The Secret Child by Caroline Mitchell has a storyline based in the past about experiments using children for drug trials, which were not authorised. Dr Curtis, was responsible for carrying out these experiments and became a wealthy, successful married man, until his four year old daughter is kidnapped and the revenge begins.
It is up to D.I. Winters with the help of her team to find Ellen and then Jody, will she manage in time or will the children die? The storyline is thought provoking and you emphasise with the person who has kidnapped the children but you also know that both children are innocent, it is the parents who were to blame.
Recommended.

Really enjoyed this fast paced thriller... excellent characters and writing from start to finish... I look forward to the next book already to follow Amy's story! A must read !

Woah let me just tell you go and buy the book! I’ve akready gone and bought the 1st in the series (this is the 2nd) and I’m halfway through it...

Excellent author and book, 2 children have been taken from their home and  have been taken and the kidnapper will only talk to DCI Amy Winters, both sets of parents seem to have secrets and don’t want them getting out,  and so your not quite sure who to trust and what they’ve got to hide or why anyone would want to take their kids, is there a link between them?

DCI Amy Winters is fab and a brilliant character, you really end up rooting for her, she’s had a terrible time recently losing her Dad and finding out she was adopted (can’t say more than that) and so you really get to know her well in this book and I loved her!

It’s shaping up to be a fantastic series!! Buy it...!

The Secret Child by Caroline Mitchell follows DI Amy Winters in her second outing. 

After four year old Ellen goes missing from her home, her distraught parents are desperate to get her back and willing to do anything. When they receive a package with four vials of liquid - one of which is poisoned - and a note saying the mother will get Ellen back if she drinks one of them, she goes right ahead. She is unlucky and ends up fighting for her life. Another child then goes missing, and the family s faced with the same clues. What links them? And how will they get these children back to their homes?

This book is the second in the series. I would recommend reading the first as there were a lot of things I felt like I'd missing by starting with book 2. I think If  had read the first, I would have preferred this. It was an exciting and intriguing idea and I think I will try the first book to gain more from the series.

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is the second book in the DO Any Winter series, I haven't read the first (but will be!) so occurred I didn't know anything about Any and her past. There was enough of an explanation for this not to be an issue however.  
Little Ellen is kidnapped from her wealthy parents, but why didnt they report her missing sooner? And what are they not telling the police?
As the story unfolds, there is a comparison between the kidnapper, his family story and Amy's background which is cleverly written.  
Another child goes missing and the links start to become clearer. Can Any and her stranger to the bottom of things before time runs out for the children?
Really enjoyed this book and looking forward to the next one.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I finished this book a few weeks ago but completely forgot to review it at the time. But even now i still remember how engrossing and face paced it was. Caroline Mitchell is fast becoming one of my favourite authors because of her work like this.

When four year old Ellen goes missing from her bed, her distraught parents will do anything to get her back, so when a messenger delivers a package with four vials of liquid - one of which is poisoned;  her mother is told she will get her daughter back if she takes one of them. She is unlucky & is soon fighting for her life. Another child goes missing with the same 'clues'. It would seem that these children belong to people involved with an illegal experiment on children many years ago.

DI Amy Winter is still struggling to come to terms with the story of her past. Discovering she is the child of the notorious 'Beasts of Brentwood' child killers haunts her, making her all the more determined to bring evil doers to justice. This case will need all her skills so that these children find their ways safely home.

This is the second in the series. I loved the first one & there is always the worry that the second won't live up to first. I needn't have worried. This was every bit as gripping. The characters are well written and believable. I can't wait for book 3! Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

My Goodness, what an amazing and intensely satisfying read Caroline Mitchell’s new thriller was!

An addition to her ‘DI Amy Winter’ thriller series, I really enjoyed reading "The Secret Child." 

While this book is the second instalment of the series, it really worked as a stand-alone novel as the author provided enough contextual information to pick up the series without interrupting the flow of the story. 

I found Caroline Mitchell’s writing style very solid, as was the plot development. Her characters were all strong and dynamic and I particularly liked the way she made them believable and likeable. Also very commendable was her gift for revealing the subtleties of their personalities and relationships.

The plot itself was extremely engrossing and intriguing and I didn’t want to put down my e-reader once I had started reading this. It had me enthralled until the very fulfilling and fabulous conclusion.

This book was so good that I will be adding Caroline Mitchell to my list of newly discovered authors, for sure!

Packed with loads of thrilling suspense and highly emotional, this was, most definitely, a very worthwhile read.

Thanks to NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer and the author, Caroline Mitchell for my complimentary copy of The Secret Child. My honest review is entirely voluntary.

Thank you #NetGalley for an advanced copy of #TheSilentChild!

So this book was just average for me. It wasn’t necessarily bad but it wasn’t speculation either. Some of the plot twists were a little too predictable and there weren’t any “wow” moments. This is the second book I’ve read in the DI Amy Winter series. This book is about two children being kidnapped by someone a lot of people suspected was dead. The chapters alternated between what happened to Luka, the kidnapper, back in 1985 and what DI Winter and her team are doing to catch him. I felt at times there were chapters that probably weren’t really needed. There was a lot about DI Winter’s background, as she found out in the last book that she was the biological daughter of a serial killer couple. Maybe if I hadn’t read the last book certain things in this book wouldn’t have sounded so repetitive...

A dark psychological read. I always worry when young children are involved in a plot line, but this book is well-written although it did have a touch f Fred & Rosemary West about it. Don't read it alone. Recommended.

This is great writing.  I absolutely love Caroline Mitchell ever since I read Truth and Lies. If you get a chance, read it first before this as its a continuum, but its not really necessary. Its fast paced so expect to read it in one or two sittings.

Great plot? ✔
Great characters?✔
Great ending✔

Looking forward to more DI Amy in my future. And looking forward to reading the books I have missed. Will be reserving a bookshelf aside for Caroline Mitchell's books.

After the thrilling Truth and Lies, I couldn’t wait to read the second book in the DI Amy Winter series, and this book did not disappoint. 

Caroline Mitchell is a fantastic writer, and the books just keep getting better and better. Her inside knowledge of police procedures helps create realistic stories with interesting characters. Amy’s relationship with her mother is fascinating.

This book carries on from Truth and Lies so if you haven’t read it I recommend you do that first, although it can be read as a stand-alone as enough of the back story is gone over without being tedious.

OMG what a thrill ride of a read this book was!  Caroline Mitchell's style of writing grabs you and doesn't let you go until the very end of the story, and this title is no different.  I was on tenterhooks throughout and did not see the antagonist until the very end!  Fantastic, gripping, and disturbing - cannot recommend this enough!

I thought that The Secret Child was not as good as the first DI Winter book. 
It wasn't one I found myself drawn to if I am honest.

Gold Standard! That's what this series is.
I was completely blown away by Truth and Lies and now The Secret Child is just as compelling, dark and twisted.
After learning of her true parentage DI Amy Winters is struggling with repressed memories and dark thoughts. She is the child of serial killers Lillian & Jack Grimes, the "Beasts of Brentwood" who kidnapped, tortured and killed many girls. Just as she was coming to terms with her harrowing previous case deeply tied to her past and believing that the worst is truly over, Amy encounters another heart-breaking case. Four-year-old Ellen has been kidnapped from her home. Her devastated mother, Nicole, receives four identical vials and a threatening note in a familiar scrawl that chills her to the bone. According to the note, one of the phials is poisoned. Nicole is given a deadly challenge: if she drinks one, the sadistic kidnapper will notify the police of Ellen’s location. The sender claims to be Luka Volkov, a boy from Russia. But Luka is supposed to be dead, killed long ago in a fire that haunts all those involved with Ellen's father Dr. Curtis.
The plot is intriguing and the characters are fabulous. I'm totally in love with Amy Winters (and her team). Despite her troubled start, she's tenacious, bold and not afraid to get to the bottom of things however difficult they may be. At times, it felt I was in the middle of a "Stranger Things" episode while reading the flashback chapters, but it was highly suspenseful and gritty. I'm happy that we see a bit more of Amy's private life, her work life and what makes her tick. The book keeps you guessing till the very end; I did not see that ending coming.
Amy Winters is now one of my fave detectives! Go Amy! Go Caroline!
Thanks, NetGalley, Caroline Mitchell & Thomas & Mercer fr an arc.

DI Amy is still reeling from the fact that she is the daughter off a serial killer, roll on her next case when a child is abducted....

Thankyou to NetGalley, Amazon Publishing UK and the author,  Caroline Mitchell,  for the opportunity to read a digital copy of The Secret Child in exchange for an honest and unbiased opinion. 
I really enjoyed reading the first book in the Amy Winter series, so was intrigued as to whether book two would be as good. I am happy to say , it certainly was. 
I thought this book provided a great read. The storyline was well thought out and written with well developed characters and a rollercoaster plot. I read this book in one sitting.  Was well worth the sleep deprivation.  I certainly can't wait for more from this author. 4.5 stars. 
Well worth a read.

This is book 2 in the series. It is a police procedural thriller 
It is a fast paced read with a fascinating lead character. 
I liked this book but the previous book was much better.

This is the second book featuring DI Amy Winter. It would stand alone on its own merit,  however if you can read the books in order it will help you to understand more of the back story. 

Caroline Mitchell manages to  create fast moving stories. In this instance the story is told in two time frames, with the jumps between, helping to maintain interest and put different characters into the spotlight as the real villain. 

I like the style of her writing and characterisation. Her experience as a serving police officer shows through with some pithy dialogue between DS Amy Winter and her colleagues. There are some witty one-liners.
Plenty of suspects.
Plenty of twists.
Tension throughout.

The story builds to a dramatic conclusion with sufficient plot twists to maintain interest. I for one look forward to future instalments in the DS Winter series. 

My thanks go to Netgalley and the publisher, Thomas & Mercer for a copy in exchange for this review.

Unusual thriller series featuring Detective Amy Winter, who is the daughter of serial killers. A gripping read in this second in series, emotional  too..  A superb plot  which kept me on the edge of my seat throughout . Looking forward to reading more in this series.  A 5 star crime thriller.