Update: TikTok review posted 1-7
A doctor who moved to a remote island with her soon-to-attend-college daughter lives under a cloud from her former life. At the brink of her divorce being finalized, she's blindsided by her daughter's abduction.

The audiobook production values and pacing are top-notch. The narrator has talent, and her accent made the Scottish setting more immersive. It was easy to distinguish between the various characters.

For me, the main character didn't ring true as a doctor. I didn't like her or the daughter much and didn't become very engaged in their various problems. There are numerous things that strain credibility, a common flaw in thrillers. Many readers won't mind them. The use of high-caliber tiles as lures increased my disappointment: I found Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train compelling and memorable; Family Doctor never came near their level. 

The setup was intriguing. The moral test of being ordered to trade a life for a life appealed to me, and I enjoyed being transported to Scotland. The prose flows well, and there are relationship complexities. The dual timeline approach worked, revealing the past and raising the stakes in the present. I appreciated the inner tensions the main character faced. 

The ending became suspenseful and had a dark edge. The novel was entertaining. It simply wasn’t a fit for me. J.M. Dalgliesh has appreciative fans. No doubt this forthcoming release will be a hit for his audience.

I recommend this audiobook for readers who enjoy women-in-peril books, domestic drama, and crime fiction. My thanks to Bookouture Audio for the ALC via NetGalley for consideration. These opinions are solely my own.

3.5/5
I enjoyed this book but found the ending a bit predictable. I guessed who the bad guy was 30% into this book. It still had a plot that made me want to know what was going to happen ASAP though!

Wow! This was certainly a thriller! I didn't want to put it down. It's about a doctor who does something she shouldn't and chooses to move away because of her reputation. She moves to a remote area with her daughter where she knows everyone and still practices medicine. When her daughter goes missing, a ransom is sent telling her to choose her daughter's life or someone else's. She has to kill one of her patients to get her daughter back and she cannot tell anyone about the situation. What will she do?

With many thriller mysteries, you often know early-on who the killer is. I thought I knew it for sure and that this would be a hokey mystery, but I did not! There were many twists and turns and I kept being surprised by the events. I would highly recommend this book, especially if you like psychological thrillers, mysteries, and to get your heart pumping!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with the opportunity to listen to the audiobook. "Family Doctor" offers a compelling narrative that effectively keeps listeners engaged throughout its entirety. The story revolves around a family doctor in a small town who faces an incredibly challenging moral dilemma: she must decide whether to assist in ending a patient's life in order to save her daughter. This conflict is not just a matter of professional duty; it plunges her into a deep ethical quandary that explores the very essence of her oath to do no harm.

One of the strengths of this book is its ability to delve into the complexities of medical ethics and the personal sacrifices that healthcare professionals often face. The characters are well-developed, and their motivations are relatable, allowing readers to connect emotionally with their struggles. However, there are moments where the pacing could be improved; some scenes feel rushed while others linger longer than necessary, which can affect the overall tension and flow of the story.

The author does an excellent job of raising thought-provoking questions about morality, duty, and the weight of one's choices in the face of adversity. The emotional stakes are high, and the narrative encourages listeners to reflect on what they would do in a similar situation, making it a valuable read for anyone interested in the ethical implications of medical practice.

Overall, "Family Doctor" is an insightful and thought-provoking experience. It's a book that stays with you long after you've finished it. I would confidently rate it 4 out of 5 stars, and I highly recommend it to those who enjoy stories that challenge their thinking and touch on complex moral issues.

A little trite. I didn't figure out the ending but I've read plenty like this. A little too long for the storyline.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture Audio, and J.M. Dalgliesh for an Advanced Listener's Copy of this title!

"The Family Doctor" takes readers to a remote Scottish island and the rural family practice of Dr. Kelly, whose care for her patients and teenage daughter Lauren masks dark secrets she'd like to forget. Not all secrets stay buried, and someone on the island is determined to make Dr. Kelly suffer - Lauren is kidnapped, and in exchange for her life Dr. Kelly has three days to murder one of her own patients. Can Dr. Kelly stick to the rules and play god with the islanders, or is Lauren doomed to an island burial?

I will never not pick up a title that has anything to do with doctors, and this one did not disappoint. Told from the perspective of Dr. Kelly, we are quickly thrown into a high-stakes, life-for-life psychological thriller, interspersed with the tantalizing and horrifying details of Dr. Kelly's morbid secrets. I also thought the reality of being a rural doctor was explored decently here, and added a flair to the idea of a locked-house (locked-island?) thriller that comprised our tale.

The audiobook narrator also did an excellent job of making me feel like I was right in Dr. Kelly's head, and keeping the tension high - I listened to this book while walking my dog and I definitely gasped out loud a few times at some of the twists in this book!

Full of twists and turns (several that I did NOT see coming), fans of psychological thrillers and remote Scottish islands will love this book!

BLOG TOUR REVIEW

Review for 'Family Doctor' by J M Dalgliesh

This is the first book I have read by this author but it most definitely won't be my last!!!

An absolutely epic read from the very talented J M Dalgliesh!!! Absolutely rammed full of twists, tension and turns!! Congratulations Dalgliesh on a fantastic and gripping page turner!!

This is an extremely well written book with vivid descriptions that will suck you straight into the storyline and captivated from beginning to end. The synopsis and cover worked perfectly with the storyline.

I had never read a book by Dalgliesh before this one but I am definitely hooked after and have already added all his books to my wish list. I was absolutely hooked throughout, a true page turner from beginning to end. Dalgliesh is one of those amazing authors who manages to write an epic book that when you are reading it you promise yourself one more chapter and then you'll go to sleep or get on with other work but each time he ends his chapters in a way that has you hooked so you have to read just one more, but then another and before you know it you have walked around all day with the book glued to your hands and have devoured it in one sitting!!! In this gripping page turner Dalgliesh transports the reader to the remote Island of Jura where we meet Doctor Kelly Murray. Kelly and her daughter Lorraine moved to Jura from Edinburgh after something that happened 2 years ago forced them to relocate. Kelly is the only Doctor on the Island and the community relies on her to keep them safe. However when Kelly receives a message stating that this person has kidnapped her daughter Lauren and that unless she does what they say they will kill her. They give her three rules to abide by which are Kelly has 72 hours (3 days) to murder one of her patients, she must not tell another soul and she must not be caught. Is this connected to what happened in her past? Can Kelly take another life to save her daughter's? Well, to find out you will just have to grab this book and I can promise that you will not regret it!! With a storyline ram packed with secrets, family, twists, threats, suspense, drama, lies and more what are you waiting for? Dalgliesh's fantastic and vivid writing skills and descriptions and Eilidh's emotive narrative skills really brings the Island of Jura, the characters, the emotions and the action to life throughout ensuring you can see, feel and hear everything that Kelly and the rest of the characters are seeing, feeling and hearing. I absolutely loved the twists which I didn't see coming at all so a huge well-done to Dalgliesh for that. I have read hundreds of crime and thriller books so it is getting harder and harder to surprise me but you managed it. The storyline was compelling and I was completely invested in it and the characters throughout. I loved the setting which was perfect in creating the isolated and tension packed atmosphere. I read this book in less than 24 hours and I'm looking forward to reading more books by this fantastic author. Dalgliesh does a brilliant job of weaving the multiple timelines together ensuring the reader gets a bigger picture of what is and did happen without giving away too much too soon. I hope your busy typing your next book up Dalgliesh as I cannot wait and until then I am off to get stuck into the rest of the books that you have written!!! This book would make an absolutely amazing and box selling movie that I would be first in line to see!!!

This is one of the few books that I have listened 100% on Audiobook. If I listen to a book on audiobook I usually also read the physical book between but I listened to the whole book and I was impressed! I must say a HUGE congratulations to the narrator Eilidh Beaton who did a great job bringing this story to life. I would listen to it in the car and while walking at any opportunity and Eilidh did a fantastic job on both male and female characters voices as well as accents!!! I'm not only looking forward to reading more books by J M Dalgliesh but also to listening to more books narrated by Eilidh! I have previously listened to 'My Perfect Marriage' by AJ. Campbell which is also narrated by Eilidh and which I would also highly recommend.

I loved meeting all the characters who were all strong, well defined and unique. I become completely invested in Kelly along with all of the other characters. Dalgliesh's absolutely fantastic evocative writing skills and descriptions along with Eilidh's brilliant narrative made it feel like you were standing right next to Kelly throughout feeling everything that she is feeling and going through everything she is right along with her. Each of the characters had their own different quirks and personalities and although I wasn't a fan of them they will definitely stay with me for a long time as will this storyline!

An absolutely addictive, compelling and gripping true page turner!!!

Overall a unique captivating page turner that is compelling, chilling and addictive by an extremely talented author!!!

#FamilyDoctor #JMDalgliesh #EilidhBeaton #Bookouture #BookoutureAnonymous #HachetteUK

@JMDalgliesh @EilidhBeaton @Bookouture @BookoutureAnonymous @HachetteUK

https://m.facebook.com/Bookworm1986/?ref=bookmarks

https://m.facebook.com/Bookwork86/?__tn__=%2As-R

https://www.instagram.com/bookwormwhitlock86/

https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/34299953-kirsty-bookworm86

https://mobile.twitter.com/kcmw86

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/profile/amzn1.account.AFZ2XZBSFHIHXBXGZLBQ666XVK4A?ie=UTF8&ref_=ya_mb_l_prf

Struggled to get into this at first but had me hooked once I did. The plot had me guessing and I hadn't predicted what would happen. The narrator was good and definitely complimented the story

Kelly is a doctor on a small Scottish island. Since she is the only doctor she knows everyone, and everyone knows her. Kelly has a dark secret and a past that she wants to keep hidden, but someone knows. Kelly’s daughter, Lauren, is kidnapped, and unless Lauren makes a difficult decision to kill one of her patients in the next three days, Lauren will be dead.

Family Doctor is a great thriller that suffers from being too long. It’s only 311 pages, but for this type of book and how this book is presented, it was too long with a little too much fluff we didn’t need. The book started out with a bang; there was no set-up at all. We find out right away that Lauren is Kidnapped and Kelly has three days to kill a patient. With this happening so quickly, I thought this book was going to fly, but it did not.

I liked Kelly as a character, but there were times when I felt she was just going about her daily routine. I just wanted to scream at her to remember her daughter was missing.

Kelly’s past was interesting, and I loved the drip-feed of information that we got. Especially when it all made its way back to the present day for one of the many twists and reveals.

If you are a fan of thrillers, then Family Doctor is definitely one you should check out.

Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book.
I have had books by this author on my to read pile for a while but not picked any up , after listening to this audio book I will definitely seek out more to read .
The narrator does a great job , using just the right amount of expression and nuance to make the story interesting without being overly intrusive to the listener.
The premise of a family doctor on the Isle of Jura being given the ultimatum of killing one of her patients in exchange for the return of her kidnapped daughter is an interesting one .
There are two timelines , the present on Jury and a couple of years prior in Edinburgh where we learn about a trauma in Doctor Kelly’s past.
I found the book got of to a great start and there are lots of possibilities for the kidnapper and plenty of twists throughout , however the middle part of the book did seem slow paced and somewhat repetitive before a much more high octane ending .

This is my first book by this author and I am hooked!!! I will definitely be checking out more! Love a book that leaves you guessing to the end!!

🎧Audio Book Review🎧

Family Doctor
JM Dalgliesh

🌟🌟🌟🌟

Having read Homewrecker by this author back in August last year and loving it - I was keen to grab this new release and see whether it would take us on a similarly wild ride? .... And it did not disappoint!

We dive straight into the action from the first few pages when we learn that Kelly's daughter, Lauren, has gone missing.
There was so much to this storyline, but I can't really say too much without giving spoilers, but we follow Kelly as she tries to work out who has taken her daughter...and why!?

I love that this weaves together a then and now storyline which feeds us small portions of the whole and keeps us guessing right to the end.

There was a lot going on and a fair few characters to keep track of, but this is pretty easy to follow and pretty easy to find a suspect in every one!
Still leaving the reveal to be a shock and then just as you think it's all done and dusted - there's a final twist that had me questioning everything I'd read before.

This had me hooked from the start and there were certain moments that gave me a classic chill down the spine, especially with the isolated setting too, which I love!

I'm definitely a fan of this authors' writing style and can see that I'll be adding more books by them to my tbr this year.




💕Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my ARC copy - this is my honest review 💕

I thought this book started really slowly and got going half way in, I liked the main character and the narrator did a great job at keeping you engaged through out! I preferred the authors previous book but still a decent thriller with some good twists. Rounded up to 4 stars but rated 3.5. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for this audio book.

⭐️⭐️
3/5

This book is about a doctor, Kelly, whose daughter, Lauren, is kidnapped. In order for her to be returned, Kelly must choose and murder one of her patients. There are very specific rules that she needs to follow or she may never see her daughter again.

This book was very fast paced and never boring. I like to listen to books at a higher speed and this one was hard to do so because of the narrator’s accent.

Thank you NetGalley, Bookouture Audio, and J M Dalgliesh for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Overall this book was pretty good, I liked the main characters and wanted to know what was going to happen, It seems like it dragged a bit in the middle though, I started to get bored. Still would recommend though.

The book had me hooked as soon as I read the plot. A mother is blackmailed to kill a patient or risk the death of her own daughter. The book starts with the disappearance of her daughter and directions to murder a patient to get her daughter back. The story has a dual timeline, which can be confusing for some readers.
The narration was authentic, Scottish accents and all! I was not able to predict how it would end and was engaged to the last chapter.

The Family Doctor by JM Dalgliesh is an engrossing psychological thriller set against the hauntingly atmospheric backdrop of a remote Scottish island. This gripping tale of a single mother forced into an unthinkable moral dilemma had me hooked from the start, though keeping track of the many characters was a bit of a challenge. I read along while listening to the audiobook, and the combined experience made for an immersive journey into Dalgliesh’s dark and twisty world.

Eilidh Beaton’s narration is a standout feature of this audiobook. Her ability to modulate her tone and inflection brought each character to life, making it easier to differentiate between the cast despite the complex story. The tension in her voice during pivotal moments amplified the stakes, and her pacing was spot-on, maintaining the intensity of the plot without ever feeling rushed or dragging. Beaton’s skill as a narrator truly elevated the suspenseful atmosphere of the story, and I felt fully transported to the bleak, windswept island setting. If you enjoy audiobooks where the narration feels like an integral part of the experience, this one will not disappoint.

JM Dalgliesh once again proves why he is one of my go-to authors. Much like Homewrecker, this book had me on the edge of my seat, unraveling secrets and questioning how far someone might go for the people they love. The plot is expertly crafted, blending high stakes with deeply personal moments, as the protagonist faces impossible choices to save her daughter. However, with so many characters in play, I occasionally found myself losing track of who was who, which slightly pulled me out of the narrative. Even so, Dalgliesh’s ability to weave moral complexity into a fast-paced thriller kept me invested throughout.

The audiobook’s flow was seamless, with clear transitions between chapters and a consistent build in suspense that mirrored the protagonist’s mounting desperation. While there were no added sound effects or music, the strength of Beaton’s narration filled the void, making every twist and turn hit harder. The structure of the audiobook ensured that the tension never faltered, and it was easy to follow along despite the intricate plot.

I would highly recommend The Family Doctor to fans of psychological thrillers, particularly those who enjoy morally complex dilemmas and vividly atmospheric settings. While the story works well in all formats, I found the audiobook to be particularly impactful due to Eilidh Beaton’s excellent narration, which enhanced the tension and brought the characters to life. If you decide to dive into this book, I suggest listening to the audiobook for the full immersive experience—just be prepared to keep note of the characters along the way!

A doctor is forced to kill a patient to save her daughter.

This book jumps right into the disappearance of her daughter with the directions to murder a patient to get her daughter back.
This one is a dual timeline, which I usually like, but it went too far back and made things more confusing. It felt very slow to me, too. Some secrets are revealed that make you want to keep reading, but it was just okay to me.

Wow this book had me hooked from the start!

I had the book version and it really had me captivated, scottish accents and all! If you like Frieda McFadden then this might just be your new favourite author. I was not able to predict how it would end and was also in a state of not wanting it to end.

If you are a thriller lover I would highly suggest listening to the audiobook as it was spoken very well.

Thank you to NetGalley and J M Dalgliesh for the ARC of this book ❤️

Unfortunately, this book didn’t work for me.

Kelly is a doctor on a small island. Her daughter, Lauren, is kidnapped and Kelly is given the kidnapper’s demand - kill a patient in order to save her daughter. It’s a great premise and had such promise!

For the first 50% of the book nothing happens. It got to the point where I even forgot this was a kidnapping thriller, and it felt like Kelly forgot, too. Yes, every once in awhile she would mention worrying about her daughter, but there was no sense of urgency or even terror. The audiobook narrator didn’t seem to have a sense of panic either.

When the twist was revealed, the surprise was why, but not who - I realized who was behind it around 30% in or so.

I would give the author another shot since the premise was a good one! This book could have been improved by making Kelly a more realistic mother and reacting as a normal mother would after realizing her daughter is being held hostage. There should have been much more action from the start. The narrator didn’t have much emotion and sounded kind of cold and detached as Kelly.

Thanks for letting me listen in advance!