On my blog today, I’m taking part in the blog tour for the new novel by M.J. Arlidge and Julia Crouch, The Wrong Child. With thanks to Tracy Fenton for inviting me to take part.
BLURB
When 3-month-old Max is abducted, his parents are plunged into their worst nightmare. Devastated mum Sarah only took her eyes off him for a second, but that doesn’t stop her guilt. Even husband Jake can’t hide his anger that their little boy went missing on her watch.
By contrast there are smiles and celebration at a caravan park in Lincolnshire, as baby Blaze is introduced to the Star family. Jenna and Gary are delighted with the new addition to their family. He is their fourth child and a real object of delight to their eldest – fifteen-year-old Willow – who once again will raise the child.
But trouble is brewing for the Star family. Willow is concerned by the desperate online appeals from Sarah and Jake, baby Max has neonatal diabetes and without regular treatment will die. As baby “Blaze” becomes seriously ill, Willow makes a shocking discovery. What is the truth about her family? And how far will they go to hide their deadly secret?
MY THOUGHTS
The Wrong Child is a tense, emotive thriller by M.J. Arlidge and Julia Crouch. The novel opens with every parent’s worst nightmare, when three-month-old, Max, is kidnapped while out with his mother, Sarah. What makes this all the more distressing for his parents is that Max is ill and needs his medication, without it, he’ll die. But we can also see that his mother, Sarah, has been suffering from post-natal depression and when Max disappears, her husband is quick to blame her.
The characters emotions in this novel come through really strongly. We can see the distress Sarah is under in the first few pages before Max disappears, and this made me really feel for her. It is clear to see Sarah’s struggle with post-natal depression and it was so frustrating to see, that there were people around her, who couldn’t understand what she was going through.
The tension dramatically increases as we get to hear from the point of view of the kidnapper who has taken Sarah’s baby, who has now been named Blaze. He is being welcomed into the Star family who live in a caravan park. We can begin to see what a disturbed individual the person who has taken Max is, as M.J. Arlidge and Julia Crouch begin to explore the inner workings of their mind and what is driving them. But the appeals for information on missing Max from the police don’t go unnoticed by the Star family and they soon begin to get suspicious.
The scenes told from the children’s point of view were really tense and towards the end of the novel their fear comes through on the page, as they begin to realise what has happened to them. It is clear to see the horrific acts this woman has committed during her time, it isn’t just Sarah’s baby she’s abducted, and she is still determined to push on with the plan she has, despite the risk. It was such a tense and a satisfying finale that really chilled me.
Both M.J. Arlidge and Julia Crouch are two of the best writers in the crime fiction genre and The Wrong Child is a hugely addictive book that had me gripped from the first page.
Publisher: Orion
Publication date: 30th May 2024
Print length: 374 pages
The Wrong Child is available to buy:
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