In the aftermath of an acrimonious divorce, Annie is already worried about her fifteen year old daughter Isla. But worry turns to fear when she is blackmailed for a thousand pounds a month to keep her daughter alive. She can’t go to the police so can she track down the blackmailers herself…?
Your Child Next is a psychological thriller set in the UK.
Annie is sent a fake video of her daughter’s funeral with a warning to pay up or her death will become reality. Michael is grieving for his late wife and notices a standing order for £1000 going to an account in the Cayman Islands. He swiftly cancels it and then his son is targeted by a hit and run driver. Coincidence? Annie thinks not and tries to convince Michael of the danger he and his son are facing. Together they try to track down the blackmailers to protect their own families and potentially others.
Poor Annie has a terrible ex. Grant really pushed my buttons and didn’t have a single redeeming feature. His attitude is so unhelpful while Annie is in crisis and panicking about Isla’s safety. Isla herself is also not helping the situation by following simple instructions to keep her safe. I liked the way that the authors showed the parent and teen perspectives as I remember the frustration at wanting more independence but now as a mum I understand the worry!
The chapters are quite short and the plot rattles along quickly with some shocking events. I really enjoyed the book overall although it did stretch my disbelief to breaking point. The ‘baddies’ are just so bad (even though we are made aware of their tragic personal history). Or maybe I am too trusting in human nature to believe in such villainous characters!
Your Child Next is a tense, dramatic and engaging thriller.
Book blurb:
THEY’VE FAKED YOUR CHILD’S DEATH. AND IF YOU DON’T GIVE THEM WHAT THEY WANT, THEY’LL MAKE IT A REALITY.
Things have been difficult for Annie since her husband left; her teenage daughter, Isla, has become a ghost of her former self. Annie’s terrified that Isla might do something desperate, and she’ll lose her, too. So when Annie receives a video of herself crying at Isla’s funeral, her blood runs cold.
Confused and horrified, Annie races upstairs to check on Isla, who is alive and well. The video has been faked. But who sent it and what do they want?
One dark truth soon becomes clear: Annie is the latest in a string of parents being blackmailed, and Isla will be killed if Annie goes to the police or if she fails to give the sender what they want. Annie has a deadly choice: comply with the demands, or try to unmask the dangerous criminal.
Your Child Next is a thrilling and unputdownable novel that asks you how far you’d go to protect the ones you love. Perfect for fans of Harlan Coben and Steve Cavanagh
Wow, it is 2025 already! Happy new year everyone! Time to look back and reflect on the last year and be thankful for the love and family that are my whole world.
The kids are growing up so quickly. In 2024 Zach moved from Beavers to Cubs, Anya started secondary school and Matthew is now doing his GCSEs.
Our holiday took us to Norfolk and we also had lots of other days out with the dogs who are as mad as ever.
We had 17 guinea pigs at the start of the year and finished 2024 with 27 after two new arrivals on 27th December. Sadly we also had our first loss as one of our elderly piggies was put to sleep in May.
Shelly the tortoise also joined our family in November, fulfilling a long term dream of mine. She is quite affectionate and I can’t believe how much she eats!
On a personal level, I have been pushing myself with my running again and have been working hard on my languages (as well as the new Duolingo music course). I surpassed my Goodreads goal of 200 books and am completely obsessed with audiobooks.
Workwise, I now have 6 different part time jobs so am kept busy!
So there we have it, another year almost over. Doing #Project52 instead of #Project365 has made me be more mindful about the significance of my photos and how they summarise or represent the week and weekend overall.
Christmas was busy but brilliant, a lot of work but a lot of love too. Our newest arrivals made a appearance on the 27th: meet Pebble and Pickle!
Do you believe in love at first sight? Laurie spots the perfect man waiting at the bus stop. She spends the next year searching for him with no luck. Then her best friend Sarah brings home her new boyfriend Jack and is the bus boy! Part of her is thrilled to find him at last while the rest of her is devastated as she can’t bear to reveal the truth to her bestie. Can she put her feelings for Jack aside or will love at first sight really triumph…?
One Day In December is a love story set in London that spans years.
Laurie is sat on board a bus when she sees a man at the bus stop outside. The pair exchange a look but the moment is too fleeting to act. This is a life defining moment for both of them although we only see Laurie’s desperate attempts to find him. A year later and she is excited to finally meet her best friend’s new man but manages to hide her shock when he is revealed to be the man she has been longing for.
The book is written from the perspectives of Laurie and Jack. The narration of the audiobook was superb and really brought the characters to life, and the chatty intimately personal style of writing suits audio narration perfectly. It was wonderful to see both sides and the angst that both main characters are feeling. Neither of them want to betray Sarah so they are both battling against their secret desires.
One Day In December is an enjoyable romance and I liked the tense emotions.
Book blurb:
Two people. Ten chances. One unforgettable love story.
Laurie is pretty sure love at first sight doesn’t exist anywhere but the movies. But then, through a misted-up bus window one snowy December day, she sees a man who she knows instantly is the one. Their eyes meet, there’s a moment of pure magic…and then her bus drives away.
Certain they’re fated to find each other again, Laurie spends a year scanning every bus stop and cafe in London for him. But she doesn’t find him, not when it matters anyway. Instead they “reunite” at a Christmas party, when her best friend Sarah giddily introduces her new boyfriend to Laurie. It’s Jack, the man from the bus. It would be.
What follows for Laurie, Sarah and Jack is ten years of friendship, heartbreak, missed opportunities, roads not taken, and destinies reconsidered. One Day in December is a joyous, heartwarming and immensely moving love story to escape into and a reminder that fate takes inexplicable turns along the route to happiness.
Phew, we made it to the Christmas holidays! It was a busy week and I enjoyed a (vegan, gluten free) Christmas dinner with my fellow exam invigilators and a friend’s 60th birthday night out (a candlelight concert at Reading Minster).
Of course the holidays didn’t start smoothly with Zach having an allergic reaction minutes before I collected him. Cue a frantic rush to get him treated and dosed up with antihistamines. We couldn’t identify the cause but I suspect that he had a reaction to the cold/virus that he is now poorly with…
