A Good Read

The Trophy Child by by Paula Daly
Karen Bloom is not an indulgent mother, she believes in raising her daughter, Brontë for success, she is proud of the fact that she pushes her to excel in all aspects of life. So what if Brontë’s demanding schedule rarely leaves time for family dinner and has even led to her developing numbness in her hands? Karen can’t help but compare her perfect 10-year-old daughter to her teenage stepdaughter, Verity, who was recently discovered in possession of drugs and must now attend counseling sessions. Or to her older son, Ewan, who spends most of his time smoking pot. She even uses Brontë to distract herself from her disappointing husband, Noel, who has been ground down so far he now seems to lack a backbone, pretends not to notice his family responsibilities and problems, and spends his time with work, alcohol and other women.

When Brontë goes missing Karen is hysterical. She's rude to the detective in charge of the case, DS Joanne Aspinall, and even makes an offensive comment to the press about how her missing child is different from “those impoverished families” who are known to murder their own. Brontë returns unhurt and refuses to say where she was.
There is a huge public backlash against Karen’s comments, so when she is found murdered several weeks later, the list of suspects is a long one. Distracted by a past encounter with, and ongoing attraction to Noel, DS Joanne Aspinall must find and capture the killer as well as determine the truth of Brontë’s experience.

It's a very good read with a few twists.

∼ Happy Reading ∼ 

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