Like Mother Like Daughter by Elle Croft
Genre: Psychological thriller, Domestic thriller, Suspense
Read: 3rd August 2021
Published: 9th July 2020
★★★★★ 4.5 stars (rounded up)
DESCRIPTION:
If what they said was true, then the grotesque and the monstrous ran in her blood. It was imprinted within her very core, her DNA, a part of every cell in her body.
Kat's children are both smart and well-adjusted. On the outside.
Kat has always tried to treat Imogen and Jemima equally, but she struggles with one of her daughters more than the other.
Because Imogen's birth mother is a serial killer. And Imogen doesn't know.
They say you can't choose your family, but what if your family chooses you?
MY REVIEW:
Wow! Where do I start? LIKE MOTHER, LIKE DAUGHTER is a psychological thriller that is as perplexing as it is chilling. An addictive read that raises the age old adage of nature or nurture, posing the question is evil born or is it made? The adoption of the child of a serial killer and the fear that she may turn out like her mother is the basis for the multilayered domestic thriller where the twists are plenty and the tension is palpable. It is intense from the off that doesn't let up even as you turn the final page. But be warned...be prepared for one hell of a thrill ride!
Kat has always tried to treat both her daughters equally. But she struggles with sixteen year old Imogen more than twelve year old Jemima. Is it the moody adolescence rearing it ugly head...or is it something darker and more sinister running through her veins?
Because Imogen is the daughter of not one serial killer, but two.
Fifteen years ago, Kat and Dylan were struggling to fall pregnant when they decided the only option left was adoption. And the more they thought about it, the more they realised it was what they wanted. One day they got the call they'd been waiting for. They had a child for them...but the situation was complex. She was an 11 month old baby and she was the youngest child of serial killer couple Tim and Sally Sanders from the isolated farmed dubbed Satan's Ranch. Several couples that were ahead of them had already declined to go ahead but Kat and Dylan knew that this is what they signed up for - to give a child a stable and loving home. There was just one thing. The infant had a 5 year old brother who had been fostered together and usually in adoption cases it was preferable to keep siblings together. But in this case, no matter which way they looked at it, Kat and Dylan couldn't take the chance on the older child who had already been exposed to horrific abuse and more than likely carried the scars. For the baby's sake, she needed a fresh start.
And so Imogen Braidwood was born. Imagine Kat and Dylan's surprise when Kat fell pregnant a couple of years later and gave Imogen a baby sister in Jemima.
Now sixteen, Imogen has begin acting strangely. She's moody and distant with her parents and is suddenly caught fighting at school for which she is suspended because she won't reveal why. Kat wonders if it's just teenage angst or if it's the blood that runs through her veins? They have never told Imogen that she's adopted, wanting to protect her from the horrific nature of her biological parents' crimes. But have they done the right thing in keeping such a secret from her?
Then one morning Kat discovers that Imogen's bed has not been slept in and her daughter missing. After ringing around her friends, she reports her missing to the police who assure her that most teenagers will usually be back before long. But Imogen isn't most teenagers...and when Kat discovers that her daughter had submitted a DNA test, she realises that the past has come back to haunt them and they must tell the police who Imogen really is.
As the police uncover an interesting aspect that may or may not be related to Imogen's disappearance, the further Kat delves the more she realises that her daughter could be in grave danger and she makes a split second decision to confront the object of her nightmares by visiting Sally Sanders in prison. Not the smartest move, I would say, as Sally is an expert in her field and prison only sharpens here wits. Needless to say, she comes out with more questions that answers. And she still is no closer to finding Imogen.
And then she receives a text from an unknown number...and her blood runs cold. It's then that Kat realises she must use her wits to save her daughter from the nightmares of her past...and bring her home again.
This is such a brilliant read that focuses on family, infertility, bloodlines, adoption, betrayal, secrets and so much more. It's a psychological thriller that explores the notion of the inheritance of genetics in the analysis of nature versus nurture. Exactly what is in our DNA? Is one born bad or is evil made?
Added to the strained family relationships at the centre of this story is the chilling look into the mind of a serial killer. There are times when this narrative can be rather tense and uncomfortable reading while early on I found myself sympathising with Sally as an abused young girl herself and, as horrific as her crimes were, I could see the logic in her reasoning at the time even if I didn't agree with it. It is a clever writer that draws you into the mind of the villain in which you find a warped sense of understanding there. It really is a moral minefield that raises the questions we have often thought ourselves.
The story unfolds through the eyes of the three main female characters upon which LIKE MOTHER, LIKE DAUGHTER focuses - Kat, Imogen and Sally. And each narrative is cleverly woven into the next as the secrets are gradually revealed.
Intense from start to finish, LIKE MOTHER, LIKE DAUGHTER is fast paced psychological thriller that presses all the right buttons and keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout. And then there is that ending...WOW! I did not see THAT coming! So twisted and so equally delicious!
This is my first Elle Croft and what an introduction it was! Do yourself a favour and pick up a copy of this intense domestic and psychological thriller. Perfect for fans of this genre who love a dark and delicious twist.
I would like to thank #ElleCroft, #Netgalley and #OrionPublishing for an ARC of #LikeMotherLikeDaughter in exchange for an honest review.
MEET THE AUTHOR:
Her three psychological thrillers, The Guilty Wife, The Other Sister and Like Mother, Like Daughter, were all published by Orion Fiction. She also contributed a short story to the charity anthology, Afraid of the Light.
Elle grew up in Adelaide, Australia, but now lives in London, UK, which is the perfect place to live if you love to travel. She started a blog in 2010, and it quickly evolved into a travel blog, although these days it tends to be where she documents her writing experiences and the odd adventure.
Elle also co-hosts the Crime Girl Gang podcast with her crime writing pals, Victoria Selman and Niki Mackay, and together they discuss true crime cold cases, with a fictional twist.
With over six years’ experience as a digital marketer, Elle combines her passions for writing and marketing by helping other authors perfect their website, social media, newsletter and online advertising.
When she's not busy with all of the above, Elle can be found running, sewing, making tacos, reading, or staring out the window at the foxes that live behind her flat.
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