3.5* Not as good as Andy Maslen writing solo. Sadly, the bad guys weren't believable.

I think that perhaps a career in banking made me pooh-pooh a vital part of this tale as unrealistic, which spoilt it for me. Getting a Cayman bank account isn't the easiest of things, so the fact that the persons being extorted were sending £1000 a month to the Cayman Islands, wasn't believable. Yes, Santander and KYC checks made an appearance, but there's a SWIFT cut-off point, and apparently that didn't apply 🤔

Parts were good, such as Ollie and who he was pretending to be. The cheating ex, Grant, was seriously in need of growing up and parenting up. Annie? I loved her balls of steel, and how Michael persisted with his very trying stepson. Isla? A bit of a stupid girl wanting to punish her mum, it seemed, because of the divorce, but lesson learned. I'm bummed that not everyone got what they deserved here, but that actually added a tad of believability tbh.

I love AM's Detective Kat Ballantyne series, but this one wasn't quite on a par, but was decent enough.

ARC courtesy of NetGalley and Orion Publishing Group for my reading pleasure.

Firstly I would like to thank netgalley and Orion publishers and the great authors.M.J Arlidge & Andy Maslen for an early copy of there book to read.

A Great thriller, Ive read a few of M.J Arlidge books which i really enjoyed reading. Annie husband isnt faithful and he leaves her with there daughter Isla.when Annie receives a video call threatening Isla life.she is being blackmailed..Michael son in danger is another family being blackmailed...a fantastic read.looking forward to reading more of his books.

This book is being reviewed on goodreads and Amazon.

Annie receives a fake video of her crying at her daughter’s Isla’s funeral, only Isla is upstairs alive and well. Soon she learns the truth that she is in a line of parent’s being blackmailed. The main rule is that she can not tell the police. Will Annie comply or will she unmask the perpetrator?

I have read books by M.J. Arlidge before and enjoyed them, however Andy Maslen is a new author for me so I wasn’t fully sure of what to expect. After finishing I can say this was a great collaboration, as it was exciting, fast paced and I was interested to see where the plot would go. Even though there were some unlikeable characters, I found myself rooting for the main ones in the story, wanting them to catch the tormentors. I especially enjoyed the characterisation of Ollie and Michael.

There is plenty of action and suspense, with some dark scenes. I have to admit I did find it fairly predictable, however this did not affect my enjoyment and I was still entertained throughout the story. I would certainly recommend this to those looking for a cat and mouse thriller and will be reading more by these authors. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy in return for an honest review.

Well what a story! I think this is quite possibly every parents worst nightmare and the plot is definitely sure to hit in a different way if you are a parent. Imagine being blackmailed into paying £1,000 a month to ensure the safety of your child? I found myself at multiple points throughout the story thinking about what I would have done if I were in the situation that Annie finds herself in as a parent.

This premise is quite interesting because you know who the blackmailers are quite early on and then it becomes more about the two main characters trying to work together to figure out who was behind the blackmailing and how they were going to reach a conclusion regarding the whole situation. At every turn it seems helpless and I couldn't quite figure out how they were going to solve this puzzle so from that perspective the story is a page-turner as I was fascinated to see how things were going to play out.

One thing is for sure, it will definitely make you think twice about how much and what you share of your private lives on social media and with the world!

This was a brilliantly put together story from two great authors. I had already read a previous book that M J Arlidge had collaborated on so I had a feeling that I would enjoy this one also and it did not disappoint. For anyone that likes a 'cat and mouse' type thriller then this book is for you.

I struggled a little bit with the pdf format so it took a while to get into the story. But once I did I enjoyed it. It was intense and it kept me up! The best part was the pov from the blackmailers!

Some parts were predictable but it was still an enjoyable read.

Thank you Netgalley!

I love M J Arlidge's Helen Grace series so was keen to give this book a try. It was a good thriller, a mum being blackmailed to pay £1,000 monthly to protect her daughter decides she's not just going to comply. Instead she sets about tracking down the blackmailers...

However, the thing that ruined it for me was her refusal to involve the police, I know it made for a better storyline but it was pretty unbelievable. So I've removed 1 star for that.

Your Child Next is a face paced thriller that doesn’t let up on the tension throughout.
Annie is being blackmailed, if she doesn’t send £1000 per month to an off shore bands account her daughter will be killed. Separated from her husband and having a difficult relationship with her daughter Annie has no trouble believing these blackmailers threats.
Discovering another parent is being blackmailed they work together to try find the identity of these criminals, a brother and sister team that have no trouble carrying out their threats.
A cat and mouse game ensues with some heart stopping moments and a few harrowing scenes of violence.
I enjoyed this book from two excellent authors but in my personal opinion the ending was not one that I wanted so felt slightly let down, that said a page turning book.
My thanks to net galley and publisher for the opportunity to review this book honestly.

Your Child Next is the first of MJ Arlidge's collaborations that I have read, but I'm definitely keen to read the others in the collection. I love his solo work and I really enjoyed the opportunity to familiarise myself with the work of an author who is new to me in Andy Maslen. Their styles complement each other really well and the story runs together seamlessly.

The premise of Your Child Next is fascinating, and it's one that drew me into the story straight away. At the beginning of the novel, the characters are introduced separately, and it take me a while to get my head around that, but I was intrigued by how they were connected. I imagine for readers who are parents, the story is especially terrifying, and I think the authors managed to convey the emotions of the characters, particularly the parents, really strongly. I had a lot of sympathy for their plight and I was interested to see how things would work out for them.
In terms of Isla's character, I felt the authors conveyed her anxieties in a lot of detail that made it feel very realistic. They combined her mental health issues very cleverly with the concerns of a teenager in a way that made her journey feel very realistic.

The reader knows who the perpetrators of the crimes are fairly early on, which means Your Child Next is essentially a cat and mouse chase - and if you've read my reviews before, you'll know I love the tension in this type of story. The novel definitely picked up pace towards the end and I loved the fast paced writing style that had my heart beating faster as I was reading. There is a sense of danger in the final chapters prior to the epilogue and I was desperate to know how everything would end.

Your Child Next by M.J. Arlidge and Andy Maslen is a gripping thriller that keeps you on edge with its relentless pace and unsettling twists. A chilling exploration of parental fears and moral dilemmas, this book will leave you questioning the limits of trust and love. Perfect for fans of psychological suspense.

W.O.W, what a fantastic read. It had me on the edge of my seat and my heart racing as I wondered what was going to happen next. Every parents nightmare when their child is targeted buy why? Great explosive read. Highly recommend

4.5 stars

Your Child Next slowly but surely draws you in , ramps up the pace and the tension and doesnt let you put the book down.

The story is one of blackmail that will keep you on the edge of your seat .

Someone is successfully blackmailing parents who will do anything to keep their children safe.

Michael and Anna join forces to protect their children and fight back.

What a fight it turns out to be.

I was holding my breath, cheering them on and yelling at them to run all at the same time.

M.J. Arlidge and Andy Maslen are a brilliant team that give the reader non stop action and will have you turning the pages for just one more chapter which becomes three.

Highly recommend you treat yourself to Your Child Next and settle in for a roller coaster of a read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Orion Publishing Group/Orion for the privilege of reading and reviewing Your Child Next.

3.5 stars
If your looking for an easy read full of drama and suspense this is a book for you.
Parents are being blackmailed for money for keeping their kids safe. When you question the blackmailer or even cut them off your world turns upside down. A quick story that is full of drama and suspense

I really loved this book! Full of tension and twists that I didn’t see coming. Definitely recommend!

I am already aquainted with M.J.Arlidge through his fantastic D.I. Helen Grace series of books so I couldn't wait to get my hands on this book which he co-wrote with Andy Maslen.

In a race against time to save your child from blackmailers who have threatened to kill, Your Child Next is an intense, action packed, edge of the seat thriller which I read in one day and highly recommend.

5 stars *****

After being blackmailed, Annie must find out who’s behind this scheme before it’s too late.

This book was interesting and intense. I liked how the book showed the point of view of the blackmailers and my favorite chapters were told in their point of view. The situation with Josh was predictable early on in the story. I was also able to predict why the blackmailers did what they did.

Minus 2 stars because :
- I struggled to get into the story. But once I started to like it I couldn’t stop reading and finished this book in one sitting.
- I didn’t like reading how the characters texted each other.
- Some things were easy to predict.

My favorite characters were Ollie and Maya.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

A blackmail thriller that gripped from the start. Plenty of tension and drama with some strong interesting characters. I really enjoyed this book and would recommend to anyone who likes this genre.

THEY'VE FAKED YOUR CHILD'S DEATH. AND IF YOU DON'T GIVE THEM WHAT THEY WANT, THEY'LL MAKE IT A REALITY!! Wow!! What a chilling thriller! This book has great suspense, gruesome murders, mystery, intriguing, psychotic killers, fantastic characters, and some crazy twists and turns! The story was very interesting! I highly recommend reading this book! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

A blackmail thriller that makes you feel like you’re running out of time. A page turner with a great plot, lots of action and drama. A very unexpected ending that will leave you with your jaw on the floor

A blackmail thriller that makes you feel like time is running out, I had the opportunity to read this arc thankyou NetGalley and I really enjoyed it, it was a race against time trying to find funding to send to your blackmailer before your child becomes a victim, I liked the details of the plot and the city where it was based in Birmingham as I live in Birmingham I could imagine every pinpoint of where they was going next and it helped build the scene more

Upfront I'm a Hugh fan of Andy Maslen especially his Gabriel Wolfe series. This is the first book he has a co author I've read.. it was different in language and style. I really liked the alternating pov. It kept me thinking the story was almost over then bam! Another idea surfaced. I believe this isn't over yet. I will be looking for more books with these characters.