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Home is Where the Lies Live by Kerry Wilkinson
Published: 5th December 2024

Monday, 14 June 2021

REVIEW: The Child in the Photo by Kerry Wilkinson



The Child in the Photo by Kerry Wilkinson
Genre: Psychological thriller, Domestic thriller, Suspense
Read: 2nd June 2021
Published: 14th June 2021

★★★★★ 5 stars

DESCRIPTION:

I stare at the newspaper article about a baby snatched from the back of a car thirty years ago, and wonder why someone would post it through my door. Looking closer, my blood freezes. The little girl in the photo has an unusual scar – just like mine. I’ve never met anyone with one like it. Is this stolen child… me?

Trembling with shock, I know I have to confront my mother. My parents got me through a horrific accident, helped me find a job I love teaching art, and even with buying my own house. But was it all built on lies?

She tells me the day I was born was the best day of her life, and I’m flooded with guilt for questioning her – but why do I catch her burning papers in the garden the next day?

Then I come home to find a woman sitting on my doorstep, covered in bruises and claiming she knows who abducted me. I don’t know if I can trust her – or if I’ll be the next to get hurt.

Because all the while, I’ve been hiding my own secret. Does whoever sent the article know what really happened the day of my accident? Desperate for the truth, I break into the house of my supposed kidnapper. Inside, I find a handwritten list of names. A shiver goes down my spine as I realise wasn’t the only child to be stolen.

Then I hear a key in the lock, and I know my life is in terrible danger…

An absolutely addictive read that will have you racing through the pages and questioning everything you thought you knew about your family. Perfect for fans of The Girl on the Train, Lisa Jewell and Shari Lapena.



MY REVIEW:

I am excited to be taking part in the #BooksOnTour #BlogTour for Kerry Wilkinson's addictive thriller THE CHILD IN THE PHOTO.

All the best lies are based on truth.

I always look forward to Kerry Wilkinson's books despite a couple of them not quite hitting the mark in the past. So upon reading the premise for his latest offering I had high hopes for it and yet THE CHILD IN THE PHOTO was not what I expected...it was so much better! I loved it and was thrilled to see Kerry back with a fast pace and a totally intriguing and addictive plot. 

Arriving home one day, 34 year old Hope Taylor discovers a hand-delivered envelope containing only her name printed on the front and an aged newspaper clipping inside detailing a stolen baby from her mother's car some three decades ago. Perusing the article, Hope ponders why this has been slipped through her mailbox...until she takes a closer look at the pixellated photo. The child has an identical and unique physical characteristic to herself. So rare it could only mean one thing...the child in the photo is her.

Unable to make any sense of it, Hope confronts her mother who denies all knowledge reiterating the memories and the love they shared together. Her mum says all the right things but Hope can't let it go. Then the following day when she finds her mother burning papers in the back garden, Hope is immediately suspicious particularly when she has a perfectly good shredder to destroy any sensitive information. What is it that her mother didn't want her to discover? What is she hiding? Could the past 34 years of her life have been a lie?

When Hope shares her concerns with her best friend Stephen he surprises her by suggesting they make the two hour drive to meet the woman, Penny Craven, whose daughter was stolen all those years ago. But when they arrive at the pub where she works they discover that it is her day off. So instead they venture around the place to where the child was taken from but so much has changed in thirty four years they soon doubt they'll find anything of use. However, Hope returns the following day and meets Penny who upon recognising the ear deformity is immediately convinced that Hope is her stolen baby, Jane. Although she sympathises with the woman, Hope is unsure how she feels about this turn of events, particularly when Penny continues to call her Jane - a name that feels strange to her. 

Upon returning home, Hope receives a desperate phone call from Stephen who had gone to meet date and fell victim to a cruel gay bashing instead. He is battered and bruised with cracked ribs and a concussion that could have been a whole lot worse but angrily grumbles when Hope insists they call the police. In dealing with his anger about the attack, Stephen seeks Hope's advice on how she dealt with her own anger after the tragic accident that left her with a partially amputated leg. 

Then Hope returns home to a visitor who brings an even bigger surprise. Recognising her immediately as the woman in the red coat, Hope wonders why she has been following her. Is she the one who put the clipping through her letterbox? Does she know the truth about what happened? And, if so, why is she seeking her out now? Stephen is at once wary especially when he discovers Hope has invited the woman, Stella, to stay. They know nothing about this woman except that she is covered in bruises and claims to know who abducted the child in the photo. But what does she know really? And is she who she says she is? Or is it all just an elaborate lie?

Just when you thought you knew where the story is going, Kerry throws in twist after twist that propels you into a whole other universe, leaving you questioning what you thought you knew. The plot is so entirely engaging I simply could not put the book down and I feel that this has got to be one of the best books Kerry Wilkinson has delivered. It was everything I expected and so much more.

I thoroughly enjoyed the relationship between Hope and her bestie Stephen. Their banter is reminiscent of that which my husband and I share with one of our friends and it really adds another dimension to each of the characters. I loved their dialogue and they complemented each other well.

There are so few characters in this story and yet there is so much to it that adds such a complexity to it all. Hope and Stephen are pretty much the main characters with Stella joining them to share the spotlight. And although we meet Hope's mum Barbara, Penny, Stella's mum Nikki, the only other one to shine brighter than most is Hope's adorable elderly next door neighbour Mr Bonner who keeps a close fatherly eye out on her. He was sweet and adorable and I just loved him.

Another aspect that I loved in THE CHILD IN THE PHOTO was that Kerry drew on some of his past stories by linking them through the towns which featured in this one. Hope grew up in Elwood where her mother still lived in her childhood home and she made mention in her narrative about the only thing to happen there was a hit and run in which a child was killed the year before. That immediately rang a bell and upon investigation discovered that the reference was indeed made to Kerry's past thriller "The Child Across the Street". When Hope mentioned she now lived in Macklebury, that too rung a bell as being the town in which Wilkinson's previous book "The Blame" was set. But when Stoneridge was also alluded to with a teenager who disappeared and returned a decade or so later, I recalled the very first book I read of Kerry's "The Girl Who Came Back" set in that very town. All localised places featured in this book are cleverly linked to previous thrillers. I thought that a clever touch.

Compelling and suspense-filled, THE CHILD IN THE PHOTO is very definitely a quick and easy read with a thoroughly addictive plot. Although the "truth" is alluded to very early on, the mystery deepens into complexities cleverly woven in intricate detail. I thoroughly enjoyed the build-up, the layering and the tension that took place throughout, as well as the quick short chapters I love, that I think this is by far one of Kerry's best yet!

The only thing I found irritating was the reference to "the bad thing" which to me sounded a little amateurish. Yet when revealed it was nothing to be ashamed of so found that reference to be a little pointless. But it was only such a very small aspect of the book that it wasn't worth detracting any stars from my rating.

Whether she is Hope or Jane, THE CHILD IN THE PHOTO is a definite page-turner with an addictive plot from beginning to end.

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


MEET THE AUTHOR:

Kerry Wilkinson has had No.1 crime bestsellers in the UK, Australia, Canada, South Africa and Singapore. He has also written two top-20 thrillers in the United States. His book, Ten Birthdays, won the RNA award for Young Adult Novel of the Year in 2018 and Close To You won the International Thriller Award for best ebook in 2020.

As well as his million-selling Jessica Daniel series, Kerry has written the Silver Blackthorn trilogy - a fantasy-adventure serial for young adults - a second crime series featuring private investigator Andrew Hunter, plus numerous standalone novels. He has been published around the world in more than a dozen languages.

Originally from the county of Somerset, Kerry spent way too long living in the north of England, picking up words like 'barm' and 'ginnel'.

When he's short of ideas, he rides his bike, hikes up something, or bakes cakes. When he's not, he writes it all down.

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