IN THE FAKED VIDEO, YOUR DAUGHTER IS DEAD. AND IF YOU DON’T PAY, SHE’LL DIE FOR REAL.
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 hurt herself, and she’ll lose her, too. So when Annie receives a video of herself crying at Isla’s funeral, she’s immediately sick to her stomach.
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Confused and horrified, Annie races upstairs to check on Isla, who is perfectly alive and well. The video has been faked. But who sent it and what do they want?
One dark truth soon becomes clear: Isla will die for real if Annie doesn’t give the sender the money they’re looking for, or if she goes to the police. But Annie’s not sure she has the cash, which leaves her with one choice: find the blackmailer and stop them in their tracks.
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.
My Review
Your Child Next never lets up for a second. It races along from one exciting scene to another and then smacks you in the face with even more.
Our two main protagonists – Annie and Michael – don’t know each other. But they are both being blackmailed (directly or in Michael’s case it was his late wife who had been targeted) and asked to hand over £1,000 a month in order to protect their teenage children. If they don’t, the kids will be put in danger. The kids of course, don’t believe any of it, but then they wouldn’t, would they.
Our two ‘villains’ are Maya, with her red leather biker’s jacket and lips to match, and her psychopathic partner Ollie. We discover their relationship later on. Mostly, they use others to do their dirty work (Ollie is too unpredictable to be trusted), by threatening them with – yes you guessed it – their children’s safety. And it works. What could be worse than turning your parental anxieties against you? Apart from kidnapping your dog – and yes they’ve done that as well.
Now personally, I would have gone straight to the police, even if I was warned not to, but no-one ever does in these stories. And if they had, it would have changed everything. Because we love a story where ordinary people take the law into their own hands.
I believe it’s hard to write ‘action’ scenes but in Your Child Next the author/s handle it very well without getting bogged down in the realms of confusion as is often the case. Like watching a game of Twister at an alcohol-fuelled party, it can be hard to work out who’s down on the floor and who’s balanced on one arm and a leg before tipping over into the abyss (in the book not the game of Twister). I can definitely see this being made into a TV series, it would be perfect.
Many thanks to @Tr4cyF3nt0n for inviting me to be part of the #CompulsiveReaders #blogtour and to NetGalley for an ARC.
About the Authors
MJ Arlidge has worked in television for the last twenty years, specialising in high-end drama production, including prime-time crime serials Silent Witness, Torn, The Little House and, most recently, the hit ITV show Innocent. In 2015 his audio book exclusive Six Degrees of Assassination was a number-one bestseller. His debut thriller, Eeny Meeny, was the UK’s bestselling crime debut of 2014 and has been followed by ten more DI Helen Grace thrillers – all Sunday Times bestsellers.
Andy Maslen was born in Nottingham, in the UK, home of legendary bowman Robin Hood. Andy once won a medal for archery, although he has never been locked up by the sheriff. He has worked in a record shop, as a barman, as a door-to-door DIY products salesman and a cook in an Italian restaurant. He lives in Wiltshire with his wife, two sons and a whippet named Merlin.
