One Last Child

Firstly, I quite like the narrator. I do like an Australian accent and I recognised her voice from some Lynne Moriaty books I have listened to. She reads well, changing her tone slightly for different characters, which I always prefer to full on voice changes.
The story itself is a twisty tale, playing on your emotions throughout. The tale begins with the facts that 5 children have been taken but only 4 will be returned to their parents. It then heads back in time 3 years to a nursery picnic at which five 3 year olds disappear. Suspicion is placed on a few of the characters during the telling but the actual perpetrator was a surprise to me. A few disturbing topics are explored well, including what happens to the victims of childhood abuse and how it effects their adulthood. One last child is a good read (or should I say ‘listen’?) and one I thoroughly recommend.

I was fortunate to have had the opportunity to listen to an advanced copy of the audiobook version of this book. It was a gift for me. The narration was stellar. Kate is a homicide detective. It was really wonderful to listen to a book about a strong, smart woman who is doing her job well and respected for it. Not a “she is good even though she is a woman” in what is typically a mans domain, but just doing her job and being treated like a person and a part of the team. We need to read more of that. From chapter one I was drawn in to the mystery of what happened. How were five children were kidnapped from a school picnic with not a witness in sight? Why four were returned three years later? What really happened to the fifth child, who was Kates grandchild? Was she really dead? So many twists and turns along the journey. Initially Kate is only allowed to sit in on the investigation, but eventually is allowed to be an active participant. Its a slow build to the finale and well worth the journey. I am very much looking forward to the next in the series.

Gripping kidnapping mystery/thriller set in Sydney. I devoured the Aussie-narrated audiobook.

First of all, I listened to this audiobook during the current heat wave and it made such a difference in making me feel the mood in the opening of this book. Sydney summer, heat, ice cream, outdoor picnic.... I could feel I was there. And then, all hell breaks loose. Out of the blue, a group of five three-year-olds vanish from a nursery school picnic.

Following a futile hunt for the kidnapper, all but one children are returned over three years later during a severe winter. The only child not returned is Ivy, the granddaughter of a local detective Kate Wakeland, and the other children say Ivy is dead. Although Kate is not allowed to participate in on the investigation due to her familial ties, needless to say she will do ANYTHING to find her granddaughter.

I really liked the story which kept me at the edge of my seat - so much so that I'm compelled to give it 5 stars. Since I listened to this novel, I definitely think that the Australian narrator (who did a great job) made all the difference in making me feel the story. Despite the kind of outrageous premise, there was nothing in the book that I felt was unrealistic, which is a huge deal-breaker for me in any police procedural (which this one was partially, in addition to a domestic thriller).

*Thank you to the Publisher for a free copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and Podium Audio for an advance audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Five 3 year old children go missing from a nursery school picnic, one child being Homicide Detective Kate Wakeland’s granddaughter Ivy. Three and a half years later, four of the kids are returned, but not Ivy.

Kate is a great character. She’s a middle aged woman juggling her heartbroken daughter, missing her grandchild, and dealing with her elderly mother in hospice. Kate is working on solving murders while trying to find the missing kids. I really liked the solid relationship between her and her husband.

This is the first in the Tallman’s Valley Detectives series. I am looking forward to reading more about Kate and her co-workers.

Caroline Lee did a wonderful job narrating the book. It was easy to know when different characters were speaking. I recently listened to her narrate The Exiles too.

Finally!!! A 5 star read!!!
I loved this book and could not stop listening! I needed to know WHO! and WHY? so desperately and I was not disappointed with the results!
This plot was highly original, I really loved Kate and would easily follow more stories of hers.
The narrator was fantastic too. 🇦🇺🇦🇺

As soon as I saw this title -narrated by one of my very favorite performers - I was so excited to listen to it! On top of being drawn in by Caroline Lee's stellar performance, the Australian setting, in their equivalent of Silicon Valley, also appealed to me. And of course, the. plot of five missing toddlers also reels in the listener from the very start. Told through multiple perspectives, the book's main character is Kate Wakeland. Though she's a young grandmother, she's still fast approaching retirement age when her granddaughter and four other toddlers are take from a nursery school picnic outing. Spanning years, the book not only covers this investigation, but also a separate brutal murder that Kate is assigned to as her job as a detective. Family dynamics of not only the Wakelands, but the other families as well are included.

It's a riveting listen - very well-performed - and I can see that the sequel is already available in Australia, so I am genuinely torn between tracking down a paper copy or waiting for more from the excellent audio narration of Caroline Lee! This makes a great start to a new series. No real loose ends are left, but there are some intriguing hints at what might follow in the next volume. And I am thankful that it didn't end on a cliffhanger. The plot includes a few big coincidences but there are also some genuine shocks. Either way, I definitely plan on continuing on with the series (and keeping an eye out for Taylor's earlier novels - especially if they too are narrated by Caroline, as I just love her voice!

Another very good domestic thriller by Ms Taylor. The narrator has done a good work reading all the characters with voice modulation for each one distinct from the other and maintaining it to the conclusion. The suspense is good and the topics are heavy and last in our mind. The effect of kidnappings on the family of victims and on the victims themselves is well written and accurate. A good book and I would definitely recommend it.

This was a really enjoyable read, although possibly more long winded than it needed to be.

Quite different to many books with 5 children being abducted at the same time with no explanation, and then four of them returned 3 years later. This book raised so many questions, why abduct five and then return them? Why only return 4? Did the fifth one die or was there some other reason the fifth child wasn’t returned?

All through the book it maintained my interest and there were some good plot twists and links in the book. It was interesting to see the reaction to the family whose child wasn’t returned, as well as following the investigation to the final resolution.

Most definitely a very good book and I would be more than happy to read more by this author. I read this in audiobook format and it was narrated very well and was an enjoyable book to read in this easy. Happy to recommend this book. I would like to say thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for providing a copy of this book to me for an open and honest review.