I received an ARC of this book in return for an honest review.

*His Kidnapper's Shoes* by Maggie James is a gripping psychological thriller that explores the complexities of human nature. The novel offers no clear-cut heroes or villains, instead focusing on the inner turmoil and damaged psyches of its characters. This nuanced approach makes for a thought-provoking read, as readers are forced to question the motivations behind the characters’ actions and consider how their pasts shape their present choices.

The story centers on a kidnapping that spirals into unforeseen consequences, but the real tension lies in the emotional and moral struggles of the characters involved. James crafts a compelling narrative where no one is entirely good or evil, allowing the reader to empathize with the conflicting emotions at play.

Overall, *His Kidnapper's Shoes* is an engrossing psychological exploration that delivers on suspense and emotional depth. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and will be keeping an eye out for more from Maggie James.

What an emotional read.
To imagine all the bell Laura went thru to make her do what she did is horrible yet heartbreaking.

You must read this story if you like books that take you on a journey of love, fear, hatred, and forgiveness. Just a great read.

Omg......... this book was amazing I flew threw the pages with Olympic speed I was hooked from the very first page. I found it full of twists and turns threw out and it kept me on the edge of my seat all the way threw  I would defiantly recommend this book if you like a good book to keep you reading threw the night hopefully you enjoy it as much as I did

This was an excellent psychological thriller that I am so glad I,had the opportunity to read. A gripping story that I read in one day.

I figured this was a typical mom kidnapper book and it started just as that....but whoa! It took a few turns that I didn’t see coming! Quick read! I had to know how it ended! So good!

I am so gutted to have to admit I didn't enjoy this one. The premise is brilliant, but it wasn't executed very well in my opinion. I was bored throughout a lot of it, and didn't enjoy the characters either. There was a lot of far fetched moments and the ending wasn't a surprise.

A very good read, held my attention, highly recommend
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.

This reminds me of the relationship Norman Bates has with his mother, Norma. Maybe not as creepy, but definitely on a level creepy enough to make it entertaining. This was entertaining throughout its entirety, and fans of American Psycho and Bates Motel will certainly enjoy.

Dear Lake Union. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this title. Unfortunately, due to the large number of titles forwarded to me by various publishers, I'm not going to be in a position to read this book. Thanks once again and I hope to be in a position to review a number of your other titles in the future. Many Thanks. Kim. The Buzzing Bookmark

Thanks to netgalley for the chance to have read this book.
The book deals with a little depressing topic, and honestly I did not really like it, because I like more gritty blood and gore.
It was still entertaining and recommended for fans of Maggie James

This is the first book by Maggie James that I've read but it certainly won't be the last. Her writing is well paced, perfectly planned and full of emotion.

The story is written on two timelines with Daniel in the present time and Laura Bateman giving her story on both timelines. We get a good background story of Laura's early life, how she lost her mother, was sent to disastrous foster parents, became pregnant at a young age and just as things were looking better, she lost her grandmother. Laura had such a tragic start in life and Maggie James does a good job of making the reader feel so sorry for her, to the point that you would forgive her of almost anything.

At the same time we are crying buckets over Laura's life, Daniel's present day is being told in alternate chapters. Daniel is a complex characters, he isn't a loving family kind of guy, he dates women only for sex and sometimes dates men too when he's feeling particularly rough. Suddenly, he dates a woman who he can't get out of his mind (or his bed!) and he thinks that finally he has found someone he might possibly be able to spend the rest of his life with. The only problem is that she's about to take a job in Australia and wants him to come too. This is moving much too quickly for Daniel, he's feeling the pressure, and then the biggest, most shocking moment of his life hits him.

The pace of the book is very quick. There are no moments of boredom or any thought of skipping a bit because so much is happening all the time. I must admit that the story does have a certain predictability about it because from the first chapters, Laura on the dual timeline is telling her present day story from a police interview room. But none of that matters, it's not the guessing what happens that's important, it's how we get there and this story is a beautiful one to the very end. The whole telling of Daniel and Laura's life is so emotional and realistic that it doesn't matter that you can see the inevitable coming, you just have to keep reading to find out how it all happens.

This is an excellent telling of flawed characters who in different ways have had awful things happen in their lives to create complex and broken people. It's a story of struggle and hardship, of deep love, hate, confusion and a kind of forgiving too.

Brilliant story - could not stop reading this.

Thanks for the advanced copy

This book was not what I was expecting at all. It's a very sad heart-wrenching story where you feel empathy for both parties. Daniel has known something isn't right as he is growing up. He has memories his mother says are not true. Laura knows Daniel is her son, she loves him like nothing else on earth and he is her world. When Daniel is in his 20's he finds out his mother is not his mother after all but someone who kidnapped him when he was only 4. The story is told from both Daniel and Laura's perspective. Laura suffers unimaginable tragedies that are too many for one person to bear, no wonder she loses her mind. Daniel cannot believe what has happened and struggles to make sense of his world when he meets his new family. A really good story which maybe have been enhanced by having the story of Daniel's real family told as well. I can't wait to read more of Maggie James books.

When I was a kid and I got in a snit with my mother (which was often) I would fantasise about her not being my real mother; that there had been a mix up in the hospital and I had come home with the wrong parents; that I had been adopted and my real mother (incredibly wealthy of course) was searching frantically for me. But, of course, my mother was my mother. I was never in any real doubt. But what if she hadn't been........what if it was all a lie?

Daniel Bateman has never felt like he belonged. He has hazy memories of another woman being his mother and another, younger, woman who played with him. When he asks his mother Laura, she assures him that they are just dreams, figments of his imagination and that of course she is his mother.

Then Daniel meets Katie, the perfect girl from the perfect family. And suddenly it becomes imperative that he knows for certain just who he is. So he removes some hair from his mother's hairbrush and sends it off for a DNA test.

But is Daniel prepared for the result and the fallout it will cause?

His Kidnapper's Shoes is a story of love and loss, obsession and revenge, but most of all, forgiveness. It is tragic and heart-wrenching, and its characters very human. The title is clever and I thought it referred to something else entirely until just before the end.

There is some vulgarity contained within, and for a while I wondered why it was necessary, but all became clear.

There were times I wanted to slap both Laura and Daniel and tell them to just get over it, as it all got just a little repetitive, hence only 4 stars.

All in all a good read and I will be looking out for more to read from Maggie James.

Thank you to Lake Union Publishing via NetGalley for the digital ARC of His Kidnapper's Shoes for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Thank You to Netgalley for allowing me to read this book for my opinion.
Told from 2 different viewpoints - Laura the mother and Daniel her son. This hooked me at Chapter 1 and I could not put it down. This a great suspenseful book that takes you on an emotional rollercoaster.

I was reading this book at work, and I had to apologize to my boss one day. I clocked back in from lunch late because my mouth was hanging open at just one of the twists in Maggie James' His Kidnapper's Shoes.

Twenty-six-year-old Daniel has always had the feeling like he didn't belong in his family. A doctor friend of his notices that his eye color is a genetic anomaly compared to his parents' eye colors, so he decides to take a DNA test. When he gets the results back, with proof that his mother is not his mother, his world crashes in on him. Is it possible that he was kidnapped as a child? Who would do such a thing, and why? And how does he go on?

Laura Bateman has stopped speaking. Her son has discovered that she isn't his real mother, that she took him from his home when he was only 4. After everything that has happened to her, all that pain of her childhood taking care of her alcoholic mother and then her grandmother in her fight against cancer, to become pregnant as a teenager and then to be raped by a foster father, to lose her mother and then grandmother and then son--it's a lot for her process. And in order to process, she has stopped speaking. She has locked herself up and tells her story only to us.

What causes someone to do something unthinkable? And once it's done, how do those affected move forward? Is it possible to make a life when your child has been taken from his bed, when you find out you're not who you thought you were, when all your secrets are revealed? Is forgiveness possible, or even healing?

This novel jumps around in time and from character to character, so you watch the two main characters' stories unfold as they want them to, in their own words. And while it's clearly not an easy novel to read, it does make for a fascinating study of the lies we tell, the reasons for them, and the damage they do.



Galleys provided by the publisher through NetGalley.com.

Not my usual genre but I will certainly be looking for this author again. Fantastic read.

Thank you to NetGalley and CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform for the ARC of this book in exchange for a honest review.

I think I must have read a different book from all of the other readers because I can't seem to figure out how all these people rated it 5 stars? To start, the book is pretty heavy on the sex for basically no reason. I get it, the main male character, Daniel, is a hunk but I could have done without half the scenes or mentions of sex in this book. I actually skimmed through those sections because it actually took away from the book for me. Second, Daniel is super unlikeable and superficial. This made it hard for me to feel much sympathy for him through out the book. If anything he was the perennial victim and that took away from the fact that he was, in fact, an actual victim. Lastly, it seems like 2 different authors wrote the book. The chapters written from Laura's POV were brilliant. The writing was fantastic and even though her storyline was a bit cliched you still felt real empathy for her. Then Daniels chapter would come up and it would turn me right off of the book. Probably wouldn't recommend this book.

I periodically wanted to tell both Laura and Daniel to wake up and grow up and face the music but I kept reading because James has done a good job of writing a plot driven novel. None of the characters are especially appealing but that's not a problem because their interaction and the story are well done. Thanks to netgalley or the ARC. Try this one for an up and down tale of secrets and lies.

I had little sympathy for Laura throughout the story due to her compulsive actions. I understand why she did it but in the end she was the one who suffered the most.
I really felt for Daniel, he was a likeable character and he trusted his intuition. Daniel also had to suffer but at least he was able to progress and move on.
The story was easy to follow and i liked the way the chapters went from past to present from Laura and Daniel's point of view.