This book managed to keep me on my toes, with no idea what would happen next. I would like to say I figured it out before the ending, but really I just suspected everyone. Highly recommend

This is the first book that I have read by this author, but after hearing the enthusiastic recommendation from Wall To Wall Books, I just had to read it. Being the 3rd in the series, it was easily read as a stand alone.

I love books where I am transported into the story, being able to visualize the characters and settings and be unaware of my surroundings when reading. And this book had all that and more.

Elle, a 2nd grade teacher at Logan Elementary, is getting her classroom decorated and ready for the start of school, when she stumbles onto the murder of the Principal. It doesn't end there, more murders and feelings of being stalked. Then a "hit list" is found and she is the next on the list. Who is the killer and why?

I read this book in 2 sittings, unable to stop turning the pages to see what happens next. The revealing of the killer was shocking. I didn't see that one coming!!

Like Wall to Wall Books recommended this author to me, I am encouraging you to pick up this book. A very can't put down read. Thrilling!

Not one for murder mysteries, but I enjoyed this one! It was suspenseful and well written, fast paced, and just tossed out enough clues to keep me reading (although I have to admit, I did eventually skip to the end to discover the culprit I just couldn't wait!). The characters were nice mix an well developed. Mystery lovers will enjoy this story.
As this was the 3rd in a series, maybe I'll have to look into the others sometime. I wonder if they all tie in?

An ok thriller but not my cup of tea
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.

Exciting and Fun I was guessing the whole time.
Creepy and Scary book.
Childs Play is a mystery and thriller read.
I need to go back and read books 1 @ 2 in the series but not reading them didn't spoil the book for me.....
A must read.

Thank you Netgalley the Publisher and Author for a chance to read this book....

This book was gripping all the way through. I love a good mystery and although I sort of solved this around half way through, I thought it was cleverly done and you were always guessing people and wondering who was guilty.

Child's Play by Mary Jones is a thriller and suspense read with a strong plot and great build-up.

The plotline of this book was really good and the pacing was great, but the suspense was quite predictable. There were a lot of red-herrings, and I did like them, but certain situations gave away the main culprit a bit too early for my taste. This is one book I have mixed feeling for because in spite of enjoying the read overall there were a couple fo things that bothered me. For example, when the murderer was revealed at quite-not-the-end, for some reason, it just felt anti-climactic and the reveal's beauty, even though being predictable, was ruined.

The build-up was good and the writing was good too. They both accented the story really well and even though the main character was built nicely and I could clearly see the efforts that were put into the main as well as the secondary characters, I was not able to feel a connection with the lead, and hence, found the overall reading experience dimmed by the very fact.

I'd recommend this book to anyone looking for a quick suspense and thriller read not minding the predictability.

As the story begins, Elle Harrison is beginning a new year of teaching second grade at Logan Elementary. Though this is a book in a series, we can tell without reading the other books that our Elle is a survivor, fighting to keep her life on an even keel, in spite of personal demons, destructive memories, and fears of random individuals like the creepy school custodian. She fights in a tangible way by taking on new challenges like selling her house to free herself of her past, and taking up the trapeze with her friends Becky and Susan (both projects with dubious success.) She's haunted by memories of her late husband, Charlie, and zones out, a thing her friends call "pulling an Elle." She has a lot to deal with, including finding the school principal Mrs. Marshall murdered, and being interrogated by Nick Stiles, the same detective who had been on her husband's case. By the end of the first chapter, her canoe is fully loaded with rocks and headed toward the waterfall with a slow leak.

We have sympathy with Elle because she has such troubles. She deals with not only her personal issues, but also having to work with Joyce (her nemesis). Joyce is something of a cold fish, and would be a challenge to work with in any environment except maybe in concert with other cold fish. Elle and her friends have empathy for their students, even troubled ones like Ty Evans, one of her former pupils who has a troubled family, and whose release from prison complicates the story.

Writing in first person is a challenge. Though Elle's life has made her neurotic, a condition which has her second guessing everything, this can be difficult for the reader to hear constantly and still remain sympathetic, she does remain a sympathetic character. This does make her pretty whiney for a heroine, although she has good reason to be. Her friends are somewhat supportive, and I can't decide if the author meant them to be realistic, loyal or pandering, because they know of her problems, but aren't as supportive as they could have been. (What kind of friends drink with someone prone to blackouts?) As for the mystery, on one count I was surprised, and on another count, I was not. I did enjoy the read. Even though Elle is a prisoner of her history and nerosis, and lives to be a piñata for life to beat up, I finished in one sitting. <b>Childs Play </b> is a series book that does stand alone.

I’m sorry but no. This book was a no for me. And so disappointing too because it had such promise. Such promise. The cover was creepy enough to get my attention, the plot was exciting enough to make me want to read, but the actual story? No.

First off, I have to say it was very hard for me to believe that this was the third in a series which carries the same name of its heroine, Elle Harrison. With everything that she did, every choice that she went with, every thought that crossed her mind, it was hard to believe that she survived two books before this. She was incompetent, forever doubting herself, and I’m sorry to say this but she did some pretty stupid things. I really didn’t want to use the word stupid, but honestly I have no alternative for some of the things she did.

She was not what I’d expect from a heroine who gave her name to the whole series. She certainly didn’t deserve that honor. I had no way to connect with her whatsoever, no small crack for me to crawl through and find some kind of redeeming characteristic. Anything. But alas, no. I found nothing. Nothing at all to make me care for her in any way. And that’s a shame in a book. When you can’t bring yourself to care for the main character.

I don’t know what happened in the previous books, or how Elle survived or solved the cases so far, but I’m certainly not interested. Sorry to say. Because this book seriously had great potential, it made me sad that the end result was this. It was an easy read though, I’ll give it that. The mystery was one I liked, a solid concept of serial killings that mystify a school teacher, her friends and colleagues and the police. But the execution? Failed. Big time.

I’m adding one spoonful of this story into my hodgepodge, and wish Elle the best.

I couldn't put this down. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I'm looking forward to reading more from this author

My review is up on Amazon under my name Kimberly-Aisha Hashmi. I loved this and need to read more from this author!

Not my style of book, seemed more mystery than crime thriller which I prefer

It was better than the other novels in the series

Just before the start of the school year, second grade teacher Elle Harrison discovers the body of the school principal stabbed to death in her office. Detective Stiles, who interviewed Elle two years earlier following the murder of her husband, heads up the investigation. With the help of her friends Becky (a fellow school teacher), Susan (also her lawyer), and Jen, Elle navigates her way through a series of murders, a persistent real estate agent who seems to be a bit too interested in her, an obsessed former student, and even circus school. Who'll be left standing?

Sorry to say this, but Elle is one of the most annoying characters I've ever come across. She second guesses all of her decisions and runs an incessant internal monologue - and this in sentence fragments, not even full sentences. As she herself states, "I was prone to mental wandering and embellishing." So much so, that her friends call it "pulling an Elle". Things are so dramatic and over-the-top in her mind but, when something happens in real life, it's described so matter-of-factly that you need to re-read that section to find out what exactly happened or if, in fact, it did actually happen and wasn't just a figment of her imagination. While the reason for her "dissociative disorder" becomes apparent toward the end of the book, it still feels like an unnecessary gimmick.

Throughout the book, asterisked section dividers (***) are over-used and excessively disruptive. It's almost as if the author has invented a new form of punctuation - a kind of exclamation mark for an entire scene, like "ooh, insert jaw-drop here ..." after something shocking (in her eyes) happens, even though the next sentence follows on directly.

Unfortunately, I also found the plot predictable and saw the ending coming a mile away. The only reason I kept reading was to see how long it would take for the penny to drop. It never does. The only redeeming feature is that you don't need to have read the previous books, as the narrative seamlessly incorporates any background information you need to know.

One for the die-hard fans only.

Second grade school teacher Elle Harrison's life hasn't been the same since the murder of her husband Charlie two years ago. She tries to move forward with her life by putting her house up for sale, but when the first day of the school begins, Elle's life gets a tad bit more complicated when she discovers the dead body of the school's principal. And if that isn't enough, Elle finds out that there is a hit list, and she's next on the list! When dead bodies start to accumulate, Elle is determined to solve the murder mystery, and find the killer before she ends up as the next victim!

In Child's Play, the third book in the Elle Harrison Thriller Series, author Merry Jones weaves an intriguing thriller that engages the reader in solving the mystery all the while keeping them guessing along the way. This is a riveting tale of murder, mystery and suspense set in Philadelphia, and written in the first person narrative with Elle Harrison taking the reader along for the ride on her zany adventure to uncover the mystery surrounding the school murders.

Mixed with humor, danger, paranormal involvement, potential suspects and enough twists and turns that keeps you turning the pages until the surprising conclusion, you'll find yourself recruited as one of Elle's amateur sleuths on a quest to solve the puzzle of the school murders. The author weaves a masterful tale that takes the reader in many directions: between the murder mystery, Elle's psychological backstory, Elle's relationship with her best friends, and the paranormal activity, you can't help but try and keep up with this fast-paced riveting thriller.

With a quirky cast of characters who are very entertaining: from zany Elle and her hilarious best friends Susan, Becky, and Jenny; to ghostly Charlie who communicates with Elle from beyond the grave; to a host of potential suspects who each have a motive for murder; they keep the reader on their toes wondering who really is the murderer.

With witty and humorous dialogue and interactions; an intriguing storyline that takes the reader on a madcap adventure that alternates between the present with Elle's memory flashbacks to the past; and a richly detailed description of familiar Philadelphia landmarks; Child's Play is a tantalizing whodunit mystery thriller that will engage your imagination to the very end!

RATING: 4 STARS

Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author /publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review and participation in a virtual book tour event hosted by Partners In Crime Virtual Book Tours.

http://jerseygirlbookreviews.blogspot.com/2017/02/childs-play-author-guest-post-book.html

I never read this series before and was a little upset that it was the third in a series but the description still drew me in and I am glad. It was thoroughly enjoyable and there were a few twists that were handled well. I liked the Elle and wouldn't mind going back and seeing where her story began.

Childs Play was well crafted and entertaining and worth the read.

Child’s Play
The Elle Harrison Series #3
Merry Jones
Oceanview Publishing, January 2017
ISBN 978-1-60809-191-1
Trade Paperback

From the publisher—

Since her husband’s murder two years earlier, life hasn’t been easy for Elle Harrison. Now, at the start of a new school year, the second grade teacher is determined to move on. She’s selling her house and delving into new experiences―like learning trapeze.

Just before the first day of school, Elle learns that a former student, Ty Evans, has been released from juvenile detention where he served time for killing his abusive father. Within days of his release, Elle’s school principal, who’d tormented Ty as a child, is brutally murdered. So is a teacher at the school. And Ty’s former girlfriend. All the victims have links to Ty.

Ty’s younger brother, Seth, is in Elle’s class. When Seth shows up at school beaten and bruised, Elle reports the abuse, and authorities remove Seth and his older sister, Katie, from their home. Is Ty the abuser?

Ty seeks Elle out, confiding that she’s the only adult he’s ever trusted. She tries to be open-minded, even wonders if he’s been wrongly condemned. But when she’s assaulted in the night, she suspects that Ty is her attacker. Is he a serial killer? Is she his next intended victim?

Before Elle discovers the truth, she’s caught in a deadly trap that challenges her deepest convictions about guilt and innocence, childhood and family. Pushed to her limits, she’s forced to face her fears and apply new skills in a deadly fight to survive.

I first encountered the work of Merry Jones almost four years ago and, at the time, I thought there were flaws in The Trouble with Charlie but I still found the tale intriguing and looked forward to future books. Next for me came In the Woods (a different series) almost two years later and, while I didn’t care for that one as much, I didn’t give up on Ms. Jones. Something about her books kept drawing me back and, to my mind, that says a lot about an author’s ability to engage a reader.

Now comes Child’s Play, third entry in the first series and my interest in Ms. Jones has been paid off in spades. This book is the one I consider to be her breakthough novel and I’m truly glad I had the opportunity to read it.

Here we have a dark, disturbing study of the repercussions our actions can have years after the fact, tangled with the impact a troubled home life has on children, sometimes leading to dire events. Elementary school teacher Elle Harrison has to cope with a memory disorder but she remembers Ty Evans well enough, a young man recently released from detention after serving his time for killing his abusive father. When people connected to Ty’s past and present begin to die, Elle can’t help wanting to believe Ty when he insists he’s not the killer but she can’t forget his past nor completely trust him. With continually rising tension and plenty of twists and turns, Elle’s nerves go on high alert but certain truths that come to light are way beyond what she ever anticipated.

I have to say some readers will probably find Child’s Play a bit too violent and emotionally wrenching but I appreciated how Ms. Jones handled some very disturbing topics including the horrifying aspects of true psychosis. For anyone looking for a riveting book you won’t want to put down, this is a fine candidate.

Reviewed by Lelia Taylor, February 2017.

Although clearly a murder mystery ithe story was somewhat light hearted. Elle has a mild case of disappearing inside her consciousness when she is stressed, which her closes friend Becky, Jen and Susan all understand. They understand so well they talk around her as though she isn't there at times.

Elle, a second grade teacher, has recently lost her husband and has employed a realtor to help her sell her house. He is quite the letch. In addition someone is killing off people close to Elle, just as a young man and former student is released from jail for murdering his father.
This combination leads to some funny moments as well as a few heart stopping moments.
Eventually even Elle's house plays a significant role in teaching Elle how to move on with her life after her husbands murder. A good read for winter time weather. Keeps one guessing until the bloody end.

Here is a review by Jennifer: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1891907979

I really liked this book!

It was suspenseful, creepy, and you constantly had the feeling that something bad was going to happen. I very much enjoyed the writing style and having it be from the perspective of one character.

Elle Harrison is a second grade teacher, and she is in need of a change. After her husband's murder two years ago, she's ready to move on. She's selling her house and trying new things. The new school year is about to start when tragedy strikes. Just before the first day of school, Elle learns that a former student, Ty Evans, has been released from juvenile detention where he served time for killing his abusive father. Within days of his release, Elle’s school principal, who’d tormented Ty as a child, is brutally murdered. There are more killings, and they all have one thing in common, Ty.

Ty seeks Elle out, confiding that she’s the only adult he’s ever trusted. She tries to be open-minded, even wonders if he’s been wrongly condemned. But when she’s assaulted in the night, she suspects that Ty is her attacker. Is he a serial killer? Is she his next intended victim?

This was a fast paced book and it kept me on my toes. You definitely started to feel the paranoia that Elle was experiencing. While this is book three in the Elle Harrison series, it definitely holds it's own as a stand alone book. I didn't find myself confused or lost with the characters or events. I would definitely recommend this!

Thank you to the publisher for an ebook copy in exchange for an honest review.