Thanks NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I did not enjoy this book as its not the typical genre I read.

Scarlet’s life is pretty average. Overly protective mom. Great friends. Cute boy she’s interested in. And a father she’s never known – until she does.

When the FBI show up at Scarlet’s door, she is shocked to learn her father is infamous serial killer Jeffrey Robert Lake. And now, he’s dying and will only give the names and locations of his remaining victims to the one person, the daughter he hasn’t seen since she was a baby.

Scarlet’s mother has tried to protect her from Lake’s horrifying legacy, but there’s no way they can escape the media firestorm that erupts when they come out of hiding. Or the people who blame Scarlet for her father’s choices. When trying to do the right thing puts her life in danger, Scarlet is faced with a choice – go back into hiding or make the world see her as more than a monster’s daughter.

Kate McLaughlin’s Daughter is a novel about trying right deadly choices that were never yours to begin with. (less)
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Hardcover, 336 pages
Expected publication: March 8th 2022 by Wednesday Books
ISBN1250817447 (ISBN13: 9781250817440)
Edition LanguageEnglish
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December 24, 2021 – Finished Reading6 Show more
Review Not quite sure how to rate this one. I really liked the premise and for the most part the execution of the narrative is fine because it’s a young adult novel. However, the “newspaper clippings“ and “magazine articles” and such read very juvenile in their writing and that’s weird. While we would expect the dialogue and thoughts of the main character to be juvenile since she is a high school student, we would not expect the same from those artifacts. Review to come.

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FRIEND REVIEWS (7) 4.00 average rating
Alyson Stone
Sep 29, 2021Alyson Stone rated it really liked it
Shelves: arc, teen-fic
Book: Daughter
Author: Kate McLaughlin
Rating: 4 Out of 5 Stars

I would like to thank the publisher, Wednesday Books, for sending me an ARC.

This is the second Kate McLaughlin book that I have read. While it didn’t have the same punch as What Unbreakable Looks Like, it still hit me pretty hard. Here we follow a teenage girl who learns that her absent father is indeed the infamous serial killer, Jeff Lake, and that the peaceful life she has known is about to change. We get to see her try to make sense of what has happened and to bring justice to those who her father has killed. Scarlet just isn’t her father’s daughter; she is the only one who he will tell where the remaining bodies are located. You see, the FBI still hasn’t recovered all of the bodies of the girls that Lake has killed nor do they know for sure just how many he killed.

From here, we start to see the effects that Lake has had on those around him. Scarlet’s mother has gone as far to take both her and Scarlet away from the area where Lake is believed to have done most of his killing and has given them both new names. We also see her mother trying to hold it together as her past is brought up and trying to deal with the horrors from all those years ago. We see the FBI side of things as they are work on trying to find the rest of the girls and bring them home. Then, there’s Scarlet. She is the only one who Lake will even talk to. She has to not only deal with the fact that her father is Jeff Lake, but face the monster-even though she doesn’t want to. She sees this as her chance right his wrongs and try to give the girls families a little peace of mind. We see her in this deep shock and this shock goes on for much of the book. Seeing her reaction and the way she acts adds a human element to her. It makes us really stop and think about what our reaction would be if we had just gotten this kind of news.

The way the story is presented just leaves you in an emotional state. It makes you wonder what you would have done if you were in these characters situations. We get to see the press and family reactions as well as getting to see the family of the actual killer. So many times the press focuses on the family of the murdered. Here we get to see that all of those who were affected are the victims. By taking this angle, it really gives us a different view of how things are and gives a chance to see everyone as being human. Now, I'm not saying that Jeff Lake is Mr. Nice Guy. What I’m saying though is we get to see a more deeper understanding into the lives of the people who we usually see on TV. It gives us a chance to see the other side of things. We have a chance to see the other side of things.

Now, if I gave this book a four star rating. I’m not going to lie. There were so parts that I thought were rather drug out. I thought they could have been made shorter or something. I just felt like there for awhile the book kind of lost some of what it was trying to do. I guess that what I’m getting at is there are parts that I would have liked to have seen done better.

Anyway, I do have a very copy of the book so this may change in the final copy. We are still many months out and things may change.

This book comes out on March 8, 2022.

Youtube: https://youtu.be/o1vTwAZCEvw
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Scarlet’s mother moved and changed her name; she is a pharmacist at a drug store. She got her Ph.D. while married, before the move. How did she get the job as a pharmacist when her name was changed?
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Average rating4.20 · Rating details · 114 ratings · 95 reviews

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Nilufer Ozmekik
Aug 03, 2021Nilufer Ozmekik rated it really liked it
Daughter is blazing, haunting, disturbing!
One of the most psychological thriller I’ve lately read!

Poor Scarlet feels so trapped in her life , cocooned by the outer world’s great dangers. Think about to be a seventeen years old girl, living with her over protective mother who has extreme ways to provide her daughter a secure life, hanging out three close friends, having a crush for a popular boy for a long time. It seems like she’s a regular teenager who is looking forward to be 18 to declare her freedom and leave for the college for pursuing filmmaking career.

Missing the curfew, finding the smart ways to deceive her mother, convincing her to the trip for Myrtle Island were the least of her problems till two FBI officers knock their door to request her cooperation to talk with a serial killer to learn where he buried some of his victims who have been never found by the authorities!

Why the hell FBI needs a seventeen years old girl’s help? Why her mother acts so friendly with one of the FBI agents as if they’ve been long time friends!

And they already threw the bombs in her lap: she’s not the person who thinks she’s! Her father is Jeffrey Robert Lake, a serial killer, necrophile who kidnapped, raped, murdered numerous young women between 1990 and 2006, possibly earlier. He was trialed for murder of 14 women in NC after their bodies were found in his family property. The authorities believed there were more. He also insisted there were, too. And he is ready to cooperate with the officers if they bring his daughter to see him because he can only tell her the names. It’s his dying wish: he suffers from pancreatic cancer and he doesn’t have much time left!

Scarlet is in deep shock: Her real name is not Scarlet! She’s named after one of his father’s victim as Britney and her mother got gifts from her husband who belonged to the victims. After her mother found the ugly truth about her husband, she’s been harassed by reporters and the hostile townies which forced her to change their IDs and left the town along with her baby daughter to start over but now the secret is out and Scarlet has to confront with the real evil to bring the peace to the families of victims by learning where he hid them.

But her father is still chasing fifteen minutes fame, playing mind games with her, even he’s still in pain at his dying bed.

As soon as Scarlet’s identity reveals, her full life completely changes. Her friends looks her from different perspectives, the press starts camping in front of her house, chasing her at everywhere and when she has a road trip to NC with her mother, things don’t get horrifying as she’s expected. She meets her grandparents, cousin, aunt, befriending agent Logan’s kids ( actually she has a new crush for his son)

As the life brings new twists and turns, is she brave enough to face them?

How could she survive at the visiting times of her murderer father who talks about his victims with graphical, gory details in expanse to give her a new victim’s name? Can she endure the pressure as she suffers from her own anxiety issues?

This was fast pacing and hooking experience from the beginning till the end, giving a realistic psychological approach to not only a criminal’s mind but it gives extra genuine perspective about the murderer’s family: how they handle things as they are the only living victims of the evil man who have to live with their guilt feelings till the day they die.

Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/ Wednesday Books for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions. (less)
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Denise
Dec 14, 2021Denise rated it liked it
I was given an ARC of this book, and I had no idea until a chapter or so in when everything was "AF" and parties, cute boys, and pot were the main focus, that this was a YA book. I am definitely not the target audience here, so take my review for what it's worth.

Teenage Scarlet finds out from an FBI agent (in a black SUV nonetheless) that she and her mother are basically in the witness protection program, and that she is the daughter of a famous serial killer, Jeff Lake. He is dying and tells the FBI that he will reveal where more of the victims are buried if his daughter will agree to meet with him. What ensues is several father/daughter meetings, some teen romance, and as much resolution as the daughter of a serial killer can find.

There was nothing inherently wrong with this book, but there is no real drama, no twists, etc. After an intriguing opening, the plot slowed way down, and I'm not sure the conclusion was worth the work it took to get there. It seemed to be very strongly influenced by all of the recent Netflix documentaries on Ted Bundy, with many parallels to Bundy's story. The writing, while good, also had that very melodramatic quality that seems to be inherent in all YA books - every single emotion is the most intense emotion ever experienced! It's just over-the-top. My other gripe (which is also one of my pet peeves about YA stories in general) is that the teenagers here acted more like college students instead of high school students with drinking parties, sex, pot, and talks of spring break road trips. I did like that the serial killer was not the focus of the storyline, but rather a minor plot piece. The focus really stayed on the victims and honoring their memories.

Overall, an interesting look into the life of a teenaged daughter of a serial killer, but it's just a little too heavy on teenage angst for my taste. 3 stars. (less)
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Booktastically Amazing
Nov 11, 2021Booktastically Amazing rated it it was amazing
Shelves: november-2021, woah, amazing-book, what-was-that-ending, would-kill-for-mc, pain-is-killing-me, so-incredibly-real, must-review, what-the-heck-just-happened, wheres-the-second-book
~👑Special thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!👑~

I just found my new favorite author and I'm not even ashamed to admit that she made me cry.

Internally.
In amazement.

Rating: ✨✨✨✨✨ 4.5

I'm basically a walking corpse with decent hair and intense opinions. So this book was one of the last options I had before giving up on YA (adding a dramatic flair for special effect) and lo and behold, I was hooked and reeled in without any care for my mental health.

Put in a serial killer ...more
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rachel ☾
Dec 13, 2020rachel ☾ marked it as to-read
Shelves: releases-2022, young-adult-lit, mystery-thriller-suspense
17-year-old Scarlet finds out the father she's never known was a notorious serial killer, and now that he's dying, he'll only give the names of his remaining victims to her—if she agrees to meet with him


ooooh 👀

Blog • Trigger Warning Database • Twitter • Instagram ...more
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R
Aug 30, 2021R rated it it was amazing
This was the second book I read by this author. The first one, What Unbreakable Looks Like, was a fast paced and emotional read. So was this one. Both books also had teenagers dealing with the harsh realities of life and finding ways to overcome horrible circumstances. Once again, this author engaged the reader from start to finish.

Seventeen year old Scarlet loved her mother but also resented her. Gina was extremely overprotective and quite paranoid about her daughter’s safety. The daughter nee ...more
flag9 likes · Like · see review
Danielle B
Aug 08, 2021Danielle B rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
Shelves: 2021, netgalley-arc
Scarlet is living the typical life of a teenager in high school. She loves her friends, has a highly protective mother, and has a boy that she’s currently interested in. However she never had a father in her life, and unfortunately, that is about to change. The FBI show up at Scarlet’s house to inform her that she is the daughter of the serial killer Jeffrey Robert Lake. And that Lake is incarcerated but has a terminal illness and not much time left. Lake has agreed to give up the names and loca ...more
flag6 likes · Like · see review
Monika
Nov 22, 2021Monika rated it really liked it
Shelves: mystery-suspense-thriller, new-and-young-adult, emotional-tear-jerker, creepy-killers
Whenever I read a true crime story about creepy killers, I always think how would their family feel, what plays in their mind to learn that one of their own is a killer?! Author McLaughlin has provided a wholesome answer to my question in the form of this book — Daughter. Thank you Wednesday books for the e-arc.

Saying anymore things about this book will release the tension, so I’m just gonna say if you like the synopsis, get reading. Daughter will not disappoint you! She is fast paced, brave, suspenseful and her actions will shock you. (less)
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Carolyn
Jul 17, 2021Carolyn rated it really liked it
Daughter by Kate McLaughlin is a young adult novel. What if you had grown up with a single mother but always wondered what it would be like to have a father? What if you found out you do have a father and he's a famous serial killer on death row? Scarlet's father is so famous there was a popular movie made about him. She watched it with her class at school. Except for a short creepy first chapter, this story is told from Scarlet's point of view. And for much of the novel, Scarlet's attention is ...more
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PinkAmy loves books, cats and naps
Aug 19, 2021PinkAmy loves books, cats and naps rated it liked it
***Thanks to NetGalley for providing me a complimentary copy of DAUGHTER by Kate McLaughlin in exchange for my honest review.***

2.5 STARS

Scarlett discovers she’s the daughter of a notorious serial killer when on his deathbed, he agrees to give the names and locations of other victims if she visits him.

I wanted to love DAUGHTER as much as I liked Kate McLaughlin’s THIS IS WHAT UNBREAKABLE LOOKS LIKE. DAUGHTER starts off slowly with party scenes not central to plot or character. Once Scarlett learns her identity and that of her mother, the pace picked up a bit and I finished the story in one sitting.

Scarlett should be a more compelling character, but I never *felt* her pain, anger or fear. The minor characters had more personality and nuance. I did root for her. Her father was felt more like a character than an actual serial killer.

Scarlett’s narration grabbed me more than the articles and letters, which felt more like info dump than useful additions to the story. McLaughlin didn’t do a lot of research about death row, prison security or prisons in general. Her father wouldn’t have his own room in an infirmary and Scarlett would have never been left alone with him etc.

DAUGHTER had more potential than the story, which made the book disappointing, though I still enjoyed it.

This book was such a clever read. I loved the premise as well as the interactions between father and daughter in this book.

I absolutely loved this book it captured me from the start and I finished it in 2 days! I could not put it down. I did not read much of the synopsis as I try to go into a book blind and this one did not disappoint. Serial killers are a subject I like and this book put the humanity in a subject that is wildly popular in this time. I love how it was geared to Scarlett making this into the victims and not about her father. I will definitely pick up another book by this author. Run don’t walk get this book!

This was such a good read! It kept on the edge of my seat the whole time I read this. It’s haunting and disturbing. It’s incredibly fast pace and I devoured this in a day or so. The twists and turns at every angle kept me hooked until the very end. I didn’t love the ending imo but other than that it was a great book!

This is such a great book!!! I literally devoured it and didn’t want it to end. I can totally see this being turned into a movie or even a TV series. This is the second book I have read by Kate McLaughlin, and she is rapidly becoming one of my new favorite YA authors, as she is not one to shy away from tough topics that affect us all - on the contrary she creates hard hitting stories out of these exact topics.
Daughter is main character Scarlet’s story of discovering that she is the daughter of one of the worst and prolific serial killers of this time. One day she is just an ordinary teen worrying about school and boys, the next the life as she always knew it is blown apart by the knowledge that she never was who she thought she was. Her mother had created a new life for them with the help of the FBI years before, but when her father is dying in prison he makes one last request: to see the daughter who never knew she was his daughter.
While Scarlet has no intention of meeting her biological father, his request to see her comes with the deal that he will reveal the names and locations of other victims, but only to her. So Scarlet has to make a choice: will she go back into hiding, or try to get as much as she can from her father before he dies, so at least his remaining victims can be laid to rest?
I can’t even imagine waking up one morning and finding out that your father was one of the most scary, evil, and terrible people to walk on this earth. How does a teen deal with that? McLaughlin does an amazing job creating this story: Scarlet’s character development is topnotch, and everyone around her is well-rounded and believable - even Jeffrey Robert Lake, the serial killer, is more than real enough.
This book is marketed as YA, but as an adult I thoroughly enjoyed it and highly recommend it!
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis:
Scarlet’s life is pretty average. Overly protective mom. Great friends. Cute boy she’s interested in. And a father she’s never known – until she does.

When the FBI show up at Scarlet’s door, she is shocked to learn her father is infamous serial killer Jeffrey Robert Lake. And now, he’s dying and will only give the names and locations of his remaining victims to the one person, the daughter he hasn’t seen since she was a baby.

Scarlet’s mother has tried to protect her from Lake’s horrifying legacy, but there’s no way they can escape the media firestorm that erupts when they come out of hiding. Or the people who blame Scarlet for her father’s choices. When trying to do the right thing puts her life in danger, Scarlet is faced with a choice – go back into hiding or make the world see her as more than a monster’s daughter.


Review:

Thank you so much to Wednesday Books and Netgalley for an E-ARC of Daughter!

This was such a harrowing concept, and overall I think the execution was great! It was extremely addictive, and I couldn't put it down. However, it was a very unbelievable story, and there were some plot holes and weird pacing moments. I would recommend this if you are a fan of 'The Silence of the Lambs'.

The characters might have been the weakest point of this book. After reading What Unbreakable Looks Like, I was hoping for the same kind of character development and reliability. However, some of the characters fell a little flat for me. Scarlet, the main character is the best example. She is not very relatable at all, outside of the fact that she is upset at her mom for being too controlling. Her behavior actually doesn't feel like a teenager. I hate to say it, but you can really tell that she was written by an adult, because she's constantly saying phrases like 'boss bitch' and 'lmao' in real life conversation, which, based on myself and all of the other Gen-Z people I know, we don't do this. The side characters were good aside from her though. Her mom was an interesting character, but she didn't really act like a mom I know. Jeff Lake was a disgusting character, which was the point, so I guess that was good writing to make me feel so strongly about him.

The set-up was great! Honestly, I was a little scared throughout the book, which almost never happens. The subject matter is just super troubling, and Kate McLaughlin does not fail to pack another emotional punch in 'Daughter'. I can't remember if there was a trigger warning, but if there wasn't, there should be one.

The pacing and plot was pretty good, but a a little spotty. There were a few parts that felt rushed or unnecessary. For example, later on in the book when Scarlet (spoiler) meets some of her biological family, it feels like a very important and formative moment is being rushed, just so the story can pivot back to the extremely gruesome plot of Jeff Lake. Also, without spoiling anything, there is a romance subplot that feels a little silly in comparison to all of the heavy subjects that the book is tackling.

The writing was as mentioned earlier, extremely addictive and propulsive. I wanted to put it down at times because it was Too Much, but I couldn't. Reading this was like watching a pile-up on the highway. If I'm being honest, at times, it felt like the writing struck a little too much of a sensationalist violent tone, but it mostly did a good job of approaching this topic with compassion.

Overall, 'Daughter' is another win for Kate McLaughlin, and though it had some issues, I'm excited to see where the author goes next!

Anticipation: 4: This looks so good, and I liked the author's previous book
Enjoyment: 4.5: I couldn't put this down!

--> 4 stars

This was the second book I read by this author. The first one, What Unbreakable Looks Like, was a fast paced and emotional read. So was this one. Both books also had teenagers dealing with the harsh realities of life and finding ways to overcome horrible circumstances. Once again, this author engaged the reader from start to finish.

Seventeen year old Scarlet loved her mother but also resented her. Gina was extremely overprotective and quite paranoid about her daughter’s safety. The daughter needed to constantly check in with her mom and basically had a very controlled social life. Even though love was always present, Scarlet couldn’t understand why her mom was so overly strict - until their small controlled world was unexpectedly shaken by a visit from the FBI. A notorious serial killer, a person Scarlet learned about in her cinema class, wanted to see her before he died. In exchange for Scarlet visiting him, Jeffery Lake told the FBI he would give her the names and locations of the other women he killed. That protective cocoon that Gina placed around Scarlet was now being infiltrated by this psychopath- her ex husband and Scarlet’s father.

The characters were very interesting and well developed. I loved how the author allowed Scarlet to react to the shocking situations that was suddenly thrust upon her and how she dealt with it. For example, she was angry at her mother for keeping such a secret from her, the FBI who intruded her life, and a serial killer father she shared DNA with. With all this information exposed, Scarlet now realized why her mother was so paranoid. I also liked how Scarlet, as angry as she was over this new knowledge, took her mother’s feelings into consideration, and in a way, she became fiercely protective of her mother.

I also enjoyed how all the characters interacted with each other. There were some very tense scenes, especially between father and daughter, as well as heartwarming ones with new friends and family. As the story developed, the author skillfully showcased the emotional strength and love between mother and daughter as they stepped out of that self imposed cocoon and faced the traumatic events of their past together, but no longer alone.

Overall, this was a well written story that will hold your interest throughout. I think it will also appeal to readers beyond that YA tag such as Criminal Minds fans.

Thank you for the arc of this book,
It held me from the first page,Scarlet seemed like an ordinary teenager until she wasn't.
I not sure I could have done what she did, and what he left for her was shocking.
An enjoyable read.

📚Kate McLaughlin has done it again and written an intense novel that I couldn’t put down. I read this in one weekend and as a mom of two under the age of three that is not an easy thing to do!

~👑Special thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!👑~

I just found my new favorite author and I'm not even ashamed to admit that she made me cry.

Internally.
In amazement.

Rating: ✨✨✨✨✨ 4.5

I'm basically a walking corpse with decent hair and intense opinions. So this book was one of the last options I had before giving up on YA (adding a dramatic flair for special effect) and lo and behold, I was hooked and reeled in without any care for my mental health.

Put in a serial killer, someone with an ultimatum (that could kill them) and a smart (ish) main character, and you bet I'll be there! With donuts, a chainsaw and a clan of vikings ready to lead the war.
I'm nothing if not efficient, pfft.

Since I read What Unbreakable looks like, a story about a human trafficking survivor that had to deal with the aftermath of such horror written by the same author, I've been somewhat... I don't know the word- oh yes, consumed with the need to read more books of this author. (that is indeed a word, just separated)

And consumed is a little too light a word as well. Perhaps- absolutely, completely drenched with the urge to get my hands on more stories such as this one, would be a better choice.

The plot was magnificent. If I could sacrifice a fictional person for it, I would. (just take any of the books from the pile of 'MC should off herself' (kindly of course) rip out some characters and watch them burn) I threw the book across the room (in my head), yelled at the twists and turns (actually happened), gasped in amazement with glittering eyes and all (uh-huh I looked high on faerie dust. Either fictional worlds supply me with it or I create my own) and basically died fangirling too many times to be proper.

Because of course, the proper feminine urge to hug some dead trees to death (the syntax needs work but roll with it please) was too much to resist! So instead I had to squeeze my e-reader between my palms in rage, grace and a kick to the face? I'm pretty certain someone kicked someone in this book. Mainly with words, I think. Alright, the pace was excellent, I was in to finishing this book in a day and I kind of did (the bags under my eyes could rival a cliff). The whole atmospheric devices added in to create a sort of vicious landscape of hardened emotions and smiling blades left me with a sort of feeling inside because... what the heck was I going to read after such a masterpiece???

I wouldn't classify this as a horror, nor as a contemporary, thriller doesn't ring right with me either. Maybe a crime- psychological torture device that grips you from the start by the wings and threatens to rip them apart while maniacally cackling?
Okay, yeah, let's go with thriller.
(If they added the words 'based on a true story' oh nuh uh, this girl would've been OUT. As in, not present. Flying away while the song 'we're going on a trip on my favorite rocket ship, soaring through the skyyyyy' plays in the background)
(don't lie, that ish was so lit)

Then we have the writing. If I were to classify it in a sane and logical category *cough* where I could nitpick it to hell come and fangirl over it till pigs have tails-- I would say that it was an A+ on every level. I liked how it added the necessary details to represent what was occurring, loved the dialogue-- nay, adored it. Would kneel for it.
I *exaggerated Briticism accent when it's actually a person with an American accent speaking* thought incredibly highly of such a work.
The conversations y'all... do you ever just feel like closing a book, inhaling really deeply, judging your life decisions and then opening it again? Because that's how I was the whole entire novel. This author has the gift of bringing my obsessive book devourer out to the light when I don't even know when it's supposed to be, out of the cage I clearly left that alter ego in.
The way the characters spoke, how they were written to sound, I felt each note spreading across my skin so agonizingly slow I swear I think I died during their convos.

Am I writing whole paragraphs dedicated to the way conversations were *written* in a book? Pfft, absofreakinglutely.
How could I not???
Dudes, the conversations with the serial killer.
WHAT THE H-E DOUBLE HOLY WATERS WAS THAT????
AND WHERE CAN I GET IT- hold up, let me clarify. Not me having satisfying convos with killers, I mean the characters- Alright, I'll stop digging the hole for myself and maybe actually let the characters do so for me.

Why?
Because as the beginning stated, y'all are looking at a corpse.
Through a screen.
Shhh, it makes sense.

The main character was ultimately an entire bloody (no pun intended, but actually yes) piece of cake infused with sassy comebacks, remarkably placed threats and just enough sprinkling of 'I want that guy dead' to make me relate.
Does that sound like a good piece of cake?
Because yes, yes it is.
(minus the bloody, I'll leave that to Mr. 'You're my drug' Edward C, pfft)
I loved how even when she was clearly on the verge of breaking, she held herself up using toothpicks and, along the story, stitched herself back into a decent being. I have no idea what I would've done if I had been in her place (probably ingnote everything until that 'everything' dies off and I can look at oxygen particles again). Her charisma, her confidence, THE WAY SHE OWNED THAT ISH WHEN SPEAKING TO A MONSTER LIKE HER DAD. *sigh* It's been a while since I've felt satisfied when reading a confrontation between parents and their kids. Mostly, I'm like... bro. Punch each other (please don't follow this poor judgement).

The background characters lent my lifeless being a portion of light, so my soul could absorb it and be a lantern for some time.
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The love interest was adorable and even though unneeded, the added romance and the guy's PERFECTION (all caps, it was necessary) was everything I could've hoped to have. (that is a lot to say when I usually abhor romances in thrillers)
Am I swooning right now? Why yes, yes I am.
What gave me away? The fact that I'm clutching a pillow to my chest while sighing to the heavens in adoration and despair, or the way I'm picturing those scenes where that man left my heart for dead on the side of the road? The way he leaned against walls was so hot.

On a closing note, I need more books, y'all. More books like this. More books that make me frustrated and happy and consumed by feelings I can't begin to comprehend. More books that put that line between good and bad blurry yet agonizingly clear. This book is one that I'm looking forward to re-reading. The plot was so amazing (*cue me dying 'dramatically' all over again*), the writing was awesome, THE CHARACTERS LEFT A GAPING HOLE ON MY CHEST THAT IS BEING HELP UP WITH CRAPPY CLEAR TAPE.
And if I have to put myself through the (looked for) torture of having to deal with a poophead of such big dimensions the guy could block the sun and make Hades feel like a pebble, to feel as if it's the first time I'm reading it...
I will do so.

Can somebody hand me a tissue now? My dead eyes are secreting a watery substance, and in this grave there ins't a faucet to clean my face.

DAUGHTER
BY: KATE MCLAUGHLIN

To say that once I started reading this I felt sick to my stomach and wondered what could I have been thinking when I requested it? It was depressing and upset me because I don't like this subject matter at all anymore. I kept thinking what kind of depraved soul would write a book like this? It was hard but I managed to push myself to keep reading it and it wasn't until I read the Acknowledgements by this very talented and empathetic Author that I decided she deserves Five stars instead of the one star I had planned on giving this book. My thoughts echo her reason for writing this chilling and creepy and very disturbing book. Kate McLaughlin shares that too often we as a society pay too much attention to the serial killer instead of focusing our attention on the murdered victims and their families who deserve our undivided attention--all of it. This has to change! I couldn't agree with her more. So this Author did make me uncomfortable reading this Brilliant and Stunning novel. I will survive. I am a strong person as are her two main protagonists in this which were the ex-wife of the vile serial killer in this novel dying of pancreatic cancer in a Raleigh, North Carolina prison and the daughter. He has made a devils bargain with the FBI that he will reveal the identities of his other victims if he can tell them to his daughter. His daughter who is seventeen but has always thought her extremely over protective single mother as paranoid gets her whole world turned upside down when two FBI agents appear and with her mother they reveal to her the truth. They were living in Waterford, Connecticut under their changed names. The teenager's changed name is Scarlet Murphy and her mother changed her name to Gina Murphy and relocated and have been living anonymous lives ever since Gina learned while attending her husband's trial that she was wearing one of the murdered victims necklace. She had believed that her serial killer Jeff Lake was innocent because like some of the psychopathic tendencies are to be pathological liar's and good looking and charming. Her name before she changed it was Alison Michael's and her ex-husband named their only child, which is the daughter who has always thought her name was Scarlet was named after his first victim, Britney.

This was like driving past an accident that you don't really want to look at but you do. The Author deserves my sincere apology for my initial bad judgement of questioning who would write a book about this subject matter. She actually did a masterful job with her character development and her heart is in the right place. I know that people are going to judge me on the fact that I read this book and my next one for being a fluff piece that is formulaic and non literary. I do need a light read after this one. I loved the mother and daughter relationship in this one and all of the likable characters that stood by this mother and daughter when their true identities are leaked to the Media by the serial killer. I loved how this Author illuminated how relentless some of the Media are in order to get a sensational story. I know that this isn't for everybody and definitely not for the faint hearted. It is pretty graphic and I am so grateful that I pushed myself to finish it. Otherwise, I would have missed reading the Author, Kate McLaughlin's pure intentions. I think that readers of True Crime and fans of the Horror genre will love this so that is who I recommend this to. It is so realistic and it is supposed to be a Young Adult novel but it read like an adult novel. If you are looking for a chilling and creepy and disturbing reading experience then look no further--this book is for you. It made me smarter!

Publication Date: March 8, 2022

Thank you to Net Galley, Kate McLaughlin and St.Martin's Press-Wednesday Books for generously providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

#Daughter #KateMcLaughlin #StMartinsPressWednesdayBooks #NetGalley

3.5 stars

Serial killers tend to be well known in the media. People know their names and crimes, but what about their families? Are they partly responsible for their loved ones crimes or just another victim? When Scarlet finds out that her father is one of the most famous serial killers in the U.S., her world is flipped upside down. Suddenly people are chasing her, some blaming her and others wanting to use her for fame. When she comes face to face with Jeffery Lake, Scarlet knows she'll never be the same.

I liked how this focused on the family of the killer and how their lives are affected. How people can blame a child for something their father did is beyond me and I would never want to see a broken family mistreated. Scarlet goes on a journey of self discovery, wondering if she's at all like her father and learning how to face her fears and rely on those around her for help.

I didn't love how many scenes were of Scarlet getting high. It felt unnecessary and took away from the plot I thought. I also hoped there would be more of Jeffery and his crimes, but he was more of a side character. The romance with Luke was pretty cute though and overall this was an interesting read.

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All opinions are my own. Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the copy.

This was so good, with such a perfect amount of detail and things that made me feel disturbed. I love a book that requires trigger warnings. Love that she included talk of Bundy, BTK, and Aileen Wurrous. The Author did she a great job depicting Lake as a heartless serial killer. And his tag line name The Gentleman, was perfect!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my review copy.

*Actual rating of 3.5 stars

“My father took their lives. I’m going to give them a voice.” –Kate McLaughlin

Daughter is a book about a girl, Scarlet, who finds out her father is a convicted serial killer. Her mother changed their names and hid them away from any connections to their previous life, all without Scarlet knowing. Her father is dying of pancreatic cancer and has agreed to give names of unknown victims to Scarlet and Scarlet only. Practically overnight, Scarlet’s life changes wildly as she uncovers more about her past.

Overall, this book was enjoyable. I really enjoyed how it makes you take a long look at the cult following of serial killers and how the killers always get much more attention than the victims do. It definitely raises an important issue and makes you think more about it, even though it’s only in a fictional setting with fictional victims. Why doesn’t anyone remember the names of Ted Bundy’s victims? The Golden State Killer? Ed Kemper? We know the names, and usually the stories, of the killers but hardly ever the victims. This story does a good job of taking a long look at the phenomenon of the serial killer and how the victims should take precedence.

Another thing I liked about this book was that it is much more character-driven than plot-driven. However, that’s a personal preference and I definitely understand that not all readers will find it enjoyable for that reason. (Yet it does seem realistic, story-wise, because a teenage girl is really not going to be allowed to be that involved in a serial killer’s case.) Scarlet finds her inner strength and, as she puts it at one point, learns to lean into the fight part of the fight-or-flight response. Scarlet is a strong character who starts off afraid, a bit fickle, and uncertain of herself. She compares herself to her friends and describes herself as the average one of the bunch. But by the end of the book, she is much more sure of her place in the world, even though it has been defined by who her father is.

This story is also relatively well-written and does a good job with descriptions of the murders without being too gory. There is also a romantic side plot that is refreshing against the backdrop of murder. I also enjoy that many of the chapters begin with fake news articles, psychology papers, letters to the editor, etc. It adds a realistic element to the story and makes Lake (the serial killer) seem to have a far-reaching effect on things like a real serial killer would. These articles, etc, make Lake seem like an actual, real-life killer like Ted Bundy or Jeffrey Dahmer. McLaughlin does a good job of using smaller details like this to really add to the realism of the story.

One of the main things I did not like about this book is that the dialogue (inner and between characters) can be pretty….cringey. There are certain phrases, like “hawt” or “oh my gawd” or “he’s mad AF,” that really bring you out of the story. I understand that I’m an adult reading a YA book, but it still seems like these slang terms don’t quite fit in with the rest of the story. This could just be a personal preference, though.

Another thing I didn’t like is that the story really doesn’t have much of a plot. The majority of the story is just Scarlet talking with her father, and dealing with the fallout of learning that she has a serial killer for a father. No spoilers, but not much else happens. But the lack of a plot does add further depth to the development of the characters, mainly those of Scarlet and her mother.

Overall, if you’re a fan of both YA and true crime-type stories, you would enjoy this book. It’s a solid character study on what exactly it would be like to find out that your father is a serial killer, and what it would be like to meet him.


*I received a free electronic copy of this book from Netgalley
*Review also posted on Goodreads & The Book Keepers Blog

(This review has also been posted to GoodReads)

This could have been a 3 star read with some nit-picks. Instead it’s a two star with some major complaints.

My biggest reason for dropping the rating down a star is the excessive use of the F-word. Call me a prude, or sensitive, or whatever else you want to call me, but this word needs to be used tastefully. Scarlet drops it all the time for no real reason. It makes her sound even younger and more annoying than she really is.

So. I have a problem being concise. I want to go into detail on EVERYTHING. And I really don’t have the space for that. Despite this ending up as nearly 3 stars, I had major problems with the book.

SCARLET
I never felt true growth from Scarlet. Her character growth is pretty much no longer needed to smoke pot to calm down her anxiety (partially thanks to ‘healing p*nis magic’).

She (a senior in high school) starts up a relationship with a boy in college (it’s never clear how old this kid is, unless I read that) and the whole thing makes me uncomfortable.

She supposedly has anxiety (I’m not going to nitpick this - anxiety manifests differently for everyone) and smokes a lot of pot because she doesn’t want to be dependent on her medication. But then thanks to some ‘Magic Healing P*nis’ her anxiety more or less goes away.

She meets her serial killer dad for the first time and is snarky and apparently knows all the right things to say to manipulate him. Every conversation between the two comes off as awkward and eye-roll inducing. The only time Scarlet has snappy comebacks and zingers is with her dad. She can barely string together a cohesive statement around the boy with the Magic P*nis the first few times they meet. But a convicted serial killer, who is also her long lost father? No problem. She’s full of sh*t to say to him.

And, despite not knowing her father was a convicted serial killer, she just accepts it. She’s strangely calm about the whole thing. She doesn’t really seem to ever reflect on this fact. When she does lash out it’s at her mom, who had only been trying to protect her and instead of having a CONVERSATION one of them ends up crying and consoling the other and they never really talk. When they do talk things are never really resolved and they both just move on.

NIT-PICKY STUFF
MOM’S SELECTIVE PARANOIA: She whisked Scarlet off to a new state, changed their names and keeps Scarlet on a tight leash to ‘protect’ her. But it’s unclear what this actually means. Lake is in prison, and yeah, there are bad people out there, but basically once Scarlet finds out about Lake Mom does a 180 and is like ‘heck yeah, go to that party, get drunk and sleep with a boy! Don’t even bother to check in with me. It’s wine o’clock and I’m a bottle down already! WOOOOOO!’ I’m only exaggerating a little. Mom goes from being a paranoid neurotic to more or less down a bottle of wine a night and giving Scarlet full rein to do whatever she wants. And Scarlet seems to want Mom to check in, but Mom just guzzles her 43rd class of wine and laughs it all off. I honestly thought the book was setting us up for something to happen to Scarlet (something very minor) and Mom not answering because she’s passed out somewhere with her 400 wine bottles surrounding her. Scarlet made A HUGE deal of keeping her GPS on just in case (and it never plays out, so that irked me quite a bit). Scarlet also just has a moment of ‘wow my mom is being weird. Oh well, I want to go get naked with that hot boy’ and she flounces off not to think about her mom’s change of heart ever again.

LUKE: Scarlet and Luke’s relationship felt forced. Scarlet is a teen in high school. Luke is a teen (I assume) in college. They sleep together multiple times (this honestly isn’t a spoiler - it’s obvious they’re going to have sex from the second they look at each other. Mom even encourages it at one point). All I’m saying is you’d think the son of an FBI agent would know better than to have sex with a minor. (Ugh, never mind, the age of consent in NC is 16. Gross.) I’m just not okay with any adult specifically trying to get a high school student in bed. I find it gross. And their relationship was basically based on how hot they find each other. They don’t have a single deep conversation. They hardly know each other. He calls her a few times when she’s upset. Big deal.

LAKE: Lake as a serial killer felt like a big old caricature (based on the acknowledgements sections he’s heavily influenced by Bundy - which I caught on to right away). He’s a smooth talker and supposedly a prolific killer. But I HATED his interactions with Scarlet. The fact that they both were trying to play mind games with each other and that Scarlet could keep up with those mind games really annoyed me. Their dialogue was painful to read and they both tried to one-up the other over and over and over again. I wanted to seriously throw something for most of the exchange between Lake and Scarlet. They came off so strangely to me.

Also. WHO LEAVES A TEEN GIRL ALONE IN A ROOM WITH A CONVICTED SERIAL KILLER? I don’t care if he’s her father. And why wasn’t she told not to get close to him? Why was he allowed to grab her twice (on different days)? Mr. FBI should have been fired for this.

I pretty much hated everything to do with Lake (and not because he was a serial killer) because he was given too much power and control. Even after his death (not really a spoiler - he’s literally dying of cancer when Scarlet meets him) he still holds all the power. He was over the top but everyone treated him like a buzzing fly - annoying, but harmless.

THE (lack of) MEDIA: I feel like the media was a limp fish here. Yeah. They staked out Scarlet’s house. They followed her around a bit. But overall, Scarlet pretty easily evades them. ALL THE STUPID ARTICLES THROWN IN AT RANDOM TIMES WERE JUST INFO-DUMPING. They added zero context to the story. They were boring. I hated them. They gave zero insight and were basically there to hit the reader over the head with information that had already been pieced together. And what hadn’t could have been explained through dialogue or a news clip or something. The articles were a HUGE miss for me here and detracted from the story too much.

THE DOCUMENTARY: Scarlet decides that she needs to make a film documentary to honor the victims (oh, you didn’t know, Scarlet wants to go to film school - yeah, I have no idea why either because she rarely talks about film or expresses much of an interest in anything - except where she imagines all her favorite movies shot different because she knows better than industry professionals who have been making movies since before she was born). Except the only victim she spends any amount of time on, is the first one; Brittany. The one she’s named after. She makes a list of the other names and that’s it. Scarlet films some stuff. She interviews some people. She plans to make a whole series of videos. We never see this pay off. We never even know if she finishes the videos. But she gets into multiple film schools, despite her stating she only made bad movies with her friends or a few documentaries. I guess in the world Scarlet lives in film school isn’t one of the most competitive schools to get into. Okay. Sure. (Scarlet even makes a comment that she doesn’t need to be smart like other people because she just wants to make movies - I can’t even right now.)

Part of me thinks the documentary got thrown in here so Scarlet could be a ‘good person’ and make a difference. But with no end result, it feels like she’s just doing it for herself (despite telling us multiple times it’s not about the fame or money - she’s doing it because it’s the right thing to do – actually I think she does indeed say she’s only doing it for herself, which is gross if you think about it. She’s asking these families to talk openly about the memories of their loved one so that she can feel redeemed? Okay. Whatever. Maybe had the documentary been posted, and people responded positively, etc, I could get behind this, but that doesn’t happen).

Other random stuff:
Someone asked a question (in the general question asking space) about how Mom was able to get a job in a pharmacy - in a high level of authority when she changed her name and had her degree before she married Lake. This is a really good question. And it’s never answered. A follow up question is how was she able to just walk away from her job without a second thought and also plan a huge European vacation? I’m tired of books where no one has real responsibilities. Scarlet also runs off to NC and does all her schoolwork online? I guess? It would have made more sense if the book took place over the summer. No school. Scarlet would be 18 (less ick factor when she hooks up with college boy). The story had no bearing on a time of year. It wasn’t some gross anniversary of the first murder or anything.

Again. This came really close to being 3 stars. Had a few things been changed (and a lot of the dialogue smoothed out) I would still give it a 3. But there are too many weird little issues that bothered me. I could be tempted to pick up more of the author’s work, but through the library. This isn’t something I’d want to have on my shelf.

Amazing book! Loved this story and highly recommend it! I look forward to more books by this author!

While she doesn’t like it, Scarlet has gotten used to her mom being ridiculously overprotective. When she opens the door on day to two members of the FBI, Scarlet quickly learns why her mom treats her the way she does. Can this really be true? Jeff Lake, the serial killer, is her father? Not only that but he wants to see her. She is the only person he will tell the names of his other victims to. Now not only is she the daughter of a serial killer, but she is the FBI’s only hope of bringing his other victims families peace.

Wow. This book is so disturbing, but I could not stop reading. This is such a different take on a story about a serial killer and I have to say, it was amazing. McLaughlin so perfectly portrayed Scarletts feelings, both in terms of meeting Jeff, but also just about being a teenage girl in general facing a rough time. Without spoiling, there was one part that when I read it I knew exactly where the situation was going, and the FBI seemed to not even consider it. That part threw me a bit but other than that, his book was excellent!

While I love mysteries and thrillers I am not a person who is overly interested in the psychology of serial killers. However this book was so engrossing and so thoughtful in the depiction of both the killer, their families, and their victims it was hard to put down but also there were times when all you wanted to do was look away. Scarlet finds out that she isn’t who she thought she was, and that her background has a much darker secret, and she’s thrust into a new family, a new world and an attempt to save more families from hurt she has to reckon with this new information and how the world sees her and her family. I definitely see some more Netflix specials and books in my life about serial killers after reading this book.

To say Scarlet’s mother is overprotective is an understatement. Even though she is almost 18, her mom wants to know who, what and where she is going every minute of the day. That doesn’t stop Scarlet from doing a bit of drinking and weed with her friends. She kind of gets it. They have no relatives and her mom doesn’t want to talk about her past. Even though she chafes at the boundaries her mom imposes, she really does love her. It has always been the two of them against the world.

That world crumbled the day the FBI came knocking on their door. Scarlet is not who she always thought she was and her mother certainly isn’t either. Suddenly, her mother’s smothering caution makes sense. With her world crashing down, she is asked to do something a grown person would balk at doing, but realizes it is the only way for her and her mother to be free of the shackles that they have been dealing with for her entire life.

Daughter grabbed me in the first chapter and did not let me go until the final pages. The characters are believable and some of them made me shudder as they are pure evil. McLaughlin skillfully brings the reader along as Scarlet learns the ugly truth that has been hidden from her for years. We see her working through her new reality, struggling to find herself amidst the turmoil. I also really agree with the message sent by the author via Scarlet, that the victims of crime should be the ones we hear about, not the perpetrators.

This is the first book I have read by Kate McLaughlin and highly recommend it. While it is written for young adults, I really enjoyed it as a much older adult. Ms. McLaughlin has a previous book, What Unbreakable Looks Like, which I am adding to my TBR stack.

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: I have a material connection because I received a review copy for free from Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. Copyright © 2021 Laura Hartman