Amazing

I was hooked right from the start. The narration was excellent and the storyline was well written. Definitely will be looking for more by this author.

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"Who is my real Daddy."

This was an excellent psychological thriller that kept me wanting to know more. I was listening to the audiobook and the narration by Helen Johns was excellent too. It is well paced and convincing, with good dialogue; the only reason I didn't give it 5 stars was that the police didn't seem to do much, nearly all the discoveries that led to the denouement, were made by Zoe Morley, the Mum, which seemed just a little too coincidental.

Zoe and Ollie had adopted baby Evie from a drug addicted young mother. And, as sometimes happens in such cases, several years later, they were able to have a child of their own, who they named Ben. They are content with their young family and life is good. Then Zoe discovers that seven-year-old Evie, has been receiving gifts and cards signed 'Your loving Daddy'. He declares his undying love for Evie and promises to come and rescue her from her 'fake parents'. As Evie struggles to come to terms with the fact that she is adopted and her brother, Ben, is not, the thought of having one of her 'real' parents back becomes more and more tantalising.

I thought early on that I knew who Evie's father was, but I'm glad to say there were many more surprises and possible culprits along the way and the ending managed to take me by surprise.
Set in Yorkshire, in and around the Ilkley Moors, this novel has a brooding atmosphere and I loved that Zoe uses this to inspire her art.

I am looking forward to reading Sanjida Kay's earlier novel, Bone to Bone, which also seems to have been well received.
Recommended, and the audio is good too.

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Captivating and intriguing - loved it

I listened to The Stolen Child on audiobook and thoroughly enjoyed it from start to finish. Set in Yorkshire it was particularly interesting as i listened to it in my car on my commute to Bradford. Even made the M62 enjoyable if there is such a thing. The plot twists and turn right from the very start and the characters were intriguing. Even the inevitable question of who did it wasn't obvious until the end so it kept you on your toes. This is the first book by this author and I hope to read more.

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1 person found this helpful

No need for police!

Great plot, great narrator, but ruined, for me, by the far fetched notion that the police are incompetent; even failing to properly investigate one of the tragic events bestowed on this family, and the parents having to step in and save the day on the second major event.
Shame. This book had so much potential. It almost felt like the author didn't know what to do with the parents during the police investigations, so she had to put them front and centre, and leading the investigation themselves.

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2 people found this helpful

Enjoyable book

I did enjoy this book overall, although I did find it a bit long and drawn out in parts. The main character annoyed me a bit, and I think the way she took over the investigation instead of the police made it a bit less believable for me. But it kept me listening and I thought the narrator was reasonable.
I would read more by this author

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good story

This was a really good story , I enjoyed it very much .
little bit drawn out in places but worth excepting that as it was good book

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Wow...

What a great book full of twists and turns Wasn't sure what would happen next.

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Frustrating

Is there anything you would change about this book?

The narration very nearly stopped me from continuing in to listen. The story drew me in but only because I couldn't understand how blindingly obvious questions had not been asked by the police!

Would you be willing to try another book from Sanjida Kay? Why or why not?

Maybe if a different narrator is used.

Did Helen Johns do a good job differentiating each of the characters? How?

It was bearable

Did The Stolen Child inspire you to do anything?

No

Any additional comments?

Sadly frustration overtook any enjoyment.

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Brilliant story let down.

Fab story, inaccurate police procedures, main character whines, unsure if this is narration. Overall OK.

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Sort of ok. Gripping at times

Not quite a ‘seat of pants’ listen. Too much introspection by main character. Too many ‘should haves’, self-pity

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