A very slow start with multiple povs without really establishing any characters., so very confusing. The four women were almost interchangeable and I found myself wondering whose description I was reading. The book is called Taken Child but that event doesn’t happen until almost the end of the book and focuses more on the why it’s happening rather than what everyone is feeling. The idea of six irresponsible adults taking 36 primary school children on an outward bound residential trip (with three of them being parents to some of the 36) I found incredible. Then we were asked to believe that all 6 of them left the children to go zip wiring or abseiling!

A couple of days at Ilkstone Crag for a school function seemed like the perfect escape for parents to bond with their children. The allure of quality time, fresh air, and engaging activities stirred excitement among teachers, students, and the lucky parent chaperones whose names were drawn to attend. There was limited space for everyone, and the head teacher, Catherine, was adamant that everything would proceed smoothly. However, the journey to this idyllic retreat quickly took a dramatic turn, as the mix of parent chaperones and teachers proved to be a volatile combination, setting the stage for an unexpected series of events.
Before they even reached their destination, the air seemed to crackle with an almost palpable tension. David and Kristy's brutal divorce was a sordid tale that everyone knew all too well. The battle had been merciless, ending with David securing custody of their son Toby, a victory overshadowed by Kristy's notorious drinking binges. But this was merely the tip of the iceberg. Gossip slithered through the group like a venomous serpent, whispering of David's entanglement with another teacher, Leonie—a liaison that had set tongues wagging and eyes narrowing. Yet, Leonie was not alone; other women at the school were also keeping an eye on him, including a parent aid that was already married. Each look, each murmur carried the weight of hidden truths and unspoken lies, setting the stage for a drama poised to unravel with devastating consequences.
Catherine sensed that the hidden glances and hushed whispers were the least of her worries, although she tried to keep all the adults in line as much as the children. Little did she know, these seemingly trivial bits of drama would soon escalate into a nightmarish ordeal. Things took a dark turn when a horrific accident unfolded before everyone's eyes, an event so chilling that it would haunt them forever. But was it truly an accident, or was it the result of someone's sinister actions leading to murder?
As panic set in, the crowd was left reeling from the shock. The atmosphere grew tense with suspicion and fear, but before any answers could be uncovered, Toby went missing. This sudden disappearance added another layer of dread to the already chaotic scene. The urgency to find Toby intensified, sparking a fierce clash between David and Kristy. Both were desperate to be the one to save him, but their conflict only deepened the mystery and heightened the suspense.
In the midst of this dire situation, every second counted. As David and Kristy fought over who would take on the perilous task of rescuing Toby, the truth behind the accident and Toby’s disappearance remained shrouded in uncertainty. The clock was ticking, and the stakes had never been higher. Who would emerge as the hero, and would they uncover the dark secrets lurking beneath the surface?
One of the enjoyable aspects of "The Taken Child" by Maria Frankland is the suspenseful end-of-chapter hooks, which feature brief but impactful statements from a mystery character who is revealed near the book's conclusion. These intriguing snippets compel readers to keep turning the pages, and the ultimate revelation of this character is nothing short of shocking, adding to the overall excitement and engagement of the novel. Each chapter is meticulously crafted, drawing readers deeper into the complex web of intrigue and suspense.
Maria Frankland presents readers with a storyline that offers a deep understanding of the relationships between numerous characters, illustrating how these connections influence others as the drama unfolds gradually. The characters are so intricately developed, that some of the characters push readers to try to figure out their end-game intentions within the narrative. Some of these characters being false allies or false enemies create the utmost dramatic suspense. In addition, this author has crafted a remarkable plot teeming with drama and unexpected twists, which generates substantial suspense and intrigue, compelling readers to keep turning the pages to discover what happens next. Moreover, just when the reader believes they have grasped the whole story, this writer delivers a surprising twist at the end that will leave readers speechless.
The Taken Child by Maria Frankland plunges readers into a labyrinth of twists, where false allies and deceptive enemies weave a web of deceit, keeping the gripping drama alive with every heartbeat until the very end.
I received a free digital ARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

WOW what an amazing read The Taken Child a psychological thriller with lots and lots of twists by Maria Frankland was.

David and Kirsty Naylor a divorced couple with an eleven year old son Toby whom David has full custody of as Kirsty had been an alcoholic and was only allowed to have Toby on Sundays as David would prefer that Kirsty did not have any contact at all with Toby only himself even though she had made a full recovery.

A school camp trip with outdoor pursuits for adults and children was arranged and Kirsty was so excited to be going along in her capacity of class helper as she could see her son Toby every day but David was not too keen and was not very pleasant to Kirsty as Toby was paired with his Mother for the duration of the trip.

What appeared to be an accident on the climbing event leads to a full murder investigation and there is a killer in the camp who will go to any length to not be caught and also to try and kill again.

Who can Kirsty trust when Todd goes missing and the killer makes contact with David and Kirsty exposing David's past to Kirsty and the investigating team of officers.

My heart went out to Kirsty as she had been in an abusive marriage to David but love will conquer all.
Release date 25th June 2024 and can be pre-ordered in advance.

Wow! My first Maria Frankland book but definitely not my last! Great characters. Some I loved and some I loved to hate. Built on secrets, lies and deep family ties. This story was filled with deep emotions. Lots of twists.
Thank you NetGalley, Maria Franklin’s and Bookouture for the opportunity to read and review this book.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Taken Child by Maria Frankland is a thrilling story filled with secrets and manipulations in a school setting. The end twists are great, but some parts of the story are heartbreaking! This story is about a weekend school trip to give children new experiences.

There are quite a few characters, so it took me a while to keep track of who is who. To make it easier for you, I'll list all the characters and their connections below.

1) Harry invited school children to this adventure because his old friend David was one of the teachers in the school.
2) David thought this was a great idea and convinced the headteacher, Catherine, to take this chance.
3) Catherine is not just a headteacher; she is also a really good friend to David's ex-wife, Kirsty.
4) Kirsty and David have a son, Toby. Unfortunately, she lost custody of him after the divorce because of her drinking problem. Currently, she has been sober for a year and is ready to work on her relationship with Toby. Kirsty is one of the parent helpers on this trip.
5) Jeanette is the other parent helper on this trip. She used to have an affair with David and still has a crush on him.
6) Leonie is a well-loved teacher in the school who is currently seeing David, so she is jealous of Jeanette and has mixed feelings about Kirsty.
7) Mia is the teaching assistant in Leonie's class and has a crush on Leonie, so she is jealous of David.

David and Leonie are going for the same promotion, so the situation is tense between them without hiding the fact that they are dating. David and Kirsty constantly fight for Toby's attention, and David is doing everything possible to keep him away from Kirsty.

Everything was perfectly planned! Catherine double and triple-checked everything and explored all possible risks, so it was supposed to be smooth. But this is a thriller, so things go terribly wrong, and we can only guess who is behind this disaster.

I'm not sure if I agree with the name of this book. It's kind of misleading, as this wasn't the main topic of the book. This storyline dances around the narcissistic David and everyone whom he is manipulating in his game.

It's an original story with twists and turns that make your blood freeze from time to time.

Thank you, NetGalley and Bookouture, for the copy!

This is another amazing book by one of my favourite authors. I'm sure every new book just gets better and better with the twists and characters. Highly recommend this book and all of Maria Frankland books.

Thrilling book from start to finish. Twists and turns throughout the story, couldn’t put it down. Well worth reading.

A group of year six pupils and some year five’s are heading off on a school trip for three nights. We follow the children, teachers and some of the parents on their adventure.

This story follows the point of view of four women leading up to the murder of someone. As the story progresses, we gradually learn what’s been going on.

This is one of those stories that is hard to review, purely because I don’t want to give anything away.

It is a tale of secrets and lies, with some good twists too.

I found myself completely absorbed in the story and ploughed my way through, I couldn’t get enough of it.

My thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

This was good quick read! So much drama from adults who were on a school kids field trip. So much hate and jealousy going on. This book is told from different point of views and everyone is insane. I highly recommend this book!

Thankyou NetGalley for this ARC! 🥰

I don’t really know what to say about this book. Although the story was interesting, exciting and thrilling there was issues I had with it. After reading the synopsis I was under the impression the story was about a child that was abducted due to family secrets etc. yet the child isn’t “abducted” until 75% of the way in. 75% of the book is about a whole other aspect of the many relationships within the book. So I don’t feel the name of the book nor the synopsis actually tells you properly what to expect with the story or gives someone an accurate description of what they’re going to read. I also found the start really confusing with it switching so much between 4 people’s perspectives. It was too quick and quite overwhelming to get a grip of what was actually going on.

BUT the story was good and it was exciting and once I was in and made myself ignore the name of the book etc it was a really good read!!

Good read. Slow start but picked up! Good twists and turns but I also wasn’t surprised. Maybe that’s from reading too many thrillers. I enjoyed it! Thanks!

As a huge fan of this author I was so excited to dive straight into this book. It is very gripping and has plenty of twists you definitely won't see coming. I thought the characters where brilliant, really perfect for this story. It kept me guessing right until the end. Fantastic! This is a book I'll be recommending!

Another well-written gripping thriller from the Author. Once I opened the book I could not put it down. As the story develops it is easy to get to know the different characters especially when they are giving their own perspective on events. There are lots of twists and turns right up to the very last chapter.

Thanks to Netgalley for this ARC and I really pushed through this one, it was hard. and I DNF'd this at the 50% mark .This follows 4 females who are connected in each others life. There’s multiple pov’s. the characters weren’t very deep. The four of them are pretty much the same there’s nothing to differentiate between them so that really distracted me. I guess this was just low for me because I couldn’t ever concentrate. I also felt like the story wasn't really focused on the missing child, I was disappointed. However, I do think that other people would love this though if you like psychological thrillers and stuff. I guess I’m just burned out. It isn’t bad it just didn’t grip me like others did.

Thank you to netgalley and Maria Frankland for this arc.

As always with Maria's books, I really enjoyed this one. She manages to keep you hooked with several story likes running at once but they all link into each other. If you're a fan of domestic or psychological thrillers then give this a shot.

Was a bit slow to begin with but got better. Full of twists and turns, lies and deceit! thanks for the early read

The Taken Child follows four female characters' POV over the course of a few days. There were multiple times throughout this story I had to go back to the beginning of the chapter to re check what POV I was reading. I found the female characters quite samey. There isn't too much depth to them. All the female characters' lives are entwined in one way or another. All revolving around, a narcissistic male. Maybe check your triggers. Whilst it's not an indepth account of a narcissist, there are certain parts and sentences that can be triggering.
It held my attention enough to finish, I just found it predictable in places. Some of it just seemed a bit far-fetched.
The story has a few twists, full of lies, betrayal, and secrets. I would recommend this to readers who enjoy popcorn thrillers. Fast, easily bingable book to the right reader. This just didn't have enough depth both in its plot and characters for me.

Synopsis
A group of years 5 and 6 primary children are on a residential at an activity centre, when a horrible incident takes place and a teacher falls to her death. Everyone is in shock and being questioned by police to work out what happened to her. If all that wasn't enough, a child disappears, and the investigation takes another turn. Everyone is looking at each other, and they don't know who to trust.

I'm very thankful to have been chosen to receive an ARC copy of this book through netgalley, I requested this book based on the title, description, and book cover. ALTHOUGH, my PERSONAL views of this book are low in rating and some "negative" reviews, I still want to say that if this sounds like a good book to you, then PLEASE TRY it. Reading is very diverse. Unfortunately for me, this just wasn't what I was expecting. Maybe I took the title too literally because that didn't happen until 72% into the book. It was a slow burn for me, and I'm not a fan of slow burns. To me, the main premise of this book is about a love triangle/ lovers quarrel. I'd be fine with that if the title didn't make it sound like the whole book was about THE TAKEN CHILD.

This tells the story of a school trip that goes very wrong. Someone has an ulterior motive in going on this trip whilst another person is out for revenge. It ends up with an innocent women falling to her death . The police are called and they soon realise there is a lot going on with the teachers and a camp helper.
Great book this author and will look out for future ones.

Read and reviewed in exchange for a free copy from NetGalley. I enjoyed the plot of this book. Although it started slowly, the opening chapters hooked me in, and the use of different narratives added new dimensions to the story. However, the second half was too rushed, making the revelations unclear, and too many plot points were just forgotten about.