Fiona Barton | The Child

It's a ridiculously humid 90 degrees here today and I am chilled to the bone from my new read. This is going to be a huge hit this summer and I cannot wait to hear what everyone things of THE CHILD when it is released in a little over a week. Check out my review below!

Plot:


When a newborn's skeleton is discovered on a building site it only makes a paragraph in an evening newspaper - but for three women it's impossible to ignore.

Review:

Last October, I was lucky enough to read the highly-anticipated debut novel from Fiona Barton titled THE WIDOW. While I really enjoyed this story, I did feel like it took a little while to fully kick in and get started. Then, and ending so shocking, I felt I had been hit and I was flabbergasted.

That being said, I was extremely curious when I read the synopsis of Barton’s second novel. This one seemed even darker and more complex than her debut. I was 100% correct in that. With a plot that is as intense as it is twisted, I was really enjoying that this one started off with a bang and kept the suspense and tension throughout the entire novel. I would be confident in saying that even those who “liked” Barton’s first novel will “love” this one. I know I sure did.

With Kate Waters returning doing what she does best, we are also introduced to three other women who are being affected and dealing with their sordid pasts as news of skeletal remains of a baby are found at a construction site. Not only are these characters very three-dimensional, but they are also unreliable to a certain extent that is necessary to follow along this storyline. Along with Kate, these three women are complex and at times gripping at your throat to tell you their story.

The investigation and the discoveries (both past and present) in this one are not only devastatingly real, but engrossing. Barton is not afraid to dive deep and does not hold back when it comes to backstories of these women and what they have been through and deal with. While reading, I kept thinking that fans of the movie “Gone Baby Gone” would like this as it had a twisty feel about a child and the sick theories that could have led to their death.

I would consider this a damn good read with compelling and devastating characters, a twisted plot that takes you on a rollercoaster of a journey, and an ending that is so shocking and satisfying, you’ll already be begging for Barton’s next line of work. 

Rating: 4.5/5