Cover Image: The Child in the Photo

The Child in the Photo

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Member Reviews

The Child in the Photo is a quick thriller, perfect for a weekend read. What would any one of us do if you came to know that your mom and dad were not your real parents and had kidnapped you when you were a baby? Hope find herself in this situation after she receives a newspaper clipping about a baby who went missing years ago - a baby who has the same distinct scar on her ear just like Hope.

While I didn't enjoy this book as much as I did the writer's earlier novels, it is still an easy read that will hold your attention. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

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I have read most of Kerry Wilkinson’s books but was disappointed with this one. I felt it was a little unbelievable, lacked suspense and had a rushed ending. The book opens with Hope receiving an old newspaper cutting about a stolen baby over thirty years ago and realises that the photo bears a close resemblance to her as she has the same scar on her ear. Hope confronts her mother who insists that she gave birth to her but Hope becomes suspicious as she finds her mother burning papers in the garden. Then a stranger turns up on her doorstep and claims she is her sister. As Hope continues to investigate she finds that she may not have been the only stolen child and puts herself in danger to discover the truth. I still looked forward to reading more books from Kerry Wilkinson in the future.
Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

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When Hope finds a news clipping with a picture of a small child, her entire life is turned upside down and she doesn't know what to believe. That was an emotional roller coaster. I’m always surprised anew about the length some people will go to get what they want or think deserve.

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I am a big fan of this writer and have yet to be disappointed by one of her books. This one is no different. From the very first page, you are gripped, and the tension , twists and turns keep going from the get go! Hope is a brilliant character and very well written. Do not miss this brilliant read.

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I received a digital copy of this novel through NetGalley.
KERRY WILKINSON is an author I discovered on NetGalley. She is now one of my favorite authors. Her novels are filled with crime and intrigue. There is always a twist. "The Child in the Photo" is a novel that keeps you guessing to the end. If you are wanting a book that keeps you up all night; this is it..

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Great read
This has lots of twists and turns.
Has your life been a lie
This is what Hope is about to find out
Love Kerry’s books
Thanks NetGalley

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Really good read. You definitely need to be on top of your game reading this one. There are so many twists and turns in it. Hope is a great character who has to put up with a lot in her life.

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Another great read from Kerry Wilkinson. I am a huge fan of Kerry and this stand alone lived up to expectation. It grabbed my attention from the first page and with each new revelation, I just kept wanting to turn the pages.I highly recommend this book and I'll be eagerly awaiting his next book.
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book for an honest review.

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Absolutely thrilling. An addictive pageturner. I couldn't put this one down. This author never disappoints, delivering a polished, clever, absolutely stunning read book after book, story after twisted, suspenseful, pacy story. This is one of his best and that's saying something. Highly recommended.

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Hope receives a hand delivered envelope containing a newspaper article from 34 years ago about a stolen child. The girl that went missing has the same ear defect that she has. Could she be the child in the photo? Has her whole life been a lie?
The Child in the Photo is described as a mystery thriller. There are emotional and psychological elements as Hope finds her life torn apart but suspicions and secrets. The book is written from Hope's first person perspective so we witness events through her eyes and are privy to her thoughts about the revelations.
Events unfurl as quite a pace and Hope is left confused and upset as she concludes that her parents lied to her. But is she being told the truth now? She makes contact with various characters who give her different versions of events but now her ability to trust has been severely shaken.
The relationship that Hope has with her best friend Stephen was the real highlight of the book for me. There is gentle mocking but genuine love between the two, and they support each other as both experience trauma. Hope also has a really lovely relationship with her elderly neighbour, again offering a gentle humour and softness to contrast with the harsh issue of child abduction.
I felt that the ending was a little abrupt even though I was seething at the behaviour of certain characters as the twists develop in the concluding chapters. I was left with some questions as to what the future holds for Hope and her disjointed life.
The Child in the Photo is an entertaining read from an author who always manages to capture me in the pages of his books!

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Review featured at www.books-n-kisses.com

2.75 Hearts I have read other books by Wilkinson but this one was a bit off for me. The thing that seemed odd was the fact that we learned pretty quickly that Hope was taken as a child and even who took her. So what part is the “who-dun-it”?

I didn’t feel that this was a suspenseful story at all. There is a lot of drama but no “thriller”.

This was a fast paced read and the writing is fine but a bit of a let down on the suspense.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

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A tale of how one little piece of old newspaper can change how you feel about yourself, where you came from and your future.
I’m not sure what it is about Kerry Wilkinson but their writing style draws me in and keeps me transfixed throughout the pages. Desperate to see what drama , twists and turns the next chapter holds I know that I’ll be up all night until I finish the book!
Each chapter throws up more questions than answers and keeps you guessing right tge way through.
Brilliant story , excellent characters, must read!

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The idea was good but it's definitely not a psychological thriller. The characters were interesting but not overly so and only just kept the story going.

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Hope is stunned when somebody sends her an old newspaper article about a baby that was stolen 34 years ago. Hope is 34 years old and has the same unique scar as the baby. Could she be the missing child and has her entire life been a lie?

A quickly-paced family drama that kept me interested until the end but also fell a bit flat for me. I really enjoyed the premise. A cold case about a missing child, as a true crime fan, it was right up my alley, and I liked the author's fast-paced writing style. Where this book fell a bit flat for me was the plot itself. This book is marketed as a psychological thriller but there was nothing psychological or thrilling about it. This was a straightforward family drama. We find out pretty early on what happened to Hope and who were the culprits. The majority of the book is spent with Hope figuring out how she feels about the situation and her friendship with Stephen. There's no urgency or really anything at stake and I found myself a little bored of the story at times. It didn't help that I didn't feel very connected to Hope and was baffled by how trusting and naive she was. The story did get a little exciting towards the end but again nothing shocking was revealed since we already knew what happened and who was responsible. All in all, this wasn't a bad book by any means. I enjoyed the writing and the premise. I just don't think it should have been marketed as a psychological thriller.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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I thought this was a very quick thriller that kept me interested but also fell a bit flat. It was a really interesting story but it wasn't very thrilling. It's hard to explain because it flowed very well but it didn't have a sense of urgency to the story so I wouldn't recommend it to people who are used to really intense thrillers because I don't think they would like how this falls a bit flat. I would probably try out another book by this author if I was given another free copy but I wouldn't buy one.

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A newspaper article pushed through the slot in the door caused Hope to investigate her origins.

Kerry Wilkinson had written a winner with this book where there was a new reveal every few pages that kept me glued to my kindle. I loved how Hope’s life turned topsy-turvy every time a new character entered her life.

Suspense made a play to grip the main character by her throat. A woman who had seen much, yet persevered with strength. Human needs, sometimes selfishness sometimes desperation showed themselves when made to face the mirror of truth.

Friendship with best mate Stephen warmed my heart. The two had gone through much together; that showed in the comfort they gave each other.

Short chapters that seemed to fly almost at jet speed, the only niggle would be I needed more suspense. But it was a good mystery all around.

Overall, a good book I would recommend as a breakfast read to evoke the curiosity about Hope’s life.

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I really enjoyed the writing style in this book. The twists and turns kept my attention throughout. I will definitely be checking out other books by this author and I would recommend this book to friends and family.

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I have loved all of Kerry's books and when his latest came out I just had to cancel my chores for the day, find a comfy spot, open my kindle and start to read it. Oh my it did not disappoint!
The Child in the Photo by Kerry Wilkinson was another excellent read. I loved it and was hooked from the second page. This is another book full of twists and turns throughout that will have you gripped! Kerry, You have done it again! An addictive page turner.

I highly recommend this latest book and then again all of his books. Kerry is just an excellent author!

Big Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author Kerry Wilkinson for my ARC in exchange for an honest review

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I was so excited for this book, as the premise sounds more than interesting.
The writing and the main plotline were good and kept me interested.
Unfortunately there were too many loose ends (like Hope's "bother" phonecall? Like, what now?) for me to enjoy it.
Also, I hoped for this book to be more twisty as it felt too mellow for me.

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I’m giving this 3.5 ⭐️. This was a mystery with lots of deception. Just when you think you’ve figured something out, another wrench is thrown in there. Hope seemed to be an ordinary person until you start to pull back her layers. She has to decide what or how she’ll process this information.
It started off very interesting but I wanted more. I felt like the author tried to hard to bring to a lot of stuff together only to talk about it one dimensionally. It wasn’t horrible I just thought it could of been better.
Thanks Bookouture via Netgalley.

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