Wow, can't Sarah A. Denzil write a page turner! I couldn't put this one down until I was done.

This is the story of Kat, wife, mother, sociopath. Her teenage daughter has just been found dead at the bottom of a quarry, and the police are calling it a suicide. Only Kat seems to think her daughter didn't kill herself, everyone else seems resigned to the fact. So Kat decides to investigate on her own, and finds her daughter wasn't who she thought she was. As she uncovers more and more of her daughter's life Kat realises there's far more to the story than even she thought, and finds herself face to face with her own demons.

I just love this author's books, so consistently good. I always know when I pick one up that I'm in for a ride, with some shocks on the way. Only Daughter certainly didn't disappoint and I'm keenly awaiting the next offering from Ms Denzil. Recommended.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

How could Kat’s beautiful, sweet and innocent seventeen-year-old daughter be dead? It was a nightmare she desperately wanted to wake up from. But Grace’s body was lifeless; battered and bruised. What had happened? Kat needed answers – and she was determined to get them.

As Kat and her husband Charles waded through the grief, from the condolence messages to the funeral, Kat’s continual thought was that Grace must have been murdered. Her rage and disbelief fueled her desire for the answers she needed to find. But would she? Could she? And as Kat dug deeper into Grace’s life, her belief in her daughter’s innocence slowly began to shatter.

Only Daughter by Sarah A. Denzil is my first by this author, and boy! What a read! A fast paced, gritty psychological thriller that was filled with tension, manipulation, lies, cruelty and hate – the race to the finish was an emotional, but satisfying one. Highly recommended.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I thought this was a very engaging and well written mystery. It centers around the apparent suicide of a high school girl named Grace and her mother's (who is a sociopath) quest to prove that she was murdered and punish whoever was responsible. The thing I liked about this book is that there were several people who could have been guilty so it kept me guessing through all of the twists and turns and discoveries about Grace's life, which forced her mother to understand her daughter wasn't exactly who she thought she was. The end was a surprise I didn't see coming, so it was a solid mystery with a solid ending. I would read more from this author.

I am a big fan of all of Sarah A Denzils so was eager to get into this new book. And it was fantastic as ever. She certainly knows how to get emotions flowing and reading this I was feeling many. I read this quickly, it is a book that will have you turning pages late into the night to find out what happens.

Kat has been told that her daughter Grace is dead. Not only that but there was a note in her pocket and she was found in a known suicide area and the police have ruled thatyhere was no foul play. Kat can,t accept this and goes about to find her daughters killer herself. She knew her daughter and Grace would not take her own life. But as she delves into Graces life she finds that she really didn't know her daughter at all.

Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for my advanced copy of this book to read. All opinions are my own and are in no way biased.

My first book by this author and she truely blew me away. While I was reading it, people were talking to me (well, they told me they had to repeat twice what they were saying before being able to catch my attention) without me noticing. I took the book with me to the hairdresser and normally I can't concentrate due to all the noise there, but with this story everything else was put on the back burner.

It's no surprise that the past influences you for the rest of your life. Sometimes it are heaps of happy memories and the sad or bad ones don't surface very often. For some people though it's impossible to find some good ones between all the misery.When this occurs, it's time to find professional help and to try and learn to live your life the best you can. Is this enough though?

This story is captivating from the very start. There is never a dull moment. The author keeps throwing possible suspects at you and you really don't know anymore if you are coming or going. I just love it.

This was a wonderful messing-with-your-head kind of book. I am definitely looking forward to more works of art by this author. 5 stars.

Thank you, Sarah A. Denzil, Bookouture and Netgalley.

Book received courtesy of publisher/author.

Title: Only Daughter

Author: Sarah A. Denzil

Genre:

Pages:341

Netgalley

The must-read psychological thriller for 2019.

In one moment, Kat Cavanaugh’s perfect world is shattered into tiny fragments. The flash of her daughter’s yellow dress, the blonde hair hanging across her precious face. Her own heart-broken sob…



Kat experiences every mother’s worst nightmare when her only child’s body is found lifeless in an overgrown, abandoned quarry.



Desperate to find out what happened, Kat questions those closest to her as she tries to piece together the last days of Grace’s life. But as a darker side to her little girl begins to unravel, Kat wonders if she ever really knew Grace.



As Kat is drawn into a twisted game of lies, is she also in terrible danger? And will she be able to unlock her daughter’s final shocking secret?



Even if the truth is unthinkable…


My thoughts:

Rating: 4

Would I recommend it? yes

Would I read anything else by this author? yes

A story about a mother who will do anything to prove that her daughter didn't killer herself , and trying to find out who and why , as secrets come out you being to wounder if she did kill her self and if the mother just doesn't want to believe it, but then you start to wounder why would someone want Grace's dead and how was it connected to Kat and her past and Kat has a lot of secrets to hide.The story is chilling with a crazy twist and shows just how far people will go , with that said I want to thank Netgalley for letting me read and review it , exchange for my honest opinion .

Good heavens! What a twisted rollercoaster ride! My emotions have rung the full gambit, from depression; to anger, to revenge, always hoping it would come out right in the end! Katie Flack grew up in a poverty-stricken area, with an alcoholic spiteful Mother! Kate has been going through therapy for twelve years, in order to keep her sociopathic behavior under control. She was diagnosed as a child with this, due to acting out anger issues as a child. She deliberately gets pregnant by a wealthy single, an older man! Her way out of poverty, out of her Mother's house, and she took it! I saw many things coming; I did not see the ending at all! Very depressing in places, dark depression. This is a genuinely psychological thriller, very few are this troubled!
I highly recommend! Thank you!
carolintallahassee.com



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Thank you, NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an impartial review.

This book is based around Kat the mother of Grace who was found dead in the local suicide spot, the police claim Grace committed suicide but Kat is unable to accept this. We follow Kat on her journey to discover what really happened to her daughter that fateful night. We learn that Kat is in therapy and has been for many years and her therapist claims she is a Sociopath and cant love however can this be true as Kat loves Grace more than anything in this world? I actually warmed fairly easily to the character of Kat so I was willing her on with her quest. The book had some nice twists and was very easy to read, I look forward to reading more from this author.

So, here we have a story about a daughter, seemingly ‘normal’ who appears to have committed sucuide, there are no indications this was going to happen, nothing out of the ordinary....but Kat ( Mum ) doesn’t believe it, she delves, she searches and she uncovers secrets, bad things happened to her daughter....she wants revenge..
Fairly staple diet in a psychological thriller I guess
But hang on.....Kat isn’t any Mum wanting revenge, she is a sociopath who has killed before....and when she says revenge, revenge is what she means...
330 pages of pure storytelling magic in this dark, scary, brutally unique thriller, I say thriller as it thrilled all the way through and you never quite knew what to expect next
Mean, sometimes nasty often complex but very memorable characters and descriptive heaven went hand in hand with a ‘come here and join me in my quest’ narrative that drew me in and kept me there and didn’t let up until the final word
Certain books make you proud to be a reader, this is one
10/10 5 Stars

This is the first time I have had the opportunity to read this author a d as always without knowing the author style you never know what to expect of what surprises are in store.

The opening of this book had my skin tingling as I read it. Such powerful and emotional imagery that just hits you full on like a freight train.

I fell in love with how this book was written.  It was such an interesting tale of betrayal and not one that I Jve seen before.

Kat was such an interesting character who seemed so flawed  and also so unloving.  At first I couldn't stand her thinking her nothing more than an abuser.  I felt for her but hated what she was like. 

Midway through I found that I didn't hate her anymore and started to sympathize more with her and found that she was barely holding it together. 

After a while the grudging respect I had turned into like and I started to care for the character and really wanted something better for Kat.

The story was so strong and emotional with one of the best openings that I have read.  What a surprise to find this gem of a read.  Can't wait for more books by her.

# only Daughter # Netgalley
Brilliant book, I was hooked on the first chapter,kat who married into money to escape her own cruel mother and a council estate upbringing. She tried to escape the past, when kat and Charles are informed their daughter graces death. Kay is convinced someone killed her and sets about to find out who killed her. It’s really full of twists and turns especially when she’s contantly reminded of her past. With such a unexpected twist of a ending. It’s definitely one to read, I definitely recommend this book

Omg, Sarah A Denzil is my new favorite author!!! What didn’t I like about the Only Daughter!!! I absolutely loved the plot of this book. It’s about a strong willed mother who will not believe that her only daughter committed suicide. She is on a mission to find out what happened and to come to terms with her daughters death. This character was one of my favorites in this book. I also liked there were so many twists and surprises throughout the whole book. I would have never guessed the ending of this book. All of this made this book an easy and fast read and I will gladly give it 5 Stars.

The Only Daughter was a great read. It took me a few chapters to get into but after that I was hooked and couldn’t put it down. I had to know the ending and it was very satisfying. It kept me guessing and every time I was wrong but I feel that’s what make a great book. It was dark with lots twist and I would definitely recommend this book to others.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this novel, here is my honest review.

I battled with how many stars to give this one. I really liked the story, the dialogue was sharp and realistic, the storyline almost perfect and the twist was a complete surprise to me. All great components of a psychological thriller. I found this was hampered significantly by the style it was written in, There was so much 'telling' and not enough action. It felt like a lazy way to tell the story. I found myself skipping over large parts of Kat's rambling about her life and feelings. It would have been more powerful if some of it was in dialogue format or in a scene with some action. Maybe some more throwbacks to life with her mother or scenes with her and Grace her daughter and Charles her husband. i would have liked to see the private detective get a bigger role, he appeared to help near the end but it felt like an add on to save the scene. Some more scenes where her parenting could come into question would have helped round Kat out as a character and give us a buffer from all her internal thoughts on who she was and is.

So, back to my stars. The story deserves a 4 star but because of the style I have dropped it to 3. I never wanted to not finish it and really liked the twist and the reveal of what Kat would do how she would evolve.

Only Daughter was a gripping and compelling thriller. After Kat discovers that her daughter, Grace has commit suicide, she is unable to accept the facts that seem to show that she had taken her own life. Kat believes that she knew her daughter, and that she wouldn't do that. Throughout the story, Kat finds out that Grace may not be the person she thought she was, and that events from her own past may be connected to her daughter's suicide. This is my second book by Sarah Denzil and it didn't disappoint! I anticipate that this book will be a top thriller of 2019!

WoW What a brilliant book "Only Daughter" by Sarah A. Denzil. This wonderful book had me hooked and gripped me from the first few pages. Plus, Kept me guessing right till the end few chapters. What a fantastic ending it had - Very Clever Sarah!
This is my third book I have read by this author and this has been her best so far.

If you love a good Psychological thriller, that will have you gripped from the very first few pages this is a book and author for you!

Highly Recommend this book. Just Brilliant.

5 star read.

Thank you to Sarah A. Denzil, Bookouture, and Netgalley for giving me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

It pains me to rate a Denzil book as a 1* because since I discovered her books in 2017, I've devoured them in one or two sittings but this one just didn't grab me.

This was no ‘The silent child’. I enjoyed it, I finished it, but it was a chore to keep going...I think I was a third of the way through before anything really started in the story.

Thank you to Bookoture, NetGalley and Sarah A. Denzil for the chance to read and review this book.

Wow! Ms. Denzil had me on the edge of my seat and reading well past bedtime as I found it impossible to put this book down. I’ve been a fan of her work since I first discovered her last year, but this is her best book yet and one of the best thrillers I’ve read so far this year.

Kat Cavanaugh lives in Ash Dale, Derbyshire, with her husband Charles and their seventeen-year-old daughter Grace. After Grace is found at the bottom of the quarry, also known as the Suicide Spot, Kat’s world falls apart. When the police rule the death a suicide she refuses to accept that her ebullient daughter would take her own life. But as she investigates and learns some of the secrets Grace had been hiding, Kat is forced to face the fact she hardly knew her daughter at all. Could one of these secrets have lead to her death?

Things take an ominous turn when Kat starts receiving threatening messages from an anonymous number. When they refer to Kat’s troubled past she her worries someone hurt Grace because of her. Both these things only increase her determination to uncover the truth and she begins to take drastic steps, alienating not only her friends but her husband too, as she becomes increasingly desperate for answers. But Kat could be in more danger than she imagines from an enemy she never suspects...

One of the things I enjoyed about this book is the flawed characters. The protagonist is a rich woman who comes from a council estate, has a checkered history and has been diagnosed with a personality disorder. I thought the choice for Kat to be diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder was interesting and added an edge to both the character and the story. People with that diagnosis are considered sociopaths who can’t love and get through life by mimicking emotions, acting the part and a lack of remorse for their actions. But while Kat admits to the latter, she truly loves her daughter and will do anything for her, including quelling her true nature to be a better example. This endeared Kat to me and saved her from being a cold, unsympathetic character. Also, seeing someone who doesn't really have or process emotions like most of us do trying to work her way through grief and find out what happened to her child was unique. The author did a fantastic job of writing Kat in an honest way, conveying her inner turmoil not only at the loss of her daughter and need for answers, but about her lack of other feelings, her past and true nature.

Another character I thought was particularly well written was Kat’s mother. While I’m fortunate to have a wonderful mother myself, I sadly recognised others in this vile, hateful, disgusting, and poisonous woman. She made me so angry every time she was on the page. With a mother who treated her so badly it is no wonder Kat acted out in her teens and had a personality disorder. For me the malevolence of this character is perfectly expressed in this great line: "I can feel the dark tendrils of her poison worming through my veins". This evoked visions of Ursula the sea witch from The Little Mermaid, her black tentacles wrapping around Kat and perforating the skin to administer the poison.

The author teases you with crumbs of information early on that had me hooked and impatient to find out what they meant. What exactly did Kat do as a teenager that was so unforgivable? What had happened to Grace? For most of the book I felt sure Kat would be proven right about Grace begin killed but I did waver for a while at one point. I’m obviously not going to spoil the ending telling you which was right, but I did think the author did a great job of making it impossible to feel sure that you know how it ends.

Only Daughter is gripping tale of secrets, lies, grief, betrayal, and devastating revenge. I loved that the book was set locally to me as I felt connected to it immediately and more invested, as if these people could be ones I knew, especially Kat as we both started life on a council estate less than 30 minutes apart. The whole book was wonderfully written and the descriptive language put you in the protagonist’s mindset so vividly that you could be her at that moment. The story never lost momentum and was filled with maddening, moving and jarring twists. I didn’t see the big reveal coming and the heart-stopping, dramatic finale was a nail biting read. This is a thriller you don’t want to miss.

Kat has worked really hard- really hard- to reform herself. She's moved, changed her name, and undergone years of therapy. She's feeling better about herself and she's so proud of her 17 year old daughter Grace. And then Grace is found dead. The police claim she committed suicide but Kat thinks differently. She dusts off her old self and starting probing, only to discover that she did not know her daughter at all. Not a surprise really since teens are experts at deceiving their parents but Grace, well, she was really hiding a lot- not as much as Kat but close. No spoilers as to the twists and turns here but suffice it to say that this is a real page turner. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. This is plot driven with great characters and would be perfect for travel.