This story was such a fast paced ride! I loved the planning and quick thinking of the dad and the calmness of the mom. I enjoyed the journey they were on while trying to escape not only the FBI but another character as well. Great read!

I loved this book! The fbi chasing a serial killer was so interesting, and so fast paced and exciting to read. It kept me hooked and interested through the whole book. It had short chapters, making it a true page turner. The politics was done well where it wasn't too dull and disturbing.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers, and especially the author for this ARC in exchange for my honest review of the book!!

First of all, thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer publisher for a free review copy of this book. If it wasn’t for you and this book, I wouldn’t have had a new addition to my favourites list.

𝔰𝔶𝔫𝔬𝔭𝔰𝔦𝔰 ☆—
13 years after fleeing with a baby to escape a mysterious killer, Cole and Lisa are exposed, forcing them to run again with the now-teenage girl while being pursued by an FBI agent and the mysterious murderer determined to finish what he started.

𝔭𝔩𝔬𝔱 ☆—
This book is very plot driven, but also character driven at some points, which is very interesting. I like that while this book is very thrilling and suspenseful, this book also made me bawl my eyes out at like 10% and it just never stops really. “The life they’ve built for 10 years is still inside that house”....do you expect me not to cry? And the way the author really made us keep that fact in mind is so brilliant (and cruel) and really well thought out throughout the book. Like how it impacts their lives, how everything is just vanished and taken away from them just in one night. While this might make you think the book is “too” emotional hence slow, no. You’re wrong. The pace is so fast, but nothing was out of story or character, nothing was left unanswered. Like I said, this book is well thought out. Nothing beats a book that keeps you hooked. If I was attached to the heart rate monitor, the thing would explode for the amount of time my heart was racing along with the characters. This book was amazing from beginning to end. I wasn’t the one to care about political issues in books, but this one made me forget that about myself.

𝔠𝔥𝔞𝔯𝔞𝔠𝔱𝔢𝔯 ☆—
The way the author writes the characters is so so so good. They felt so alive and very human. You know sometimes characters tend to be a little awkward and out of place, or uncanny due to their lack in depth or emotions? These characters are none of that. The little moments that could be seen as “nothing” is what makes these characters who they are. The bond in the family, the parents and daughter emotional connection is very raw and very wholesome amidst the traumatic chaos that is this book. I’m going to give you another quote that I find very interesting and smart in my opinion by the author. “He pulled his phone out, quickly typed a text message to Lisa: He’s here. About to speak with him. She immediately hearted his message. He sent another text: You guys okay? She responded: Yes, no issues. Just anxious. He hearted her message”. How is this not the cutest interaction? It’s just a couple hearting messages of each other. Yes, it’s very simple and again, could be deemed as nothing, but to me, it absolutely adds so much to the characters and the depth of their emotions and expressions. This does not exclude the moments with the daughter and the family as a whole. It highlights the theme of love, whether it be romantic love, between partners, or family love, blood or not.

𝔴𝔯𝔦𝔱𝔦𝔫𝔤 ☆—
At first, I was a little put off by a cliche phrase from an earlier chapter, but it was the only time ever, and I immediately fell in love with the writing after. Like I mentioned, this book is emotional, and that is due to the author’s melancholic way of writing his characters and the depressing road of their lives. I grew very fond of the way he writes the characters, how he includes the characters’ mind and what they were thinking, and even the possibilities and consequences of their choices which are valid and logical. I remember thinking the same thoughts as the characters. This is why I say the characters are very realistic and human because we all think about the consequences of our actions, don’t we? If you don’t, maybe you need to change that about yourself.

𝔰𝔲𝔪𝔪𝔞𝔯𝔶/𝔠𝔬𝔫𝔠𝔩𝔲𝔰𝔦𝔬𝔫 ☆—
I did not expect to love this book this much. In fact, I went into it with low expectations because I tend to have high hopes and get upset when they’re not met. However, this book definitely exceeded my expectations. Such an emotional page turner. This book has my heart.

Lately I’ve been reading books involving the FBI and their race to catch criminals-particularly killers. I’m just going to come right out and say that I’m not a fan of the FBI nor stories written involving their investigations. There have always been or usually variables of their investigations and the way they often go about it that have irked me. That said, the ones I’ve read lately have been fast paced, better character development, uniquely written plots and entertaining reads.

In this story I felt they relied more on leads, technology -cameras, taps on phones, tips and etc. That is all well and done but one thing they failed to do in this story was look more closely at the murder, Cole “supposedly” had newly committed. If I’m correct, they didn’t look more into it until Cole spoke to the FBI agent of his innocence. Maybe I’m missing something and need to go and reread that part but that is what I’m recalling. Or it could be that it was written this way to add to the element of intensity and interest of the chase or hunt-if you will to capture the Shipleys?

When I read the scene of the murder that Cole is accused of, I immediately thought that a wider method of using forensics and a Ballistic report would definitely give the agents more information to help their investigation. Hmm… whatever the case, this story involving Cole’s family’s situation had my attention and I was completely invested in their horrific plight.

This was a fast pace, intense and thrilling read with twist and turns so much so that it had me finish reading the story less than a day. I couldn’t put it down! I needed to keep reading as I felt I was right there with the Shipley family, going through everything they were.
If you are a fan of FBI stories or looking for a great one to read, this story is for you!

Stephanie Hopkins

This was a quick read. I liked the writing style of the author and enjoyed the book in its entirety even though I'm not usually a fan of books with a police or FBI presence. I liked all of the characters and understood the reasoning for the actions of the parents since I am a parent myself. I cannot imagine going through what they did. I do think some of the plot was predictable but I still very much enjoyed it.

4.5 ⭐️ Wow. This was the definition of a page turner. With short chapters, multiple POV’s and non-stop action, it was difficult to put down. It played like a movie in my mind, and I think it’d make an excellent one.

I really enjoyed this book. It kept me engaged and it only took a few days to read. I think this is going to be a good book club option for several clubs. I plan recommending to my book friends and I look forward to reading more by this author.

I whole heartedly enjoyed this book. I gave it a 5 star review! The book really kept me on my toes and had me very interested and wanting to keep turning the pages. Thank you for a great book that I will gladly tell friends about!

I’ve enjoyed everything this author has written, and this one keeps the streak alive. Chase stories can become routine, but this is anything but routine. After thirteen years of living incognito, a bank transfer draws the attention the FBI and another, mysterious party, so the “Cole’s” family must change identities again and exercise their escape plan. The chase/pursuit is well done and almost plausible, leading to an excellent conclusion.

I was hesitant to pick this up because I am not into FBI hunts and political scandal, but I was pleasantly surprised. I did not love it, but it was okay.

This was a good page turner. A lot of the action and predicaments however were predictable. I did find myself enjoying the plot and the characters even though the character development wasn’t super deep. It was a good read and I would recommend it to fellow mystery and thriller lovers.

Thank you for the opportunity to preview Not Our Daughter. Wow. A couple is hiding out in a small Colorado town for years. Why because the Federal Bureau of Investigation is looking into a murder and they are the suspects.
They have hid out to protect their daughter. But their child is not theirS and they are hunted for killing her mother. They have lived in fear of being found and their daughter has no idea they are not her parents.
Fourteen years later they have a good life but they never know if someday the gig is over And that day is coming very soon like now!!!!!
Wow. Cat and mouse thriller that I could not put down. 5 stars.

Not Our Daughter by C. Zunker, published by Thomas & Mercer is a full length thriller that left me breath- and speechles, no less with a major bookhangover.
Cole and Lisa went underground for 13 long years. Taking their foster child and running was their only option. But now history is about to catch up with them.
A fast paced, complicated, complex read that let me fall for story and characters pretty quick, had me in suspense through all twists and turns till the last page.
Blurb: Thirteen years ago, Cole and Lisa Shipley were fostering an infant with hopes of adopting her. Overnight everything was turned upside down, when the child’s mother bled to death on their front doorstep. Her last He’s coming here…for her! Save her. Afraid, bewildered, and with a baby in their arms, they fled.
Now in a small Colorado town under assumed identities, they’ve been seemingly safe. But when a tip exposes them and Cole is framed, they take it on the run again, barreling across the western US—this time with a confused and resistant teenage girl. In the rearview is the relentless FBI agent who has never given up the hunt. And he’s not the only one.

I loved this one! 13 years ago they took their foster daughter and ran. Changed their names to avoid both danger and the police. This story picks up when that all starts to fall apart.

This story was action packed from start to finish. There was never a dull moment. I loved how much the family worked together to try to save themselves from danger coming from all angles.

And then the ending when we figure everything out was perfect. I don’t feel any parts of this book were super surprising or crazy twists, but it was so action packed it didn’t matter. They were basically on the run the entire story and all sorts of crazy stuff was happening.

I would read this author again.

Thank you to netgalley for this free advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I thought this worked as a cross-country chase in the thriller genre. It had that feel that I was hoping for and enjoyed about the way this was written. The characters had that spark that I was hoping for and thought they worked overall. I was engaged with what Chad Zunker wrote and was glad I read this concept. It was suspenseful and worked with what I was expecting, i'm excited to read more from Chad Zunker.

Thirteen years ago, Cole and Lisa Shipley were fostering an infant with hopes of adopting her. Overnight everything was turned upside down, when the child’s mother bled to death on their front doorstep. Her last words: He’s coming here…for her! Save her. Afraid, bewildered, and with a baby in their arms, they fled. The longer they hid, the guiltier they looked! Great read!!! I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one! This book had suspense, intriguing, action, murder, mystery, kidnapping, great shootouts, a sort of who done it and some crazy twists and turns! The story was very interesting and had me glued to my kindle! I highly recommend reading this book! Thank you NetGalley, the author and publisher for sharing this book with me!

Oh my GOSH!!! What a chilling story. I could not wrap my head around it. It was just fantastic. I loved it. I couldn’t believe the ending.