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Sign up todayThe Child
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Learn moreThe author of the stunning New York Times bestseller The Widow returns with a brand-new novel of twisting psychological suspense
As an old house is demolished in a gentrifying section of London, a workman discovers a tiny skeleton, buried for years. For journalist Kate Waters, it’s a story that deserves attention. She cobbles together a piece for her newspaper, but at a loss for answers, she can only pose a question: Who is the Building Site Baby?
As Kate investigates, she unearths connections to a crime that rocked the city decades earlier: A newborn baby was stolen from the maternity ward in a local hospital and was never found. Her heartbroken parents were left devastated by the loss.
But there is more to the story, and Kate is drawn—house by house—into the pasts of the people who once lived in this neighborhood that has given up its greatest mystery. And she soon finds herself the keeper of unexpected secrets that erupt in the lives of three women—and torn between what she can and cannot tell…
FIONA BARTON is the New York Times bestselling author of Local Gone Missing, The Widow, The Child, and The Suspect. She has trained and worked with journalists all over the world. Previously, she was a senior writer at The Daily Mail, news editor at the Daily Telegraph, and chief reporter at the Mail on Sunday, where she won Reporter of the Year at the British Press Awards. Born in Cambridge, she lives in England.
HANNAH CURTIS is best known for her work on television shows such as Hollyoaks, Urban Gothic, Family Affairs, and ER. She has also starred in many commercials and has done voiceover work in both the UK and the USA.
NICHOLAS GUY SMITH is an award-winning audiobook narrator and a much sought-after voice actor for film trailers, commercials, and documentaries. He has voiced characters for Disney, Warner Bros., Universal, and the Cartoon Network. A postgraduate of Cambridge University, he resides in Los Angeles.
Reviews
“Tense, tantalising, and ultimately very satisfying. . . . Definitely one of the year’s must-reads.” —Lee Child, #1 New York Times bestselling author“Fiona Barton has outdone herself with The Child. An engrossing, irresistible story about the coming to light of a long-buried secret and an absolutely fabulous read—I loved it!” —Shari Lapena, New York Times bestselling author of The Couple Next Door
“Clever and compelling. You’ll love The Child.” —Clare Mackintosh, international bestselling author of I See You
“Arriving just in time for summer, Fiona Barton's The Child is a perfect blend of beach read and book club selection. . . . A novel that is both fast-paced and thought-provoking, it keeps the reader guessing right to the end. The Child truly is the best of both worlds.” —USA Today (3.5 out of 4 stars)
“Fiona Barton brings back reporter Kate Waters from the bestselling The Widow and delivers another winner with The Child. Barton has the characters tell the story, and various secrets that have remained hidden for decades will come to the surface. She focuses on how the discovery affects everyone and unveils information in such a way that readers will figure out key plot points just before the characters in the story, creating a truly engaging tale. Those who enjoyed The Widow will discover that Barton has only gotten better.” —National Post, 03 July 2017
“Barton once again reveals her undeniable gift for getting inside the minds of sexual predators and the passive-aggressive women who enable their crimes. . . . Barton knows what we’re afraid of—our inability to protect society’s most vulnerable members from harm—and she’s not afraid to plunge us headfirst into the abyss, for all the right reasons.” —Toronto Star
“This being a Barton thriller, there’s more to pretty much everything than meets the eye.” —The Boston Globe
“Fiona Barton has masterfully delivered again with The Child, her follow-up to her bestselling debut novel, The Widow. . . . So many questions, so much perfect suspense. . . . Barton tells the child’s story as only she can—brilliantly.” —Fort Worth Star-Telegram
“A slow-burn portrait of loss and survival.” —Entertainment Weekly
"I loved The Widow, but Fiona Barton has truly outdone herself in her gripping and wonderfully written second novel. Like any great thriller, it takes you on a fast-paced ride with plot twists to the very end. But what will surprise you most about The Child is how deeply you’ll feel for the characters as you turn the pages furiously to reveal their secrets.” —Amy Stuart, bestselling author of Still Mine
“This gripping story kept me guessing to the end. I loved it! Barton treats her broken characters with such compassion that I wanted to reach into the pages and hug them.” —Liz Nugent, bestselling author of Lying in Wait
“It's an enthralling story loaded with twists and turns.” —Bustle
“Fiona Barton knows showing is better than telling because it allows for the reader's perspective. When the stories from Angela and Emma converge, whether the conclusion occasions a shock or an "aha!" doesn't matter; it's satisfying due to all the work that's gone into its discovery.” —NPR
“[An] intriguing, twisty tale. . . . With plenty of red herrings, nothing and no one is who they seem in this evocative puzzler.” —The Cleveland Plain Dealer
"Readers . . . will be rewarded with startling twists—and a stunning, emotionally satisfying conclusion." —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Barton’s second well-plotted outing, with its sustained tension and believable characters, is an excellent addition to the popular psychological thriller genre. Readers who liked Barton’s first novel, Paula Hawkins’s The Girl On a Train, and Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl will love this.” —Library Journal (starred review)
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