This book is absolutely brilliant. The storyline is captivating and descriptive, which keeps you guessing the whole way through.

I really connected with the characters and the whole book has a successful conclusion.

This is the first time I've read a book from this author, and I would definitely love to read another

Thank you Netgalley and Publishers for the Arc

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. I quite enjoyed this book, liked the characters and liked the storyline but did not wow me.

A good read with an interesting plot which kept me guessing. Carrie was an intriguing character which added to the story.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

i very much enjoyed this a very emotional read every parents nightmare i so could not put it down very twisty and unpredictable book . you will be thinking to the very end a must read

Complex thriller with lots to keep you guessing. Good characters all round and touches on a delicate subject well,,explaining everything..Will keep you guessing till the end.

Carrie Haversen is in the park playground with five year old daughter Sofia, she is distracted for a few minutes by a phone call from Simon, Carrie’s ex-partner and Sofia’s father. When she looks again the unthinkable has happened and Sofia is gone. Carrie and Sofia are helped by two good samaritans but are they what they seem? DCI Juliet Campbell and DI Alistair Larkin investigate.

This is such a good premise and I so enjoyed trying to solve the puzzle of whether the samaritans are genuine. One of the greatest strengths of the novel is the characterisation. Carrie has social-emotional agnostic and cannot read facial emotions and though she’s not autistic she is on the spectrum. She is a fabulous character- she’s true and honest and you feel her struggle to detect signals we take for granted and how this impacts on a social and working life. Her love of adorable Sofia shines like a beacon and is beyond question. The two main police officers are really good too and are like a seamless double act. The author portrays emotions effectively too - Sofia’s fear, Carrie’s panic and the complex emotions caused by her condition. There are some scary and powerful moments and some that are very unsettling especially trying to work out if the samaritans have ulterior motives. This creates a sense of foreboding and an atmosphere of disquiet as you fear Carrie is being manipulated which makes you feel angry on her behalf. The pacing is good and it builds slowly but surely towards an exciting conclusion. It’s taut, tense and suspenseful but you are left with grounds for optimism for Carrie and Sofia which I really like.

Overall this is a well written, good psychological thriller which keeps you enthralled beginning to end.

With thanks to NetGalley and Headline for the ARC for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book, my first by the Author C.J. Parsons.

It had plenty of suspense and thrills along the way and certainly made you stop and think in places about who was lying and who to trust. An unusual concept of including someone with social facial recognition blindness, and it definitely added another scary dimension to the trauma for Carrie about who to trust her daughter Sofia with.

The ending was great, definitely rounded the whole story up perfectly and provided edge of the seat tension for the reader.

Good thriller I will be suprised if you dont get drawn into the story from the beginning.....I was thanks to netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

I really enjoyed reading this twisty and unpredictable book. I liked the main character I felt sorry for her but thought she was well written as a character coping with being disadvantaged. I had my ideas about did what, and I was on the money but not completely sure and I liked that. A very good book if you enjoy twisty thrillers that are well written and with a good pace and plot.

I really loved this book! So many twists and turns in a very well written psychological thriller.
The characters are portrayed in a crisp and clear way that makes the reader want to just keep reading, the conclusion is great. I look forward to reading more from this fab author.

A tense twisty psychological thriller that will keep you guessing right up till the end!
Carries daughter Sofia vanishes from the park but strangely a few days later is returned home by a male called josh, however the abductor is still at loose and Carrie desperate to protect her daughter confides in josh and her new found friend Tara! This strange trio are investigated alongside Sofia’s father Simon, leading to a gripping emotional rollercoaster of a read that continues to enthrall you as the story evolves and develops to its surprising climax!
Thank you net galley for this early read.

I didn't think i would be able to read this book at first - an abducted child isn't a pleasant read, but so glad i stuck with it as the child was returned early and the story had a real twist in the tail, i defiantly suspected Tara and thought josh was just loving attention as he returned the child but how wrong was i! it was an unusual plot and had me undecided until the end- very good read!

Goodness me this was an absolute cracker of a read. From the very first page I was gripped by this story. Fantastic and gripping story that will be in my top 10 reads of 2020. I will be recommending this book to all my bookish friends.

This is a strong psychological thriller with an interesting heroine and a tense plot.

Right at the beginning (so no spoilers), Carrie's 5-yr-old daughter is abducted in broad daylight from a park... Carrie is naturally terrified but days later Sofia is found in a shed by a passerby and brought safely home.

The question remains - was the abductor after any child or just Sofia? Are they safe now? Will they ever know? Carrie has a condition which means she can't read facial expressions, so she sometimes to struggles to understand what people really feel when they are talking to her.

While the police investigate, Carrie finds new friendships - with Josh, who found Sofia, and with Tara, one of the mums who helped her look for Sofia at the park. But how much can she really trust anyone?

As I mentioned, this is a tense read with a strong plot. There aren't dozens of suspects but there is enough reasonable doubt to sway your opinion now and then and keep the story interesting. As a parent of a five-year-old, I found it terrifying in places!

Most spellbinding psychological thriller of the year! I swear I forgot to breathe in parts! Carrie is a complex character who suffers from Asberger' s , as a result of which , she is unable to interpret facial expressions. She doesn't understand nuances of speech and in turn, can't show her own feelings either facially or vocally. This character is so beautifully written, with such a depth of understanding of this debilitating condition. C.J.Parsons has demonstrated in-depth knowledge of Asbergers and as a result ,the character of Carrie is exactly drawn. My heart aches for her , at her inability to form friendships as people can't be bothered to take the time to see beyond her blank expression to the beautiful, loyal and painfully truthful woman inside. When Carrie's five year old daughter, Sophia goes missing from the park, when Carrie is momentarily distracted by a phone call from her ex(Sophia' s father), she is totally distraught. Another mum, Tara comes to her aid, organising a search party and when that proves fruitless, calls the police. I don't want to spoil the story by going in to what happens but I can highly recommend this brilliant book. I was left in the same heartstopping indecision as Carrie, as to who to believe and trust. Her daughter's life hangs on her choice! More please!

An excellent thriller that is guaranteed to draw you in and never let go. The protagonist’s story is believable and keeps you fascinated until the very end.

Thank you to Netgalley and Headline for the arc of this book by C J Parsons.

This follows Carrie in whom her 5 year old daughter disastrously goes missing... from the park in which she worries like mad and then blames herself. Days after then incident a stranger and someone who she has never saw before has found Sofia and brings her home, she should be relived that she is home but she still worries as the auctor is still out there and no one knows who it actually is...

A whopping 5 star read which had me gripped from start to finish, it is beautifully written and amazing thanks so much for this recommend to all

#TheGoodSamartian #NetGalley
A good psychological thriller.
Carrie's world shatters. She is tortured with worry and she blames herself. What if her inability to read facial expressions has put her child in danger?
But just days later, a stranger finds Sofia and brings her home.Carrie should be relieved, but the abductor is still out there, still unknown. Still after her child.
Its main strength lies in its narration and characterization. And I was never expecting that ending to came out, hats off.
Thanks to NetGalley and Headline for giving me an advance copy.

This book was brilliant. I was gripped from the very first chapter which is a rarity these days.
I loved the characters, I was constantly changing my mind on who was the bad guy, right up until the last pages!
I'll definitely keep my eye out for more of C. J Parson's work.

Absolutely fantastic read. I haven’t been able to put this goon down. I have been completely gripped from the very beginning.
A definite five star read.


Full review to follow on publication day.