REVIEW: Her Missing Child by Kerry Watts (ARC)

Her Missing Child (DI Jessie Blake #2) by Kerry Watts

Genre: Crime Fiction, Police Procedural

Read: 1st October 2019

Goodreads

Purchase: Amazon

(release date: 26th September 2019)

★★★★★ 5 stars

WOW! When I read "Heartlands", the first novel in the  Jessie Blake series by Kerry Watts, I knew that the next book would be even better but WOW! I gave the first one 5 stars...so how can I top that? Because HER MISSING CHILD (previously titled SAFE HOME) is even better than the first!

Darren and Claire Lucas are newly married with a 6 month old son Finlay. However Claire is suffering from post natal depression and finds even the simplest tasks an effort, spending most of her time either crying or sleeping. When Darren returns home from work and sees Claire sleeping on the couch, he decides to go say hello to his little man whose smile brightens up his day. But when he reaches into Finlay's cot, he discovers his son is gone. Vanished. Without a trace.

Panicking, he calls out to Claire, rousing her from her sleep and asking her where's Finlay. But Claire hasn't seen him since she put him down for his nap some hours ago. Distraught, Claire runs to her neighbours who have been a godsend helping Claire out since Finlay's birth, wondering if they have him. But they haven't seen him either. So where could Finlay be?

In the depths of winter, the Scottish weather is bitterly cold with pelting rain and thick snow. So worryingly, if Finlay is somehow out in this weather, he would most certainly not survive the cold.

Detective Inspector Jessie Blake and her partner DS Dylan Logan are called to the scene, acutely aware that unless little Finlay is found this case could end up a traumatic investigation for all involved. But no one could anticipate just how complicated this case would become.

Jessie, more than anyone, knows the pain of losing a child and Finlay's disappearance re-opens old wounds she had long since buried. Added to that, her ex-husband Dan has been messaging her, intent on a reconciliation claiming he has changed. But just a couple of minutes in his presence brings all her old fears back to the surface, undoing years of therapy. When her cat Smokey disappears, I started to envision all sorts of horrible ends for Jessie's closest companion at the hands of her abusive ex. But rest assured, Smokey is fine. *whew*

But is Finlay fine? Can Jessie and Dylan find the baby before it's too late? Just what is Claire's mother hiding? Can the detectives get the priest Father Murray to reveal her secret? And where was Darren really when Finlay went missing? And Claire's sister Theresa, who was seen traipsing through the snow nearby...does she have something to do with Finlay's disappearance?

There is so much happening in HER MISSING CHILD but with its short snappy chapters and clear outline, it was very easy to follow. Unlike a few other books where I have on occasion confused the odd character, there was none of that here. Everyone had a part to play, some small and some major, but each on their own were important to the story and the direction of the investigation. But which one of them is guilty?

I love the untangling of all the secrets and lies that are always feature highly in psychological thrillers and procedurals, and this one is no different. From the reader's perspective we see some secrets but not all, and we watch with baited breath as each of them come to light and unravel before our eyes. And at the risk of sounding slightly unhinged, I'm a real sucker for missing child thrillers and investigations.

HER MISSING CHILD deals with two mental health conditions - post natal depression and bipolar disorder - and Kerry Watts deals with both topics with thought and sensitivity. Although this isn't the first "mother-with-post-natal-depression" story I've read, I think it's the first with bipolar and it added a different dimension to the story. We are left to ponder if that plays a part in the investigation, whilst sympathising at the same time.

I thoroughly enjoyed the first book in this series but this one is so much more. I have loved Jessie and Dylan from the starts but here they really come into their own. I have enjoyed watching their characters develop as we get further glimpses into their backstories. Where "Heartlands" finished off with Dan watching her flat in the shadows of the night, HER MISSING CHILD ends with even more promise of what's to come. And I can't wait for the third installment in this series to see where it takes us. The tension surrounding Jessie's ex, Dan, is palpable and you just know that's not going to end well as we await the explosion that is sure to come.

Despite being the second in the series, HER MISSING CHILD can be read as  a standalone, with snippets into Jessie's past enough to keep you in the loop.

HER MISSING CHILD is everything you could want in a police procedural and more. It has heart and sensitivity, and both Jessie and Dylan are thoroughly likable. I cannot wait to see what Kerry Watts has in store for us next!

Highly recommended.

I would like to thank #KerryWatts, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #HerMissingChild in exchange for an honest review.