This story was heart pounding. A total page turner. The court system has failed to given them adoption of the baby they have fostered. The birth mother comes to their house and dies. Thus the mystery of why and who killed her. On the run for over 13 years the couple and the child are on the run to keep alive. The FBI is involved. The race is one to find them and boy oh boy was this a good story. I stayed up way to late reading this one.

Not Our Daughter by Chad Zunker is a gripping, fast-paced thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat—just don’t expect to sit back and relax! Thirteen years after a mysterious death and a hasty escape, Cole and Lisa Shipley are forced to run once more when Cole is framed for another murder. This time, they’re not alone: their teenage daughter, now awakening to the secrets of her past, is caught in the middle of a dangerous game where trust is a luxury they can’t afford.

Zunker weaves a tension-filled narrative that never lets up, with the family’s perilous flight across the western U.S. keeping readers hooked. The pacing is relentless, and the shifting perspectives add depth to the story, especially as the daughter begins to uncover the horrifying truth. But while the action is constant, some moments feel a bit predictable, and certain character developments don’t quite land as strongly as they could.

Still, Not Our Daughter is an enjoyable thriller for fans of suspense with plenty of twists and a hefty dose of family drama. The stakes are high, the danger is real, and while the ending may leave you wanting a bit more, the journey is still worth the ride.

I really wish this one was a little longer. I wanted more of the back story of the mom and them going through the process of adopting. Seemed a little rushed but I did like it!

Not Our Daughter started off at full speed and never let up! The action and suspense did not hold back keeping me fully engrossed in the story. I finished this in one day, because I needed to know how it would all end.

Greg, Amy and Marcy are a family that encounters more than their fair share of obstacles, yet consistently fights to stay together, even when the odds are stacked against them. Mark Burns is an FBI Special Agent who has been trying to solve a case that is more than a decade old. In so many ways, this action-packed read reminded me of the movie The Fugitive with Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones. Who are the good guys and who are the bad guys? I really enjoyed this one! And yes...this is another book that I can visualise being made into a movie. I'd buy a ticket!

Thank you to Thomas & Mercer for providing me with an advanced copy via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. I especially enjoyed the Texas and Colorado settings, two places that I am very familiar with.

4.00 stars
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TW: Death, Gun violence, Infidelity
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This heart-racing book about a family who will stop at nothing to protect their daughter will keep you on the edge of your seat. Thirteen years ago, Cole and Lisa Shipley were fostering an infant in hopes of adopting her and raising her as their own. On the night after the judge denies their petition to adopt, the biological mother turns up on their doorstep begging them to leave town and take their daughter with them.

On the run, and wanted for murder - the family has changed their names and has decided to lay low. Things were tense in the first few years, but they seemed to have calmed down. That is until Cole pulls out a large sum of money to pay for surgery for his daughter. This seemingly innocent thing sets off a domino effect, that sends the family on the run again.

This will keep you on the edge of your seat, the family is running from the law, and you want them to get away. While rooting for them, there's a large sense of dread about what happens if they are caught. It isn't until about 75% into the book, the FBI finally catch on that perhaps Cole wasn't the one to murder Jade's biological mom all those years ago. There's been another man after the family trying to murder them, and that same man was caught at the scene of the crime years ago but was ruled out of the question.
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I would like to thank Thomas & Mercer, Chad Zunker, and NetGalley for the opportunity to review Not Our Daughter by Chad Zunker in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions formulated in this review are my own. Not Our Daughter is scheduled to publish on February 11th, 2025, you can preorder your copy today!

I enjoyed this one although I wasn’t compelled by the description to get to it quickly. Still, that’s more a reflection of personal preference than anything else. Great pacing and storytelling.

This was a non-stop thriller as Cole and Lisa flee the FBI and an assassin with their daughter Jade. The book opens with a couple having to give up the baby they wanted to adopt to her birth mother, when in the middle of the night the mother shows up at their house after being stabbed, tells them to keep her daughter safe, and then dies. The couple has been on the run ever since, with the FBI convinced they killed the baby's mother.

Now the FBI agent involved in the case finally tracks them down through a money transfer. However, someone else has also found them and is ready to silence the entire family at any cost. This is a book that you can't put down, definitely readable in one day. It was clever and fun to read!

Not Our Daughter by Chad Zunker is a highly recommended novel of suspense following a family on the run.

Greg and Amy Olsen were going to adopt the baby they were fostering, Marcy, when the court gave the birth mother, Candace, custody. That night Candace turns up at their house, covered in blood, and begs for them to immediately run away and save Marcy because "He's coming here... for her." She dies on their doorstep and Greg and Amy went on the run to protect their daughter. Thirteen years later they are living under the radar as Cole and Lisa Shipley and daughter Jade in a small Colorado town.

When Cole withdrawals money from a Cayman Islands account to treat Jade’s scoliosis. Since they were suspected in the death of Candace, the account was being monitored so the withdrawal triggers a new FBI manhunt. FBI agent Mark Burns, who was on the original case, is immediately in pursuit. Making their situation more perilous is the fact that the man who killed Candace is now also hunting for them.

This is a well-written, classic cat and mouse trope of pursuit and escape. Here an innocent family is on the run being pursued by the known and unknown. They have to use their wits and attention to details to evade being captured while sending evidence of their innocence to the FBI. You'll be cheering the family on and hope they can escape the clutches of the FBI, police, and the mystery man.

The plot moves at a lightning fast pace and the tension is high right to the end. The short page counts make this a quick read that will keep you engaged throughout. It can be a bit predictable, but there are more surprises and twists along the way that will keep your interest high.
Thanks to Thomas & Mercer for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

The review will be published on Edelweiss, Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

Amazing thriller, lots of suspense and twists.

It did not disappoint,

I will check out the backlist on this author.

Love love loved this! Twists and turns and things I didn’t anticipate or expect.. it had me thinking I knew when i truly had no clue!

4 solid stars and worth the recommendation to all thriller lovers!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this arc in exchange for my honest review!

Woah action packed from start to finish. This book hits close to home and makes you really think about life and decisions you make

Family on the run. Hired hitman. One determined FBI agent.

The story did keep me hooked til the end. I did find it hard at first to get into the multiple point of views in this story.

The story wrapped up nice but something seemed a little off but I can't place it.

Overall was a good book. Kept me hooked but was somewhat predictable story wise.

I want to thank NetGalley & Thomas & Mercer for the advance readers copy.

This book was ok. Not very thrilling, kinda predictable, not a clear ending exactly.
It ends the drama/thriller part but doesn’t honestly give a conclusion.
The characters are decent and good plot, just has been done a lot.
Seemed like a lot of other books I’ve read.

I would definitely recommend for a quick read or beach read.

Thank you NetGalley for the copy.

4.25 stars! 💫 Huge thanks to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for the ARC! 💙 I had such a blast reading Not Our Daughter, and wow—what a rollercoaster from start to finish!

Tropes:
✧ On the run 🏃‍♂️
✧ Family first 👨‍👩‍👧
✧ Fugitives with a twist! 🔄
✧ Heart-pounding chase scenes 💥
✧ Forced to flee 🛣️
✧A parent's fierce protection 💪
✧ Wrongly accused 💔
✧ Hiding in plain sight 👀
✧ Running from the past ⏳

So, Cole and Lisa Shipley are just your average parents trying to live a peaceful life... except their past is WAY more complicated. After an intense, bloody warning, they take their daughter and go into hiding in a small Colorado town for 13 years. But secrets never stay hidden, and now the past is coming back to haunt them! The suspense? It’s REAL, y’all!

The action? Non-stop! 💥 I was on the edge of my seat the whole time, cheering for this family to make it out alive! From heart-racing chases to nail-biting moments, this book had me hooked. That said, I was hoping for a few more jaw-dropping twists—but it was a bit more straightforward than I expected. No big plot shocks, just tons of tension and adrenaline! 😅

What I really loved, though, was the emotional depth Chad Zunker brought to the characters. The family dynamics and relationships felt super real, and I was totally invested in their journey. That emotional pull made the suspense even more gripping! ❤️ BUT—honestly, I kinda wanted more at the end. I was left wondering what happened with the villains after the dust settled. A little more closure would’ve been chef's kiss! 👏

Content Warnings (CW): Violence, Murder, Kidnapping, Death, FBI involvement

If you're in the mood for a quick, action-packed thriller that'll keep you turning pages late into the night, Not Our Daughter is the one! It’s solid, just don’t expect any major plot twists. But trust me, you'll be glued to those pages, so don’t miss it when it drops in February 2025! 📅

I really wanted this to be a five star review. And honestly, the potential was there, but sometimes the characters just did the stupidest things ever, and that pulled me right out of the story and instead of wanting them to succeed, I wanted them to fail. And this goes for all of the characters.

To begin with, we have Cole and Lisa who have been on the run for the past 13 years with Jade, the baby they had been fostering shortly before her mother was killed. Despite providing the police with video evidence showing that someone else was at their house that night, the police believe that Cole murdered Jade's mother after their foster-to-adopt plan fell through. At first glance, these two appear to have everything together. They have several backup plans should they be found, and the money in which to start over again. However, right off the bat they make two very stupid mistakes. One, Cole shaves his head and beard so to look dramatically different, but leaves the clippings behind so that they are quickly found by the FBI agent heading up the case and he can immediately put the word out.

The second mistake they make is that they don't bother to tell their "daughter" the truth. That she isn't really their daughter, or that she might be in grave danger. So understandably, when they are found and realize that they have to move, Jade doesn't understand the urgency. Or the need for secrecy, which of course as any fourteen year old girl would do, she calls her boyfriend and tells him where they are just as soon as they have finally escaped town after telling her mother she just needs to use the restroom.

The funny thing about that, is later on Jade tells her mother the same exact thing, and she once again lets her daughter go off alone (because apparently she learned nothing from the first time, nor did she stop and think about the manhunt that was underway to find them). So of course, Jade sees the police's version of events, believes them and takes off. I mean perhaps in the grand scheme of things, it was a good thing she did what with a bumbling so-called hitman on their trail (seriously he tried to shoot Cole several times and missed each time, only grazing him once or twice) as well as the FBI agent who has had years to figure out this case and didn't.

Their trip to Austin was even more confusing. How was it that Cole was able to unearth secrets from that time period about Jade's birth mother that the police were unable to find? I get that he and his wife were the prime suspects as they went on the run with the baby immediately after, but surely the police still should have talked to the sister? Especially once they were given the footage of another man being at the house that night. It just made them look incompetent, a look that was only amplified by Cole coming back years later and essentially solving the crime for them.

However, this was a quick and entertaining read if not a little bit too predictable in a lot of ways. And while I felt the characters often made a variety of stupid mistakes, the story itself was well put together. I would give this author another chance.

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel from the publisher. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book. I had never read anything by this author before and was looking forward to reading this book, especially with the overwhelmingly positive reviews.

The story is about two parents who are in hiding with their daughter. They fostered her as an infant but were terrified when the baby's dying mother arrives on their doorstep and tells them they are in danger. The couples immediately leaves their privileged life and hides out, assuming false identities to protect their child.

They are eventually located and a chase ensues. The chase is a large portion of the book. It seemed like the author was telling the readers more about the characters than truly developing them throughout the story.

The book was interesting at times but did not hold my attention throughout. However, I did like the writing style of the author and look forward to reading his next book.

I really enjoyed this book! It’s my first book by Chad Zunker, and I loved his simple and gripping writing style. The story makes you think: how far would you go to protect your family?

Unlike many thrillers, I actually cared about the main characters. Cole and Lisa felt real—parents doing whatever it takes to keep their child safe. Their struggles and choices made sense, and I could see myself making the same decisions in their place.

Jade, their teenage daughter, was a pleasant surprise. In most stories, teenagers are rebellious and difficult. While Jade does question why her parents suddenly tell her to pack up and leave, she trusts them and goes along. Even when she breaks a rule, she feels bad about it right away, making her easy to root for.

What really stood out to me was the love between this family. Cole and Lisa aren’t Jade’s biological parents, but they stepped up, gave up everything, and protected her with their whole hearts.

EASYYYYYY 5 star read. One of the best thrillers I’ve read this year. I mean come on.. it’s like an entire action movie in a book. There’s no way the reader can’t root for the family!!! Cole is a gem. He’ll do anything to protect his family. I was literally on the edge of my seat the entire book, feeling ALL the feels. I’m actually getting ready to purchase his backlist because this is easily one of my favorite reads of the year..

Not Our Daughter is a roller coaster read with twists and turns and plenty of acion that will have you turning the pages as quckly as you can.

Thirteen years ago Cole and Lisa went on the run and managed to stay hidden in order to protect their infant daughter.

Not only has the FBI managed to track them down so has the person who is their greatest threat.

Both are determined to find the Shipley's and all resources are put into action.

The family manages to stay one step ahead for a bit but in this day and age of cameras and social media it is almost impossible.

The tension mounts with every chapter and I was holding my breath and cheering Cole , LIsa and Jade on all at the same time.

This was my first but by no means my last Chad Zunker book and I must say I am a fan !!

Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the privilege to read and review Not Our Daughter and for introducing me to Chad Zunker's books.

Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the ARC!!

I really enjoyed the majority of this book!! You follow the uncertain and wobbly journey of one family trying to stick together, no matter the cost.

After feeling as normal of a life as they could imagine for more than a decade, their lives unravel again in a matter of days. This multi-POV novel pieces together the different sides of their complex situation — which is even more complicated than they know about.