Raced through as my first read of 2025!

I know this is a book by both authors but I have to say it’s my favourite book by MJ Arlidge (and I’ve read all their books).

Fast paced thriller, good character building - no real twists but it didn’t need them.

Recommended!

This is a shocking and intense read that comes across realistic, making the events all the more terrifying. Annie is a strong, likeable character to follow and her love for her daughter Isla is clear. The other characters are good and all have their role to play. The plot is a bit far-fetched at times but I went with it and I enjoyed it. This is fast-paced and there are shocks and surprises along the way.
This is an intense read from Arlidge and Maslen.
Thank you to NetGalley and Orion Publishing Group for an advance copy.

Your Child Next by M.J. Arlidge and Andy Maslen is an edge-of-your-seat thriller that masterfully blends suspense, mystery, and psychological tension. Centering on two families who are thrust into turmoil as a mysterious figure demands a monthly payment to save their children’s lives, the story is a gripping exploration of desperation, fear, and the lengths parents will go to protect their children.

Arlidge and Maslen craft a narrative that hooks readers from the very beginning. The alternating perspectives of the two families create a layered and dynamic story, offering a deeper look into their struggles and the emotional weight of their choices. The fact that these families don’t know each other adds another layer of intrigue, as readers piece together how their paths might converge—or if they ever will.

The pacing is relentless, with each chapter ramping up the tension and pulling you deeper into the mystery. The authors excel at creating an atmosphere of dread, keeping you questioning who the perpetrator is and what their true motivations might be. The emotional stakes are high, and the characters’ raw vulnerability makes their plight all the more gripping.

This book is a testament to the talents of Arlidge and Maslen, whose seamless collaboration delivers a story that is both chilling and emotionally resonant. Your Child Next is a must-read for fans of suspense and psychological thrillers, and it will leave you eager to explore more from these talented authors.

I enjoyed the pace and was really into the story for most of the book, however as we got nearer to the end I found it got more and more unbelievable and silly so I wasn't a fan of the ending.
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc ebook.

This books reads as though the two authors found it highly entertaining to write this together. The result? A tale that’s enormous fun, provided you’re not too critical.
I found Your Child Next slightly flippant and a tad over-the-top. I know one’s supposed to suspend disbelief – this is fiction after all – but I found myself thinking ‘Really?’ every now and then as parents, Annie and Michael, rushed into insane situations to try and protect their children. That aside, the book is jam-packed with action, and the villains are immensely scary, making it a compelling read.
Above all, despite being a little improbable in parts, the story is a lesson to those that over-share on social media – you never know who is watching… From this point of view, it is scarily plausible.
There are some laugh out loud one-liners – and I really enjoyed the humour. Some of the characters were a little stereotypical – I sometimes wondered if the authors weren’t doing this a bit tongue-in-cheek as they marched out the desperate, homeless war vet or the feckless, unfaithful ex-husband now hooked up with a girl his daughter’s age.
The book is a result of publisher Orion’s new Crime Writers’ Room project led by screenwriter and author M. J. Arlidge, working in collaboration with writers Steph Broadribb, Julia Crouch, Lisa Hall, Alex Khan and Andy Maslen.

Annie’s daughter Isla is alive and well so when Annie receives a video of her crying at Isla’s funeral, she initially thinks that someone is playing a very cruel trick. Then she receives a call from a woman who knows far too much about her and Isla. Unless Annie pays her £1000 a month into an offshore account, Isla will be killed.
Despite being terrified, Annie can’t go to the police. The woman was very clear what would happen if she does. While Annie may be able to meet the first payment, she knows it’s not a long-term solution. If she is going to save her daughter she will need to take on the blackmailer, but who is it and just how much danger will she be putting them both in?
A gripping tale of how far a mother will go to protect her child, it’s fast paced, exhilarating and full of hold your breath moments.

This book had a fascinating blurb for me and reading it fully lived up to my hopes.
The story was very easy to read with the narrator seeming to change with most end of chapters so we could follow what the main players in this story were experiencing and doing about their situations. It was interesting to be able to also follow the villains of this piece, seeing who they were and a bit about their history and the why of what they are doing and why.
The cast of characters was quite diverse with each being well written for the role they have to play as events unfurled.
This was one of those books that was difficult to put down and very easy to pick up again as I was always wanting to know more of what was happening with everyone. I’m really enjoying the M.J. Arlidge collaborations and hope to read many more of them.

What lengths would you go through to protect your child.
I can't imagine someone sending me such a crazy video. It would mess me up for sure.

Annie has received to her horror a fake video of a daughter’s Isla’s Funeral. he is distraught and her daughter’s relationship has been fractious lately since she split up with her husband Grant. But she goes and checks on her anyway. The message with the video is asking her to pay £1000 a month to an account in the Cayman Islands to keep her daughter alive. She is being blackmailed.
With her experience in financial matters, Annie delves into the dark world of Blackmail and scammers. She finds out that there is more people also in her situation and she set out to find out who these people are. But she wants to do it on her own and not contact the Police which leads her in all sorts of trouble.
I am a big fan of M. J Arlidge’s work so I was excited to read to read ‘Your child next’ which he co-wrote with Andy Maslen.
This is a spine tingly tense read and quite relevant on what happens today, and I read it quite quickly. This has great characters and the storyline was good. The only thing that was annoying me was why Annie wasn’t involving the Police and because of that I thought the ending was a bit farfetched. 4 stars from me,

A fantastic read from one of my favourite authors.

I raced through desperate to know the truth

4 stars
Thanks to net galley and the publishers for this arc

#YpurChildNext #NetGalley
Highly recommended.
Your Child Next is a spine-chilling psychological thriller that grips from the very first page and doesn’t let go until the final twist. A story of fear, suspense, and desperation, the novel takes readers deep into the mind of a mother pushed to the edge as she faces the unthinkable.
Annie's life has been in turmoil ever since her husband left, and her teenage daughter Isla has spiraled into a shell of her former self. One day, Annie receives an unsettling video of herself crying at Isla's funeral. Terrified, she rushes to Isla’s room, only to find her daughter alive and well. The video was a fake, but the question remains: who would send such a horrific message and why?
As Annie begins to uncover the mystery, she learns that she's not alone. Other parents have received similar threats, and a dangerous blackmailer is targeting families, threatening to kill their children unless they comply with increasingly chilling demands. With Isla’s life on the line, Annie is faced with a heart-wrenching decision: follow the instructions of the blackmailer or risk everything to uncover the person behind the sinister plot.
Your Child Next is a captivating, heart-pounding psychological thriller that delivers a compelling blend of mystery and emotional depth. The combination of a high-stakes blackmail plot and the mother’s fierce love for her daughter makes for a gripping narrative that will leave readers eagerly turning the pages. M. J. Alridge has crafted a tense, unpredictable story that will resonate with fans of thrillers and psychological suspense.
A chilling, suspense-filled thriller that will keep you up at night. Highly recommended for fans of dark, twisty mysteries.
I loved it.
Thanks to NetGalley and Orion Publishing Group for giving me an advance copy.

Oh this was so good. The third book in a series of five collaborations between M J Arlidge and five different authors, this one with Andy Maslen, and what a cracking read it was. So good I read it in one sitting apart from a lunch break. The book opens with Annie crying at the funeral of her daughter Isla…or is she! Annie has received a fake video and it’s followed by a demand for £1000 a month transferred to a Cayman Islands bank account. If not the next funeral Annie attended would be real…. This is very well written with an excellent plot, a compelling read.

Briefly, as Annie struggles with the blackmail demand and fear for her daughter she find another parent in the same terrible predicament. Following the death of his wife Michael found she had been making a monthly payment of £1000 to an unknown account. After cancelling the standing order he was contacted by a woman who threatened the life of his son if he didn’t restart the payments. Together Annie and Michael resolve to find and stop the blackmailers.

This is quite a dark and shocking psychological thriller. The two blackmailers are emotionless and one is clearly a psychopath and I’m not so sure the other isn’t too. The tension throughout is high and Annie’s fear for her daughter palpable. Both parents are desperate to save their children but just how far are they willing to go? A very entertaining read.

What a unique storyline. I really loved the it and could not put it down, and read it in one sitting. I think this this is the best book yet.

A gripping thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat . Dark and full of twists and turns . I loved it .

Your Child Next by M. J. Arlidge; Andy Maslen was a good story with strong characters, but its always difficult to review books like this without giving anything about the plot away, the storys pace is good and I was engaged throughout my only quibble would be that Annie did make some dubious decisions along the way which had me talking out loud to myself lol, and one thing I will definitely take away from the story is it makes you rethink about how much you share about your life to strangers.

My thanks to Orion Publishing Group and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Your Child Next’ written by M J Arlidge and Andy Maslen in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Annie receives an email of condolence and a video of her daughter’s funeral. Annie is horrified and checks that her daughter Isla is safe in her room. A woman phones her demanding a payment of £1,000 each month to a Cayman’s bank account or Isla will die. Annie refuses until Isla is terrified when she sees a strange man following her. Michael is going through her dead wife’s bank statements when he notices she’s been paying £1,000 each month into a bank account in the Cayman’s and cancels it. Then a man in a white van attempts to run over his son Aaron.

I’m a huge fan of M J Arlidge’s Helen Grace series but this is the first time I’ve encountered Andy Maslen. If ‘Your Child Next’ is anything to go by I’ll be looking for more of his books in the future. The plot is twisty and fast-paced with plenty of action, and as the identity of the blackmailer is revealed early in the story it allows the reader to get more involved in this ‘cat and mouse’ thriller. The characters are brilliantly described with the parents scared for the safety of their children and the horror threatened by the blackmailer only too clear. I’ve been gripped from the first page to the last and with an exciting though uncertain conclusion I was disappointed when it came to an end.

Annie's life takes a shocking turn as she navigates the emotional fallout from her husband leaving and her daughter Isla's struggles. Just when she thinks things couldn't get worse, she receives a haunting video showing herself at Isla’s funeral. The twist? Isla is alive and well. This unsettling revelation catapults Annie into a dark world of blackmail, where she learns that she’s not alone; other parents have faced similar terrifying threats.

The story unfolds with a steady build-up of tension, as Annie grapples with the demands of an unknown blackmailer who threatens her daughter's safety. The emotional stakes are high, and Arlidge captures Annie’s frantic race against time beautifully, immersing readers in her desperation to protect Isla while trying to unearth the identity of the person behind the threats.

At its core, the narrative addresses themes of maternal love, betrayal, and the moral dilemmas that arise when a family is at risk. It poignantly illustrates how trauma can strain familial bonds and how a mother's fierce love can lead her to make questionable decisions. The atmosphere is thick with tension and dread, mirroring Annie's growing sense of entrapment, making it easy for readers to feel her fear and urgency.

The writing style is crisp and engaging, characterized by short, dynamic chapters that keep the pace brisk. This approach hooks readers from the start, making it hard to set the book down. The female characters are strong, complex, and relatable, steering clear of the usual tropes found in thrillers. Annie stands out as a compelling figure; her journey reflects both resilience and vulnerability, leaving a lasting impression.

The novel is a powerful exploration of fear, resilience, and the instinctual drive to protect loved ones. With its heart-pounding suspense and emotional depth, it's an engaging read for anyone who enjoys psychological thrillers. A narrative resonates with both tension and heart,

This book had me googling if you really can send money to the Cayman Islands, which apparently you can do very easily. Suffice to say, I got really involved in the story. Partly because I found it interesting, partly because of how far-fetched the story is. But then again, aren't most thrillers far-fetched?

Michael is grieving his wife’s death when he notices a £1,000 monthly transfer from her bank account and cancels it, Aaron is nearly run over by a white van shortly after. Anna is rebuilding her life after a messy divorce. When Isla is followed by a strange man, Anna receives a terrifying message demanding £1,000 a month to keep Isla safe.

The story is more of a 'cat and mouse' chase rather than a mystery as we learn the identity of the blackmailers early on. Michael and Anna soon discover that they are connected by the same therapist. Maya, the receptionist, uses her access to target vulnerable families for blackmail. Her brother, Ollie, helps with the schemes. The gist of the question is why do they do it?

An absolute page turner.

It's every parent's worst nightmare - receiving an anonymous threat on your child's life. When Annie Barnes receives a video of her crying at a funeral - for her daughter Isla - she panics. To keep Isla safe, she must pay £1,000 to a bank account in the Cayman Islands each month, or she knows the consequences. One thing becomes clear - she's not the first parent to be threatened, and if they're not stopped, she won't be the last.

This is the third in MJ Arlidge's Collaborative Project and it's another great one! As a fan of both his and Andy Maslen's work, I was very excited to read it and it was another great one. 5*.

I love the Helen Grace books by M J Arlidge, so when I was kindly given a chance to read this one, I jumped at it with thanks.
It is the story of parents being blackmailed in order to keep their children safe. Two of the parents, Anna and Michael, team up in order to try and find the blackmailers, the people behind the threats and demands. It took me a little time to get into the story, and I thought the blackmailers were a bit over the top, but on the whole it was an enjoyable read.