Stranger Child
Rachel Abbott
From the author of number one bestseller, Sleep Tight.
One Dark Secret. One act of revenge.
When Emma Joseph met her husband David, he was a man shattered by grief. His first wife had been killed outright when her car veered off the road. Just as tragically, their six-year-old daughter mysteriously vanished from the scene of the accident.
Now, six years later, Emma believes the painful years are behind them. She and David have built a new life together and have a beautiful baby son, Ollie.
Then a stranger walks into their lives, and their world tilts on its axis.
Emma’s life no longer feels secure. Does she know what really happened all those years ago? And why does she feel so frightened for herself and for her baby?
When a desperate Emma reaches out to her old friend DCI Tom Douglas for help, she puts all their lives in jeopardy. Before long, a web of deceit is revealed that shocks both Emma and Tom to the core.
They say you should never trust a stranger. Maybe they’re right.
Several mysteries emerge in this tense thriller in which dark crimes are at play. The criminals are violent and dangerous but also organised; a modern day Fagan at the helm.
Caroline Joseph is returning home from a Christmas family party, her young daughter in the back of the car. It’s dark and Caroline just wants to get home, to see her husband David who didn’t go with her; something has been troubling the Manchester businessman.
Her phone rings. Focused on driving in tricky conditions, Caroline ignores the call when seeing it’s a blocked number, but does spot a car up ahead. There’s been an accident, a car partly obstructing the road. It looks like someone’s inside. Concerned for the driver, Caroline answers the phone after it rings again. The voice tells her not to stop the car, to go straight home. Frightened and with her child Natasha in the back, Caroline does as she’s told.
The police arrive at the scene of the accident. Two cars are in a bad way. Caroline’s is one of them after she hit black ice. She’s lifeless, hanging out the driver’s window. Natasha is missing.
Six years later. DCI Tom Douglas formerly of the Met is called to a crime scene. The body of a young girl, around 12 years old, has been found. She’s been there days. The pathologist suggests this isn’t a ‘street kid’ so they check missing persons. Nothing recent. The best bet might be missing Natasha who’d be the right age. Her father is called.
We meet Emma and her tiny son Ollie. Emma is David’s second wife but before she hears from him and the police she’s other problems. A strange girl is in her kitchen, staring at her.
Could it be the missing Natasha? Or is Natasha the dead girl in the woods?
The girl in the kitchen is scared, and has good reason to be…
Tom Douglas, the caring, heroic cop - an old friend of Emma’s - returns from previous books in Abbott’s series (this is book four). He’s a likable guy still coming to terms with his brother’s death, and I also liked his younger partner Becky.
The characters are believable and the crimes credible. Contemporary issues, grief and desperation are well handled. The pace is good, the twists credible and it can easily be read as a stand alone. Enjoy.
About Rachel Abbott:
Rachel Abbott was born just outside Manchester, England. She spent most of her working life as the Managing Director of an interactive media company, developing software and websites for the education market. The sale of that business enabled her to take early retirement and fulfil one of her lifelong ambitions - to buy and restore a property in Italy.
But even in Italy the winters can be cold and wet, and so Rachel decided to fill those dismal days by fulfilling another ambition - writing a psychological thriller! ONLY THE INNOCENT, her first novel, was more successful than she could ever have imagined, and it enabled her to change her life yet again, and become a full time writer. Her third novel, SLEEP TIGHT, was released on 24th February 2014 and was her third number one.