The Marshs kings daughter by karen dionne.
When notorious child abductor - known as the Marsh King - escapes from a maximum security prison, Helena immediately suspects that she and her two young daughters are in danger.

No one, not even her husband, knows the truth about Helena's past: they don't know that she was born into captivity, that she had no contact with the outside world before the age of twelve - or that her father raised her to be a killer.

And they don't know that the Marsh King can survive and hunt in the wilderness better than anyone... except, perhaps his own daughter.
Very good read with good characters. Moving and emotional. 4*. Netgalley and little brown book group UK.

What a totally enjoyable book! I adore the setting, the tension, and the character arcs! So pleased with the author's balancing of contemporary present with backstory (intermediate past) and way-in-the-past backstory, all of which is essential in eliciting the plot themes (multiple) and the character arcs (I'm not sure the term "character evolution" applies here). A tremendous amount of both plot layers and of characterization has gone into making this novel great, and for those reasons I place THE MARSH KING'S DAUGHTER on the same exalted level as I do Robyn Harding's HER PRETTY FACE. Additionally, both have exceptionally strong female characters. I found Helena, protagonist and eponymous character of THE MARSH KING'S DAUGHTER, readily eliciting my empathy and quite comprehensible. This is definitely a re-reader.

THE MARSH KING’S DAUGHTER by KAREN DIONNE is a fast-paced suspenseful psychological thriller that hooked me from the very beginning and didn't let go until the last page.

THE MARSH KING’S DAUGHTER is told from Helena’s point of view, alternating between the past and the present. In the present, Helena is happily married with two little girls living on her grandparent's property. She hears the news that "The Marsh King" has escaped from prison. What we learn is that he is her father, who has been in prison for kidnapping her mother at a young age, fathering a child with his captive and murder. She knows she has to keep her family safe and in her mind the best way to do that is to have a showdown with her father. In the past we learn all about her childhood of being raised in captivity where she is actually oblivious to the fact that she and her Mother are being held captive by her father. The way that Helena lived and survived while growing up in the marsh was actually quite amazing and I thoroughly enjoyed her story. Her story from the past and present were both equally compelling to me.

This story is described as a mystery and thriller, but I found it to be an excellent drama that was very character driven. There is a rather brutal hunting scene described that many people may find upsetting, but it was used to describe how the native people hunted. Overall, this was a riveting, suspenseful, fast-paced read with a wonderful ending. There was some angst, dark situations, and suspense all rolled into this atmospheric story. I definitely recommend this story to anyone who enjoys psychological thrillers that are very character driven.

This was just a sampler and have to say. Am going to download it as the taste has wetted my appetite!

Three stars is on the first chapter only.

Fascinating and gripping start to an intriguing book. Looking forward to reading the rest of the book!

Great book. Very unique from other thrillers I have read. I saw a bunch of negative reviews on this, so I wasn't' sure going into it. But I was pleasantly surprised by the plot and the way everything was solved and how the story was told. I just really liked it!

I know this has received many 4 and 5 star ratings and I'm in the minority. It was a good book. The writing especially is very good. I just couldn't warm to the story. It was a bit more descriptive for my liking and drawn out a bit slow. I thought the premise of the story held a lot of promise. The story of Helena, a child born in captivity. Her mother was kidnapped at 14 years old by a deranged man and held captive in a remote cabin in the woods of Northern Michigan. The story goes back and forth in time; as Helena describes her upbringing and eventual escape, and the present time where she has just learned her father has escaped from prison.

I couldn't warm to Helena and at times down right just did not like her. I was surprised that I did not sympathize with her much. Maybe I wasn't supposed to. She was indeed a product of her captivity..just as dangerous as her father...both true hunters. Perhaps it was the "hunting" tone of the whole story that did not sit well with me. I know many others have enjoyed this one. I think it was just not my style of book.

An imaginative, unusual glimpse at a woman forced to choose between her father and her children. A stark examination of the limits of filial duty and the crimes committed by men who seek to control the women and children within their sphere.

Based on only a sneak peak, the opening really grabs the reader from the first page. The pace and characterisation are engaging and provide enough intrigue for the reader to want more. The writing is appealing and descriptions provide a wealth of detail to help the reader to envisage the setting and events clearly. Based on this start, the story is well worth a read...

I only got to read the introduction and first chapter of this book as a sample, and was really intrigued. It began with the excerpt of a fairy tale about the Marsh King capturing a Princess, and removing all trace of her. Then it was modern times. Helena talks about her, and her mother being kept in captivity, and then rescued. Helena is a young mother, accompanied by her toddler daughter, delivering home made jam to local shops.. It is clear that she does not want the trauma of her childhood to overshadow Mari's, so she goes out of her way to avoid being overprotective. Then she hears on the radio, that her father (and mother's captor) has escaped from jail. End of sample! What can be going through her mind? How will she react? What happens next??? I must get hold of the full book to find out.

I read enough of this sampler to want to read the whole book. Excellent! I cannot wait to loan this book from the local library.

Great book, easy read… Held my attention and was sad to see it end. Thanks for the opportunity to read it!

After reading the sampler, I am hooked. I can't wait to purchase the full copy.

Great Sampler, can't wait to read this in full

Thanks for the chance to read this

This preview leaves me anxiously awaiting this book's release on June 13, 2017. Can't wait to read the full story!

An intriguing snippet to tease readers into wanting to read the whole book. Too short to be enough to recommend but it has definitely piqued my interest.

Well what a way to start ... and leave me hanging for more, more and more of it.

Loved what promises to be a atmospheric, and compelling crime thriller...can't wait to read it all.

The Marsh King's Daughter is a book I can't put down. After reading the first chapter, I have to find out what happen to this woman and her family. How and when will her secret life before she changed her name and reinvented herself come to light? Who is/was her mysterious mother? And, most importantly will her escaped prisoner father, the monster who shaped her childhood, find her?

This was just a sampler. From reading the prologue and the first chapter, this book seems promising. I look forward to June and getting the full book.

I seem to only have had the first chapter of this book so hoping that this is correct!

The Marsh King's Daughter had an exciting opening that made me want to read on. The first chapter introduced the characters and set up an interesting premise for the story.