The  Secret Child is Caroline Mitchell's second book in her DI Amy Winter series( the first being Truth & Lies). Amy has a special place in her heart for children, as before she was adopted, she was the daughter of a serial killer. She saw horrific things at an early age, but the love shown to her by her adoptive parents, made her the person and the DI she is today.
When four-year-old Ellen is kidnapped, DI Winter's will do everything in her power to save her. While Amy is still struggling to come to terms with her past, she is playing a game of cat and mouse with the kidnapper. Why does her mother think Ellen has been kidnapped by someone from her husband's past when everyone else believes he is dead? If he isn't the kidnapper, then who is and who would want to hurt Ellen? It is a very engaging mystery and one that takes you back to the past to see all the lies that lead up to the present. I think the author has a great new series( and heroine) in the form of DI Winters, as this was as engaging and fast-paced as the first. I flew through this as I wanted to know how this police procedural would end( and maybe find out a bit more about Amy's tragic past). If you like this type of book, I highly recommend it.

Loved this book, refreshingly different & do well written.  Just wish I’d read the first book in the series first but that didn’t take anything away from this book.  Would highly recommend.  Amazing!

WOWSERS... this is the second book in the DI Amy Winters series and after the first one, I really didn't think it could get any better.... Boy was I wrong!!! I would recommend reading the first book before this one as there is a lot about the previous case where the personal life of Amy Winters came out, the daughter of notorious serial killers "the Beasts of Brentwood"!!!

Four year old Ellen Curtis is kidnapped from her home, who took her and why, will there be a ransom note. Her mother Nicole is beside herself and when a courier on a motorbike calls to the door with a box, she's terrified of what it might contain. Inside were four phials, three blue and one red, she must choose one and drink it to try save her daughter was the note attached..... it is signed "Luka" who apparently died in a fire in the Curtis Institute back in the 80s!

DI Amy Winter is called in as Dr. Curtis is a renowned in his profession and this case is to be handled with kit gloves! As the investigation moves along, all is not what it seems, what happened at the Curtis Institute, was he carrying out illegal drug testing on children? 

Amy's ex Adam who is a reporter is granted an audience with Lillian Grimes, Winter's biological mother asking him to write a story about her in order to gain public empathy for when she appeals her case that she was a bystander while her husband was carried out the atrocities which put them both away! Adam ran the story on the front page, humiliating Amy, now hounded by the press, can Amy keep her inner turmoil under wraps to get the job done and find the children? 

No matter what I say about this book, it won't do it justice, you have to read it, it will grip you from the getgo, its a fast paced police procedural thriller with a few twists along the way. Can't wait for the next one!!! Highly recommend it.

Thanks to Netgalley and Amazon Publishing UK for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion

One of the best book series this author has written. DI Amy Winter is a complex and compelling heroine. The ongoing plot involving Lilian is intriguing and full of suspense. This latest book involves a mystery full of action and twists. The solution is one you won't quite see coming. I can't wait for the next book! I really want to see how things are going to change now.

I’m not usually a fan of books where the detective’s lives are just as important as the crime they are investigating. However, this is so well written that it works perfectly. I feel invested in Amy’s story, and as I was reading I kept thinking “I can’t wait to read the next book and her story to continue”. I then got dismayed as I realised this is the latest book that hasn’t been released yet and there won’t be another for some time yet. It will be exciting to see what path Lillian’s appeal will take in the future, so I will definitely be keeping my eye out for the next book.
The back story of Luka was heartbreaking; he was so trapped and unable to escape the hands of purely evil people. I guessed the twist that came at the end, but this didn’t stop me enjoying the unveiling any less.
I would have liked to see more trials presented to the people he despised; I think it only touched the surface with the phials, and this could have been explored a little more. Dr Curtis didn’t really suffer enough.
Overall, a really captivating crime read with an element of psychological thriller included.

I found this to be a well developed story, a cleverly written plot and a good paced psychological thriller with interesting characters which kept me on the edge of my seat.

I can strongly recommend this book and thank you to Netgalley and Amazon Publishing for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

I love Caroline Mitchell, but I’m late to the DI Amy Winter party. This is the second book in the series and my first, but the author does a great job of recapping the events in the first volume, so that I didn’t feel like I was missing any backstory. Likewise, the characters are so well defined, that I never felt like I needed more context and their dynamics were clear enough. Amy is the daughter of serial killers to, understandably, she is damaged. It’s a good thing that she has a support network that helped her become who she is… a great police officer. This case involves missing children, something that touches Amy deeply. But the kid’s parents are clearly hiding something and Amy needs to figure out what it is before she can find them. The chase to find them in time is so suspenseful that I couldn’t stop reading. The twists are unpredictable, which makes the book addictive. Ms. Mitchell has added another great heroine to the pantheon of tough female detectives. 
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/Amazon Publishing UK!

Loved this second Amy Winter book, I remember last time saying couldn't wait for more of her and this one doesn't disappoint, I couldn't put it down. 
Amy is a brilliant DI despite constantly being forced to face all the traumas of her past, , Firstly she needs to help save two kidnapped children where the kidnapper will only talk to her he thinks she understands him. Her birth mother is still trying to take control from prison with the hint she had her appeal agreed.  I'm hoping this means there's another one to look forward to

Thank you NetGalley, Amazon Publishing UK and Thomas & Mercer for this arc.

I loved Truth and Lies -- the first on this series -- and was prepared for a minor letdown reading The Secret Child.
There was NO letdown.  This was just as twisty and fast paced as the first DI Amy Winter story, but this time there were a lot of familiar characters along for the ride.  Plus some new evil ones as well and a whole host of victims.  While there were some convenient coincidences in the story, it didn't detract my reading enjoyment.

I got totally stuck into this book from the start. I really thought we had been spoiled with Truth and Lies but knew we wouldn't  be disappointed with this 2nd DI Winter novel. Caroline Mitchell's work is utterly gripping and a fantastic pleasure to read.

The character's as always ,are really soon established in your mind and they very quickly become part of you whilst you are reading, Mitchell has a great skill that always allows you ,'in' to her world of words.

Four year old Ellen is snatched in the dead of night, her mother Nicole receives four identical phials with a threatening note that one of the phials is poisoned and if she drinks one, the kidnapper will notify the police of her daughters whereabouts. The kidnapper claims to be Luka Volkov who was supposedly killed in a fire years ago. Is he back?

This is a trail of fear, distress and abhorrence full of apprehension and many moments of "that sinking feeling" "whAt the hell!" And times when you actually stop reading to gather the situation and realise we have DI Amy Winter!

we have learned that DI Winter has discovered she is the daughter of a serial killer. This makes her more determined to work harder on her cases.

My favourite character in this. Book is the kidnapper, Mitchell has brought him to life,which gave me the feeling that his character was as strong as Hannibal Lecter in Silence of the Lambs. I held my breath when he spoke!
I will recommend this to everyone and anyone I meet.

Thank you for bringing this totally awesome piece of literature to our eyes and minds.

I didn't read the first book in this series but I enjoy reading this book and I'm so going to get the first book.

DI Amy Winter is still struggling with recently discovering that she is the daughter of a serial killer.

As she deals with this a four years old girl named Ellen has been snatch leaving her mother Nicole devastated but when she get four identical phials with a threatening note that one of the phials is poisoned and if she drinks one, the kidnapper will notify the police of her daughter whereabouts. 

Amy races against time to locate the missing four year old as there are cryptic clues and kidnapper claiming to be Luka Volkov who apparently died in a fire years ago. Amy may have to do unthinkable in order to save a child life.


I ARC received via NetGalley and in exchange for an honest review.

I am expecting Mitchell’s star to rise to the top of the police procedural/thriller genre anytime now. She’s that good. And with DI Amy Winter, she’s created the perfect heroine, a sharp and determined cop who’s discovered that she’s the daughter of a serial killer. Whatever her inner conflict might be about her parentage, Amy doesn’t let in stand in her way in her search for a missing four year old girl. If anything, her past may be giving her an even bigger push to find the little girl while she still can. Cryptic clues and a threat to the missing child’s mother only serve to muddy the water and Amy may have to contemplate the unthinkable to save a child’s life. This series is top notch, if you haven’t read the first book, I highly recommend you do. Mitchell’s background in law enforcement is evident in this thriller and makes the story vivid and authentic

I absolutely loved the first book in the DI Amy Winter series and thought it would be pretty impossible to match it, never mind surpass it. The author has though, surpassed it that is.

There are so many things going for this book, especially for a crime thriller fanatic like me. I know Amy is still struggling with coming to terms with her true parentage, but I am loving it. It makes for some truly gripping reading. There isn’t just that though, the case that Amy and her team are working on is such a compelling read also. I was fascinated with the chapters in the past to do with Luka. It made me have mixed feelings about what was happening in the present day that’s for sure.

The Secret Child is a highly addictive read. The author has excelled what I would expect from a crime thriller by giving me way more than I could ever have imagined. The nature of the story line grabs hold of the reader from the first page. The author held me captive through out, not that I wanted to go anywhere as I was enjoying myself way to much to even think of putting this book down! A totally brilliant crime thriller.

This is the 2nd book in the DI Amy Winter series by author Caroline Mitchell. I have to say I really like reading this authors books and this is another exceptional addition to her growing list of books. I will admit to having an added reason for liking this series in that I was thrilled to have my name used for one of Amy's team, DC Gary Wilkes. Who knows I might have a leading role in one of books in the future.
In this second book four-year-old Ellen is snatched by a stranger leaving her mother Nicole distraught. Later Nicole receives four identical phials with a threatening note that one of the phials is poisoned and if she drinks one, the kidnapper will notify the police of her daughters whereabouts. The kidnapper claims to be Luka Volkov who was supposedly killed in a fire years ago.
DI Amy Winter recently discovered that she is the daughter of a serial killer and her past childhood trauma only makes her more determined to bring Ellen home. When another child is taken Amy faces a race against time to locate the kidnapped children before they come to any harm.
Caroline Mitchell writes great thrillers that are fast paced, well thought out and obviously great characters. Do yourself a favour if you haven't already read any of her books start now I am pretty sure you won't be disappointed.
I would like to thank Net Galley and the author Caroline Mitchell for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

This is the second DI Amy Winter story and it’s as fast and furious as the first (Truth and Lies). Two child kidnappings open the curtains on a scientific institute in the 1980s. Someone is seeking revenge. This is an interesting study of childhood trauma, comparing and contrasting the kidnapper’s with Amy’s own. It’s a fresh look at an old subject and given Amy’s background, she’s uniquely equipped to investigate. I’m really enjoying this series. Many a fictional DI is portrayed as deeply flawed and it gets a bit samey. Amy Winter is burdened by her genes. Her fear of her parents’ flaws. A very good story and refreshingly different.