This book was everything you want in a book - likeable characters, unpleasant characters, and a gripping and unusual storyline which keeps you guessing until the end.
Out of the blue an Australian woman (Kim) is approached by an American man (Stuart), who claims that she may be his missing sister Sammy, who was abducted at the age of two. Kim’s loving mother died some years previously, and Kim can’t believe that she was an abductress but nevertheless decides to go to Stuart’s home town in Kentucky to find out what she can about Sammy and her family.
What follows is an absorbing story, full of surprises and suspenseful situations that really ‘grab’ you and make you want to keep reading instead of doing what you should be doing!
This is Christian White’s first novel and I can’t wait to read more books by him.

Riveting! Pacy and very different from what I had been expecting from a kidnapped child story.

I particularly enjoyed how the story was told in alternate chapters of the past and the present. That was very cleverly done and keeps the reader focused on the story as it unfolds over the years.

I kept thinking I’d solved it and then there was a twist and I had to think again. The introduction into the story of a cult organization, a crazed vicar and a whole heap of snakes kept me on my toes from beginning to end! A real sleep stealer.

Highly recommend this book. A first novel from the author. I can only hope there’s more to come.

I found this book difficult to get into to begin with due to the constant switching between past and present. The two story lines did gel and come together and by the end I enjoyed the story. I would highly recommend this as it was thought provoking and interesting in equal amounts.

I really enjoyed this book, it was a good believable story line that could be linked to real life. This story could be true. Easy to read and kept me page turning

An enjoyable read which builds quite slowly. Quite a harrowing story and the ending was not what I had been expecting. I look forward to reading more from Christian White.

I enjoyed the book but not sure if I would read this author again,

Would recommend tho.

The story line was good but not as thrilling as I thought it be.

A very enjoyable read and one which I have recommended to friends and would recommend to people who enjoy a good thriller.

I will keep an eye out for this author in the future.

Sammy Went disappeared as a little girl just over twenty years ago from Manson, Kentucky, and now Kim Leamy in Australia is being told that she is this missing child.



The Nowhere Child goes between present day and when Sammy goes missing, and tells a story that I sped through, wanting to know more.



Kim's journey to understand what happened, and meet her family is well told, with the pain of Kim's memories of her mother being betrayed, and Kim's Australian sister.



I really enjoyed this book, and thought it was paced well, with twists and turns throughout. If you enjoy crime or thriller novels, then you'll probably enjoy this!


The Nowhere Child was published on 22nd January this year, and is available on Amazon and Waterstones to pre-order, and everywhere else you can find books! I've found a link to where you can search for local bookshops, including independent!



I was given this book for free in return for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to Harper Collins (the publishers) for this book.



Check out my GoodReads profile to see more reviews!

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest, independent review.

Two-year-old Sammy Went disappears from her home in Manson, Kentucky. Over twenty years later, Kim Leamy is in the canteen at the university she works at in Melbourne, Australia when her world is turned upside down - a stranger approaches her to say he believes she is the missing child. Everything Kim has believed all of her life, including who her mother is, is immediately swept from underneath her feet.

I really enjoyed this book; the author intertwines the past and present storylines perfectly. Right from the start, when little Sammy Went disappeared, I was gripped. The back story of the cult really added to the drama, making the book quite dark and intense in places.

The story is very fast paced - at times, I had to force myself to put it down. It's a brilliant debut and I look forward to seeing what else Christian White writes!

Enjoyed this book reading in just a few sessions, well written and will definitely look out for further titles by author

Quite simply, what a wonderful book this is. An intriguing story, with secrets and lies, bit of religion and a whole load of intrigue thrown in.

The synopsis for this book does not give prospective readers any idea of just how fabulous a read this book turned out to be and for me, one of the best books I’ve read in a long time.

A compelling and interesting book, this tells the story of Sammy who is tracked down in Australia - but ends up in America. I’ll say no more because I don’t want to give the plot away but it’s a fast-paced, incredible story with surprises and twists along the way.

Well written and a gripping story. It’s an interesting beginning and one that kept me guessing until the end

I enjoyed this book. The story quickly unfolds to reveal that Kim, a young Australian woman, is actually Sammy, an American who went missing when she was very young. Kim has no memory of being Sammy and had lived a happy normal life in Australia with her mother and stepfather. Kim travels to America and to the hometown. The story darts back and forth between the present day and Kim's journey, and the past leading up to the time that Sammy went missing. There is a lot going on in the small town, most especially the fundamentalist church that Sammy's mother is heavily involved in. There are some dramatic moments - some a little far-fetched, like Kim putting herself into a dangerous situation. Also I don't think it was explained how Kim was tracked down to Australia. But these are small issues and it's a pacy and very readable story overall.

No clues from me as to what the heart of this book is about. I realise that this book is fiction but I still need to say that there are some very strange people in this world and can easily believe that there is a real-life story out there that would run parallel to this one. I have always been challenged by the controls built in to conventional religions and this book definitely adds to my challenges. For myself, this book feels to be more "fact"ion than fiction. Go read it and decide for yourself. Whatever you decide, it will be worth your time.

When Australian Kim is approached by a stranger and told she is his missing sister, Sammy, who has been presumed dead for over two decades, she is initially distrustful and then starts asking questions. When she doesn't get the answers she wanted she sets out on a journey (mentally and physically as she disappeared from America) to find out who she really is. Her journey to find her past isn't in any way straightforward and what she discovers about her newly found family and the past she left behind isn't particularly good and at times is quite shocking. The books skips between 'then' and 'now' for the reader to fill in the gaps and though I'm not always keen on books that do that, in this book it works well and isn't confusing. Although as a reader you could perhaps question why Kim/Sammy hasn't picked up that some things in her life don't stack up it somehow doesn't matter that she hasn't. I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading the next one Christian White writes.

This is a dark, psychological thriller set in both Australia and the USA. A child disappears in Kentucky and some twenty years later a young woman is approached in a cafe in Melbourne by a stranger claiming to be her brother. The revelation shatters the life that Kimberly Leamy has known and sends her off in a search for the truth about her past. The book seamlessly weaves the past and present together, slowly peeling away the layers with revelations of loss, betrayal, secrets, and a fanatical religious cult. This is a well written, fast paced and compelling thriller with lots of twists and turns which will keep you guessing until the final, unexpected twist. Highly recommended, especially if you are looking for a thriller with a difference.

A two year old little girl is taken from her family and taken to another country to,be brought up by a family, she loved her family and had no memory of another life.
That was until a man came to see her claiming to,be her brother and telling her that her real family lived in Manson, Kentucky and she had been taken from her real family when she was two.
It took some convincing but she eventually went with Stuart her brother? To Kentucky to find out the truth.
The story was overlong but well written and got really interesting when you found out a cult was involved and how it lead to her being taken away from her family.

This is a book full of twists and turns and raises many questions; if you’re committing a crime but ultimately saving a life is it worth it? Can you ever leave your past behind? Kim has been raised and living in Australia when she gets approached by a man claiming she’s a girl that went missing years ago and turns her world upside down. Is it true? Did her “Mum” kidnap her? Was the church a cult? The ending was not expected but very clever and I can’t wait to read the next book by this author!

Really interesting what happened fiction novel. Sammy Went went missing as a child. Fast forward 20 years and Kim is approached by a man claiming to be her brother - and telling her that she is the missing child from Kentucky.

Really interesting novel about the value of family, what makes a mother, and is doing the right thing all that matters?

Lot's of ups and downs, giving 4* because i did see the end coming!