Victoria Helen Stone | PROBLEM CHILD

Plot (via Goodreads):

She’s cold, calculating, and can deceive with a smile. Jane Doe is back in the Amazon Charts bestselling series - and this time she's met her match.

After a brutal childhood, Jane Doe has been permanently wired to look after herself and only herself. Now, looking next to normal, Jane has a lover and a job. But she hasn't lost her edge. It sharpens when she hears from her estranged family.

Jane's deeply troubled sixteen-year-old niece, Kayla, has vanished, and no one seems to care. Neither does Jane. Until she sees a picture of Kayla and recognizes herself in the young girl's eyes. It's the empty stare of a sociopath.

Jane knows what vengeful and desperate things Kayla is capable of. Only Jane can help her - by being drawn into Kayla’s dark world. And no one's more aware than Jane just how dangerous that can be. 

Review:

Problem Child by Victoria Helen Stone is the novel that I have been waiting for for a long time. I gobbled up Jane Doe and fell in love with Jane and her wicked ways the minute I got my hands on a copy, so when it was announced that there was going to be a sequel, I was over-the-moon. Jane just makes these novels - her commentary and character overall just not only leave me in stitches laughing, but also make it such an enjoyable read. It's a darkly comedic thriller that is the perfect lullaby for a terribly long day. I read this one in one sitting and honestly, even if I didn't have the time, I would have easily sacrificed sleep to finish it. Stone has one hell of a way telling a story and having Jane as her companion is devilishly fun.

For some reason, missing persons stories just really grasp me from early on in the story. So, when we combine Jane and her witty banter along with the story of a missing person who also happens to be her niece, I found this one even more complex and riveting than the first. Jane's sass definitely gets kicked up a notch and I feel like you can tell how much fun Stone has writing this character. I loved every single bit of reading this story and following Jane along for the adventure. There were a lot of characters I wish I had gotten to know more, but each one added what they needed to to the story and let's be honest, I don't want to have Jane give up any of the spotlight.

I didn't notice any lulls or moments of this one slowing down and felt immersed in the story the entire time. It definitely took some unexpected twists and turns and had each chapter ending with me needing to know more to the story, which ended up with me devouring this one in one read. I loved the ending and believe this truly sets up what could be a third story and possibly even more to come....one can hope!

Special thanks to Amazon Publishing for this copy in exchange for my honest review.

Rating: 5/5