemble adults, she is a bit unnatural in her maturity. I think that her chapters, although very interesting and adding a lot to the plot, are the weakest point of the book from the point of view of character psychology. But I still genuinely enjoyed them.

The plot is very good. I like books where mystery appears in the very beginning. And here we are dealing with a potential mystery from the very first chapters. Although, if you think about it, not much happens in these first dozen or so chapters. But the atmosphere of mystery compensates for this brilliantly, and I was fully committed to the story right away. Therefore, I don't mind that the twist towards the end of the book was exactly as I predicted. Paradoxically, I think that I would be disappointed if my predictions were not confirmed. Anyway, it's more because I've read a lot of thrillers and know what to expect than some clear obviousness of this twist. It did not take away my enjoyment of reading this book at all.

I'm sure this is not my last book by this author. It was a very nice experience. I definitely recommend this book, especially to those who are already bored with serial killers, and even murder in general.

Fran was a retired journalist married to a retired lecturer. In the early morning hours before the sunrise Fran went running. On one of her runs she found a little girl dressed like a pioneer, standing alone in the park. The girl was around seven years old. The girl had an American accent. Just as Fran was about to call the police her mother showed up dressed similar to her daughter with the same American accent.
Fran developed an unhealthy attachment to Mary and her daughter. She sensed something was off with the way they dressed. She friended in order to get closer to her. Fran’s instincts tell her that Mary and Esther need help. Adrian her husband isn’t convinced and wants Fran to back off. She’s persistent in her quest to find out why Esther runs away.
Turns out the Whitaker’s were a religious family with simple needs. Mary made the dresses for her and Esther. She homeschooled her daughter and kept the house. Fran introduced Mary to her choir friends but a few were gossipmongers who made Mary feel uncomfortable. Mary’s transition to England wasn’t easy. The woman were quick to judge the age difference between Mary and Elijah as well as questioning Mary’s age in relation to her daughters.

Because the concept revolved around one element I had no sense of direction throughout the first half of the book, even with the few clues threaded in I still conjured up some other crazy ideas which might’ve been Sarah’s strategy. For me I needed more direction as to where the story was headed. My impatient nature drive me to lose interest. I’d like to say had I known from the beginning it wouldn’t have changed the shocking twists, but I’m almost certain those revelations wouldn’t have hit me with quite the same punch. Sarah wrote a compelling story tying up all the loose ends ending with a Big Bang.

The title kind of threw me. I had this evil Damien image of Esther like she was about to do something sinister. I’m a skeptic when it comes to information. When Sarah wrote Fran’s backstory I questioned how that information pertained to the story. It didn’t define Fran’s character if anything it allowed Fran to study Mary’s behavior.
Sarah guided my suspicions but the biggest question still lingered about keeping the concept a secret from the beginning. What helped the most were the scenes were Sarah retold the story from the “then” perspective.
Overall Sarah impressed me with her skills by putting her own spin on this concept. I felt the first half read as an entirely different book then the second half. Once I knew where Sarah was directing the characters I found myself immersed in the storyline.
There were some exciting twists towards the end. The entire beginning makes more sense after those shocking revelations get revealed. I almost want to go back and reread the beginning with new eyes. Knowing what I know now reassures the fact that Sarah delivered the story’s concept the best possible way.

Sarah Denzil delivers yet again with this novel about a strange family and one woman’s obsession with them. If you think you know how it’s going to end, you’re wrong.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC. This review contains my honest, unbiased opinion.

Wonderful ,little one follows the story of a little girl in a cult and all it involves .I really enjoyed this book ,highly recommend .

This is one of those books that ended somewhere very differently than I expected at the beginning.

Thanks to NetGalley and publishers ARC for the opportunity to read this.

When Fran meets a young girl in old-fashioned clothes standing alone in the park while she’s out in her morning run she’s intrigued. That the girl and her very young mother, who very shortly afterwards turns up delighted to find her daughter, display finger tip shaped bruises is only one of the reasons Fran is intrigued. Having suffered her own family trauma Fran is drawn to the Whitakers, the father, mother and young daughter who have very recently moved to her small Derbyshire village.

There are hints that the Whitakers are hiding a secret. Is there something sinister or are they just misunderstood by people judging them for their different background. When the Whitakers disappear almost as suddenly as they first appeared in the village Fran is driven to track them down to find out if mother and daughter need rescuing. The journey takes her many miles as she finds links to an insular religious community in rural Arizona with an charismatic leader.

Looked at objectively the plot in the second half of this books is over the top, really stretching the boundaries of the reader’s credulity. It’s a tribute to the writing, and the slow character development which took place in the first half of the book, that it remains gripping.

A tense domestic thriller which at times felt like there was the potential for a darker almost supernatural explanation. The truth is dark, but still very human. Fran’s grief over the loss of a child years before, and her guilt for having engaged in gossip about the Whitakers which she fears may have driven them out, are the stories which hold this together.

A great read for a winter’s night when you can hug your own family close after reading.

Sarah A. Denzil is by far my favorite author! I’ve read every one of her books and spend the entire year anxiously awaiting her books to be released. Little One somehow exceeded my [insanely high] expectations. I love the way the book is written from 2 perspectives & how the story has to do with a cult. It’s extremely fascinating and has an ending that is so good I’ll be talking about it for months!

When an amazing read! The Little One by Sarah Denzil leaves nothing behind. Have ever had that guy feeling something isn't right but just can't put your finger on it?
In this book you have that feeling from beginning to end, she leaves us readers on the edge of our seat. What an amazing ride. This book was next impossible to put down. The writing flowed from chapter to chapter with ease you have no idea how far you have gotten without stopping. I would love to go into great detail about the story but I feel like it should be left up to the reader.

Thank you Netgalley for giving me this book to read for an honest review.

This was a read that took me a little while to get into and I wasn’t so sure I was going to enjoy it then wham I found myself hooked and raced through it at breakneck speed and it ended up being a whole lot different to what I was expecting. So the main character Fran out on her early morning rum comes across a young girl Esther alone in a playground claiming to be waiting for father, Fran is concerned as the the girl seems strange but when her mother appears claiming that Esther has run away from her home Fran is doubly suspicious as nothing seems to add up. The plot then gets stranger and stranger and Fran begins to suspect things are just not right and when the family suddenly disappears Fran is hell bent on finding just what has happened to them.
I enjoyed the read it was perhaps a little predictable at times but it still kept my interest and it had a solid plot line that kept me wanting to find out what was going to happen and also a great ending.
My thanks to NetGalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-Op for giving me the chance to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Sarah A. Denzil has done it yet again, written a suspenseful book where the pages practically turned themselves. This is my fourth book by this author and every book was a four star read. Ms. Denzil has a way of writing a book and sucking the reader into the story by making you care about the characters...flaws and all.

There I was, in my reading chair, flipping pages and then BAM! Ms. Denzil shocks me, yes me, who figures a lot of things out before the book is over. This book was so great and makes me want to buy all the rest of Sarah A. Denzil's library! This book was such a quick and enjoyable read, I couldn't put it down. The story was so well written and the reveal got me. I love a good domestic thriller and this one was perfect for that.

It was an okay book, not really what I was expecting at all. The aspect with her husband was the "huge surprise to me" but I wouldn't read this again. I'm not a fan of cult books and there were parts of the book I felt could have been shortened it was a little winded. Thank you to NetGalley for providing a copy of this book for me to read!

Oh how I love Sarah Denzil and her books. She is a go to author for me and have read all most all of her books and loved them, this one did NOT disappoint. Highly recommend

I received an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review

This book was a bit predictable and formulaic but it’s very engaging and the characters are like able and fun enough that it keeps you sucked in and turning pages through the plot. Solid 3.

One day Fran finds a little girl alone in the middle of the night, dressed in old fashioned clothes and claiming she is waiting for "Father". The little girl, Esther, is reunited with her parents, but Fran cant stop thinking about the strange religious family and she can't help but think that something very wrong is going on in that house. Why does Esther keep running away from home and how did she get bruised? Fran's husband Adrian thinks Fran should stop obsessing about the family, but after they just disappear one day, she realises she can't stop looking for them until she finds them and stops something horrible happening. What she finds is worse than she could ever have imagined... will she be able to save this little one?

Wow, this book was just brilliant. The plot was exciting and full of mystery and I couldn't stop reading until it ended. The characters were interesting and the twists and turns fantastic. A great ending as well. I really recommend this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of the book in return for my honest feedback.

Another fantastic mystery by the new queen of suspense. Highly recommended! If you are not familiar with Sarah do yourself a favor and grab this title now! A favorite

This was really gripping. I didn’t know what direction the book was going in at first. However, it is written so perfectly that the suspense is there even though not much has happened. It compels you to keep on reading.
Up until about 50% of the way through, Fran’s suspicions aren’t based on a lot. I was wondering if the story had been built on something very insubstantial and I was worried I was going to be disappointed. Then, wham, the book goes in a whole different direction, and there is twist after twist! I really hadn’t seen this angle coming, and it was a bit shocker. I don’t think I’ve read much about the topic being covered, but it still managed to set all of my hairs on edge.
Esther is such a strange little character I was just never sure what to make of her. She certainly seemed a lot older than a seven-year-old, and I had to keep reminding myself that she was still just a little kid.
Fran had a lot of depth, she was still wrecked from the trauma in her past, and I think her character was brilliantly written. I would have liked to know a little bit more about Mary, I know we find out everything at the end but I still felt as if something was missing.
This was a genuinely thrilling, captivating and enthralling read. I didn’t expect to read it this quickly but the pages and time just flew by. We get a good ending as well. The shocks and twists are big and very well done and kept under wraps for the first half of the book.
A brilliant read and one I would definitely recommend. This author has been good to me this year with some fascinating reads and her last release ‘You are Invited’ has made my top five reads for the year! Keep up the excellent work!