A real slow burn but I couldn't put this down. The way that the story unfolded just kept me guessing right up to the end.

Hazel Sharp returns to her hometown following the sudden death of her father. From the start, she feels that something isn't quite right so when she is unexpectedly left her fathers house, she isn't met with the warmest of welcomes by her two brothers.

As I read this, I felt Hazel's unease growing with each page. I was forever changing my mind on who was almost taunting her, trying to get her to leave and I actually still didn't get it right! A thoroughly enjoyable read, another great book by Megan Miranda.

Thank you NetGalley and Quercus Books for the eARC.

Daughter of Mine is a story about loss, secrets, betrayals, paranoia, and closure. The story follows Hazel Sharp as she goes back to her hometown to attend her father’s funeral. While at the funeral, a car is found in Mirror Lake, and everything starts to unravel. What starts as a story of loss and sadness, develops into a story of lies, cover ups and questions.

The area of Mirror Lake seems tranquil and safe on the surface, but the lake contains secrets; secrets that are starting to reveal themselves as the water levels drop.

The chapters are marked by the number of days since the drought began. The nearer we get to the rain, the more the tension builds. The rain seems symbolic at the end of the book. The drought exposes the secrets, and the rain leads to the secrets getting washed away and the truth finally coming out.

On the surface, the story is a typical thriller in the sense that something has happened, and Hazel plans to find out what. What makes this story stand out is that the more Hazel digs, the less everything makes sense. The constant, quiet, tense atmosphere that is hidden behind the tight knit family ties skews the truth. The truth tries to fight through, but loyalties keep it at bay until it finally bursts through violently and chaotically.

Audrey, Libby, Jamie, Sonny. All members of Mirror Lake, all victims of the secrets of Mirror Lake. Can Hazel find the truth or will the Lake and its secrets consume her too?

Hazel has returned to her family home in Mirror Lake, Nth Carolina after the death of her father, Detective Perry Holt. She is shocked to learn that he left her the house in his will rather than to her brothers Gage and Caden, both police officers themselves, who are not happy about it. Especially since she is their stepsister, the daughter of Perry’s second wife, their stepmother, Libby Sharp, who ran away after eight years of marriage, stealing money and jewelry and leaving 14 year old Hazel behind. Perry, however continued to raise her alongside his sons as his daughter, so she has always loved him for that and regarded him and the boys as her family.

Everyone in the small town is on edge as the country is hot and dry, after no rain for over two months and now the threat of wildfires. Mirror Lake has shrunk to its lowest level ever, exposing all sorts of debris, including a rusty old car. When a second old car is discovered in the lake alongside the Holts house, Hazel can’t help an uneasy feeling that the two old cars are connected.

Tension creeps up gradually in this slow burn of a domestic suspense. The atmosphere becomes suffocating as a web of secrets and lies are about to explode in this small town where generations have lived and grown up together. There is a sense of threat in the air as strange things happen at the house, but Hazel feels compelled to stay in town. Dark ripples are forming beneath the picture she has of her family, as if something important is about to erupt to change everything she knew about them. She starts to wonder what really happened all those years ago when her mother disappeared and who she can trust to tell her the truth. The climax when it comes is dark and chilling, as some surprise revelations cause all the pieces slot into place, explaining everything that happened in the past.

With well-drawn figures and a perfectly paced multi-layered plot, this is a gripping read that held me in its spell until the very end. The epilogue was a nice touch, releasing the tension and menace that had built up, showing a family able to heal and move on from the dark events in their past.

I've read multiple of Megan Miranda's books so far and I've enjoyed every single one. Very fast paced and twisty thrillers that keep you guessing!

Daughter of Mine by Megan Miranda was a pleasant surprise. I confess I didn't want to put it down, though planned poorly so had to stop halfway through... taking two nights to read this addictive tale.

It's a common theme in the world of crime fiction and thrillers - old disappearances, murders or mysteries come back to haunt those in the present. It's very much the case here, though with a little twist.

The death of Hazel's father that brings her home but it's the discovery of not one, but two cars submerged in the local lake that has the town talking. Until Hazel is the sole beneficiary of her father's will that is... and many are up in arms. She's a house-flipper by trade but surprised when her father leaves the family home to her, overlooking her brothers Gage and Caden - both of whom remained in town and followed their father into law enforcement.

We learn quickly that Hazel's relationship with her father and brothers is complicated and I appreciated the early twist Miranda offers up here.

Hazel's life has been shaped by her mother leaving when she was in her early teens, but now new discoveries are being unearthed (or rather floated!) calling into question everything she thought she knew about her past and her family.

One of the things I liked (and didn't like) about this is that, for some time, we're not sure there's even a mystery to be solved. In the past or the present, even when Caden's wife (and Hazel's former best friend Jamie) disappears. Her brothers are unconcerned, but Hazel can't believe Jamie would leave her daughter behind and the circumstances are worryingly similar to Hazel's own mother leaving... And then when Jamie's mother dies under suspicious circumstances it's obvious that there's more at play.

Although we're offered a few suspects from the past it's not that hard to guess some of the backstory here, however Miranda does add in some layers of complexity and throws in a few surprises in along the way so has Hazel (and us) wondering who she can trust.

Daughter of Mine by Megan Miranda is a standalone mystery novel. I’ve been a long time fan of this author and have read almost all of her books. While this one wasn’t my favorite, if you’re reading this as a first, be sure to check out her other books and don’t let this one put you off. The story here was interesting, filled with intrigue and mystery but I found it very slow burn and there were quite a few times where I almost put it down. I’m glad I didn’t as seeing how it all wrapped up was worth pushing through. There was a lot of drama and focus on the family. I liked the main character but I didn’t feel particularly drawn to any others. Overall this was an interesting mystery. I’ll be looking out for the next book by this author.

This captivated me from the very beginning. I found myself wanting to figure out what happened. I have a few theories and yet I was still wrong. I forgot one character.

This was perfectly paced for me. With enough action happening throughout to keep me intrigued.
The writing kept me gripped not wanting to put it down. If I had time I would have finished this within a day.

I’ve read one other book by Megan Miranda (and enjoyed it ) so I was curious to try another.
I have to say this one lived up to my expectations. The story wasn’t super fast paced; I found that I could put it down and not immediately need to get back to it. However I still thoroughly enjoyed reading each time I picked it up. I def felt like I was guessing every character to be the “bad guy” which left me not super surprised at the end but that was no fault of the writing at all, but my over assuming mind haha.
I do think the end is a whirlwind with all the puzzle pieces coming together but I was able to easily follow along.

I def will be looking for this author in the future for fun thrillers where you don’t always see the end coming. Also, I will check out her past works.

Megan Miranda never misses for me.

Daughter of Mine follows Hazel who returns back home after the death of her father, one of Mirror Lake’s local detectives. She is shocked to find out that she, alone, inherits her childhood home. As she is drawn back to Mirror Lake, she is forced to face the town and people that she left behind. As the water level in the lake begins to drop, secrets and lies begin to surface.

Megan Miranda always seems to have the ability to write books that suck you in from start to finish. I didn’t want to put this down. I wanted to keep unraveling the mystery so I could finally figure what was happening. Spoiler Alert, I had it all wrong.

This was an entertaining, fun read that also managed to have some eerie moments that sent a shiver down my spine.

I will always recommend Megan Miranda to people. She has definitely become an author that I know I will always enjoy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Quercus Books for providing me with this ARC. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I thought the start of this was really slow and it did take me a while to really get into but when I did, wow! I didn’t see any of the twists coming.
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Thank you NetGalley and Quercus Books for the opportunity to review this book.

Drawn back to her hometown after her father’s death, Hazel is sucked back into the small town life she left ten years ago, including the ghost of her mother’s disappearance and her complex relationship with her two brothers.

Their father’s will reveals more surprises: the family home has been left to Hazel rather than the two flesh-and-blood sons who followed their father’s footsteps into the local police force.

When Hazel’s sister-in-law seems to go missing, Hazel is forced to confront the mysteries of her family’s past and rise to the challenge of her inheritance.

Another compelling small town psychological thriller by Megan Miranda (although I did guess part of the ending straight away).

Daughter of Mine is a slow burn, but the payoff is worth the wait. The characters are well-developed and the plot is intricately woven. Every twist and turn is expertly crafted, leaving you guessing until the very end. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good mystery with a touch of family drama. Just be prepared to stay up all night reading, because once you start, you won't be able to put it down.

I really enjoyed reading this one. It built up slowly which made it very atmospheric. I love small town mysteries, and this one is set in Mirror Lake , a town where everyone knows each other . Hazel comes back when her father dies , her mother went missing years ago. What follows is a slow build up to try to find out what happened to her. The weather is dry and it feels so claustrophobic and tense. Hazel doesn’t know who to trust anymore. There is a lot of nature , fishing and boats on the lake. I felt the tension between the characters especially her two brothers. There are a lot of family dynamics and secrets .. Even though it is slow , which is not a bad thing , I found myself gripped towards the end. I like this author and will definitely read more.

An atmospheric suspense that had me suspicious of everyone and kept me wanting to read more! It is a bit of a slow burn but the mystery of Mirror Lake and its secrets pulled me in and held my attention.

After her father's unexpected death, Hazel returns to her drought stricken hometown of Mirror Lake, where her father has left her as sole beneficiary of her childhood home cutting out his two sons.

When two abandoned cars are found in the lake due to the low level of water caused by the drought, they are not the only things that surface. Long hidden secrets will soon be revealed.

The more time Hazel spends in Mirror Lake, the more secrets emerge and the harder it is to know who she can trust. She feels that danger is lurking, particularly when evidence that might explain the mystery of her mother's disappearance become visible.

Upon the death of her father, town sheriff Perry Holt, Hazel Sharp returns to Mirror Lake for the first time in 10 years. Brothers Gage & Caden are not really pleased to see Hazel & she finds out why when she is told she has been left the family home in its entirety in Perry's will. Caden & Hazel have always had a strained relationship but on this visit, it turns into open hostility & Hazel can't wait to go home. Just when she thinks it's safe to leave, Hazel's one time BFF (now Caden's wife) disappears. This is not the first disappearance in Mirror Lake, Hazel's own mother disappeared when Hazel was 14 years old, but her mother just skipped town without telling anyone. Didn't she?

Set in a town where the region is suffering from a long drought which is gradually revealing hidden secrets in the body of water the town is named for, the atmosphere is a powder keg of emotions. For all that though, I thought it was quite a slow read. I also didn't really warm to Hazel unlike the protagonists in some of the author's other books & I found her a bit meh as a main character. There were some good twists & turns in the story but the ending was a little abrupt & there were some loose ends not really tied up. I absolutely love the cover though as those colours are really eye-catching. 3.5 stars (rounded down)

My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, Quercus Books, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

I honestly didn't know where this story was going for the most part and I loved it! It is so well structured and the messy family dynamics made this a really interesting thriller that was hard to put down. My suspicions kept shifting from one person to the next and back up until the final chapters. Also, I absolutely love reading a thriller where the main character isn't a complete idiot.

Thanks to Quercus Books and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

‘Daughter of Mine’ by Megan Miranda is an atmospheric slow-burn thriller set in the small town of Mirror Lake. The book begins with our main character, Hazel, returning to the town after the death of her father who was the police force’s most respected detective and a pillar of the community. When she learns that she has been left everything in the will, forsaking her brothers Gage and Caden, things don’t feel quite right and the ominous vibes grow as persistent drought shrinks the mesmerising lake that is the town’s namesake and reveals long-buried secrets in its usually hidden depths.

The pace of this novel felt quite slow to me, even though the events took place over a short timeframe, so I did find myself trying to race through some of the chapters rather than savouring every word. I liked the way each of the sections of the book ended with a stunning revelation and appreciated how the “X days since precipitation” built atmosphere until the rain finally started, which was a perfect metaphor for the town’s secrets to finally begin to escape.

Overall, this was a 3.5 star read for me - a tense thriller with deliciously damaged family dynamics and an immersive small-town setting that was ultimately satisfying despite not being quite as gripping as I hoped.

I received an advance Digital Review Copy of this book from the publisher Quercus via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Hazel returns to her childhood home, her resentful brothers, her Father has passed and bad memories lurk around every corner.

When her sister in law vanishes and she starts feeling like she’s being watched Hazel finds herself in the middle of something she doesn’t understand and that puts her at risk.

This is my favourite Megan Miranda of late. Creepy, unsettling and tangled with mystery this is exactly the kind of solid thriller i’ve come to expect from Miranda.

Here we follow Hazel Sharp as she reluctantly returns to the small town of Mirror Lake, her childhood home, after the death of her detective stepfather. Unexpectedly, she has become the sole inheritor of her fathers estate, a decision that has left her two brothers cut from the will.
However, the current situation is not the only source of sadness and tension, for Hazel’s mother disappeared from this very place when Hazel was just a child, never to be seen again.
Now Hazel is finally home she is forced to confront the mysteries of her past as a severe drought not only brings several cars to the surface of the lake, but several secrets too.

This is a great small-town mystery, one that kept me guessing until the very end. Like Hazel, the reader also doesn’t know who to trust. Comprised of punchy, short chapters, Daughter of Mine is a compelling thriller that kept me turning pages long into the night. It’s a slow burn to begin with but the pace quickens as the atmosphere gets more and more tense. This is a story of multiple mysteries and is packed with twists and turns. Simply put, I really enjoyed it. If you’re a fan of Megan Miranda’s work and appreciate a twisty small-town thriller, this is one for you!

Thank you to both @netgalley and @quercusbooks for a copy of this in exchange for my honest thoughts.

What a book, read in a day as you have to keep reading it. It’s an engrossing domestic thriller.

Hazel has to return to the town she grew up in to attend her fathers funeral, her brothers Gage and Caden still live there and work on the local police force. Her mother went missing years earlier, but she had left a note. The house is on a lake, but with a dry spell the water is drying up and revealing secrets. Secrets that have been undisturbed for years.

Great read with realistic police work and the characters all work so well in the books. 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy.