Caroline Mitchell burst onto the detective/suspense scene with her debut thriller, Truth and Lies. Now she is back with the second installment in this gripping series with The Secret Child. While I am nearly always leery of second books, this one is just as good as the first and had me glued to its pages from the very first page!
DI Amy Winter is still reeling from the shocking revelations that she uncovered in the first book, Truth and Lies, all of which are explained fully in this one but I won’t reveal them here. With no time to fully process what is now her explosive, in-the-headlines life, she is thrust into a kidnapping/murder/arson case when four-year-old Ellen is snatched from her bed and the home is set on fire and her mother, subsequently is murdered. The kidnapper claims to be Luka Volkov, a child prodigy of Ellen’s father who came from Russia to participate in a special study for children just like Luka. The problem is that Luka is supposed to be dead, the victim of a tragic fire many years before. When a second child is taken, DI Winter is forced to call upon all of her resources in order to solve this very sordid, convoluted case which will bring more personal harm to herself with possible repercussions for her entire team.
If you follow my blog, you know how much I love police/detective stories. They are, by far, my favorite genre even above thrillers/suspense. For Mitchell to keep me intrigued, surprised, even gasping out loud at certain points, is a testament to her exceptional writing abilities. There is, quite literally, so much going on with the story. Every single character, every member on Winter’s team, is an important player. Each person who worked at the “school” where Luka lived, every victim and their family, everyone who comes in contact with Winter becomes a fully developed character. In most books, that’s a downfall as too much information has to be processed. Mitchell, however, seamlessly weaves each of these characters together, blends their stories into one just as you might do so in your own life. There is no gap, no hole, just a steady flow in the narrative with one surprise and twist and terrifying turn after another. It is utterly brilliant.
The Secret Child can, absolutely, be read as a stand-alone. There is enough back story so that you never will wonder what is happening or who is who. However, both of Mitchell’s books are outstanding works and I highly encourage you to read Truth and Lies as well as The Secret Child. I will now be waiting anxiously for Mitchell’s next incredible book in this series!
The Secret Child is available via Kindle now or in paperback on April 18th. My gratitude to #Netgalley, #AmazonUK, @AmazonPub and @Caroline_writes for my copy of #TheSecretChild
