I raced through this book, It gripped me from the start, I went into it cold which was definitely the best way.
This book certainly deserves five stars, it is full of emotion and family dynamics, courtroom drama and twists and turns. The subject matter is uncomfortable but the book takes you beyond the tragedy in a skillful manner.
Powerful and a thoroughly good read.

Powerful and riveting, this is a page turner full of twists and turns.

Best to go into this one blind, as I did, so sparse details below so I don't give too much away.

Leila is a high flying business woman but success didn't come easy to her. She reared her younger sister single handedly while working 2 jobs. As adults, the now married sisters are as close as they can be. However, a tragic mistake on Leila's part has far reaching consequences for the sisters, will their relationship survive? This is a character led family drama, a legal thriller and an absolutely compulsive read.

Do yourself a favour and pick this one up - it is out on September 2nd!

Kia Abdullah is fast becoming my favourite author with her courtroom dramas and twisty plots and her latest keeps up the great work with another storyline that really makes you think about siblings, families and what you would do to protect your own. It was definitely a page turner and I couldn’t read it quickly enough. Can’t wait for the next book from this author
Thank you to netgalley and HQ books for an advance copy of this book

Really enjoyed this book - heart breaking in places
but an absolute page turner
read it in a day
the twists OMG
fabulous writing - just need to get my breath back

Thank you netgalley, Kia Abdullah and HQ

My thanks to HQ for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Next of Kin’ by Kia Abdullah in exchange for an honest review.

I read this as I had been impressed by her last novel, ‘Truth Be Told’. I had rather expected that Zara Kaleel, her protagonist from her previous novels, would make an appearance though this is a stand-alone.

This proved to be an intense legal thriller. I really feel that it is a novel that is best read without too much knowledge of its plot. So, only brief details.

‘Next of Kin’ is one of those ‘parents’ worse nightmare’ scenarios; though its lead character, Leila Syed, is not the mum involved. The child in question is her three-year-old nephew, Max. Leila runs a London architectural firm and had practically raised her younger sister, Yasmin, who is Max’s mother.

This was a character led family drama that culminates in an explosive, high-profile trial that tears their family apart. Of course, there is more going on than what appears on the surface and I felt that Kia Abdullah skilfully presented the various aspects of the case.

I was riveted by this legal thriller.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

This was a wonderful book and I thoroughly enjoyed it. This was a very good legal thriller that dealt with such a difficult and upsetting subject but the author wrote it beautifully. It certainly tugged at the heartstrings and was quite upsetting at some points. All is not as it seems with lots of twists to keep you guessing

Oh my goodness this book was certainly a page-turner it had me gripped from beginning to end. What a brilliant story. I really felt for the character and I just couldn’t put this one down. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

This is the first book I’ve read by Kia and it won’t be the last. What a superb book. I know it’s a cliche but I really could not put this book down as I just had to find out what was going to happen next. The central characters are finely drawn and superbly written - it was hard to say who I sympathised with the most. The story is full of twists and turns and it is really gripping. Great attention to detail, especially in the courtroom scenes. Can’t wait to read more by this author and highly recommend this book.

'd never read anything by Kia Abdullah before, but when I saw this I was immediately drawn in by the description.
As soon as I started reading, I could tell this was one I was going to enjoy. I couldn't put it down and found myself reading on into the night.
I felt so many emotions reading this book and some parts were a difficult read, and being a Mum myself made it all the more heartbreaking as you put yourself in that situation.
Once the main revelation had been uncovered I could predict what was going to happen next, and I was a little disappointed to find I was right, but then came another shock which I totally hadn't seen coming.
Overall, a 4⭐ read which I think would make a great buddy read!

Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me a copy of this book.

I hadn't read any previous works by this author but was intrigued by the premise of the story.

It's a fab read, full of dark twists and turns along the way. One of the best thrillers I've read in a while.

Leila Syed receives a call that cleaves her life in two. Her brother-in-law’s voice is filled with panic. His son’s nursery have called to ask where little Max is.
...your worst nightmare...
Leila was supposed to drop Max off that morning. But she forgot.
Racing to the carpark, she grasps the horror of what she has done....
...is about to come true....
What follows is an explosive, high-profile trial that will tear the family apart. But as the case progresses it becomes clear there’s more to this incident than meets the eye....

Kia Abdullah smashes it again!
My favourite genre of book is a courtroom/legal drama and kia Abdullah is fast becoming the queen of this genre.
Wow. This book.
I am still thinking about it as I write the review two days later.
The book had me questioning so many things.
Just how easy it is to forget.
This book was hard hitting and thought provoking. I love the way this author writes.
The author writes this book, in a way that gives the reader so many clues about what is going on. Half way through the book, I thought I had guessed the ending, and I felt no, thats not going to be right. I was not too far off the mark, but there was an element to it that I did not guess at all. The author really shocked me (in a good way).
I missed Zara in this novel, and hope this isn’t the last of her!
I cannot wait for the author’s next book already.

This is a tragic story, starting with Leila Syed being phoned by her brother-in-law, asking her to take her nephew Max) to nursery. En-route, Leila receives an urgent call from work and this sets off a catastrophic series of events, resulting in the death of Max, Leila’s arrest and the subsequent court trial.

The author handles the difficult topic with compassion and sensitivity, with the tension building, with twists that I did not see coming until it was on top of me. All of the characters are flawed, with each personality clashing off of each other, their perfect lives gradually being shown for the lies they are.

What is particularly clever about the book is how Leila is portrayed by the prosecuting barrister, being vilified for being a successful business woman, which is an honest review on how women are criticised and vilified for their life choices.

Despite the heartbreaking topic, this is an excellent book and I recommend it.

This is a powerful and traumatic story with an opening chapter that really packs a punch. Kia Abdullah is a fabulous author and her courtroom dramas are second to none and this, I feel, is her best yet.
The story begins with the tragic death of a child. Left in the car of his aunt who had an emergency at work and had forgotten he was there in her hurry to fix it.
The book centres around the sisters Leila and Yasmin and their struggle to become something in life after being orphaned and how differently their lives turned out and although close they were secretly envious of the other.
The author is very clever in making the reader feel compassion when she wants and leading the reader down a completely convoluted route and the twists and turns as we swerve to the courtroom climax are breathtaking, making it an unputdownable book. What follows the courtroom climax is possibly even more shocking and well written and I was not expecting any of the outcomes.
An amazing read and one that I will be recommending as a 5 star review and buying as gifts for friends.
Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Oh my goodness, Kia Abdullah can write a courtroom drama like no other. I gave Take It Back and Truth Be Told 5/5 too and I fully expected Next Of Kin to follow in their footsteps.

The story follows Leila Syed and her sister Yasmin. Their parents died when they were younger, with eighteen-year-old Leila raising eleven-year-old Yasmin. She worked hard to provide for herself and her younger sister, eventually opening her own architecture firm.

Leila is married to Will, they have separated but are on relatively good terms and Yasmin is married to Andrew. We learn that Will and Leila have not been able to conceive and Yasmin has a three-year-old son called Max. Their eldest son Toby died previously due to epidermolysis bullose, a skin condition.

One morning, Andrew calls Leila to ask if she can drop Max to nursery. She accepts but takes an important call and rushes to work, leaving Max in the car on the hottest day of the year. I went into this book without reading the synopsis so I genuinely gasped when I realised what was about to happen.

The main bulk of the novel focuses on Leila's court case. Abdullah has written the witness statements so well that I was doubtful at parts and wanted to know the truth myself. The book explores the sisters' relationship, that sibling jealousy with both of them thinking the other has a perfect life. It is so interesting reading about how words can be turned against you or how a simple, insignificant moment in the past can contradict you.

I felt so many emotions whilst reading and I changed my opinion on almost every character. Just when I got past one twist, there was another that I totally did not expect.

That ending too... I need more. What happens next?!

Sisters Leila and Yasmin had a difficult childhood and when their mother committed suicide when they were young, Leila had to grow up fast so she could look after Yasmin and stay together. She worked hard and became a successful business owner and was determined that neither of them would go back to the poverty they grew up in.
She still keeps a certain level of control over Yasmin's life and when her brother-in-law, Andrew calls to ask Leila if she can take Max to nursery - she happily agrees.

The families worst nightmare becomes a reality a few hours later when Andrew calls to ask where Max is - she realises that she had left him in the car but its too late to save him.

The story follows the court hearing to find out if Max's death was an accident or deliberate but flips between the girls childhood, Leilas life and Yasmins struggle to cope with the loss of her son. But something doesn't sit right but will the truth come out?

A heart breaking story that will take you through a roller coaster of emotions but a book definitely worth reading.

Another excellent read by this author. I don’t even read the blurb any more . I just dive straight into this authors books. Next of kin was no exception a book that hooked me in from the very start.

What a messed up foursome!
I wasn't sure whether or not to read this book based on the blurb but the positive reviews convinced me to try it. While the storyline is clever l wasn't keen on the courtroom setting with snippets of information being thrown out either to defend or damn Leila instead of just telling what is a twisted story. I also found it impossible to empathise with or even like any of the characters and felt that nobody really missed little Max.
While secrets were revealed and bombshells dropped both during and after the court case for me this book is flat and very much lacking a likeable character.

This is my first book by this author but certainly won’t be my last.
This is a hard hitting story that takes you on a rollercoaster journey. The characterisation in this book was exceptional and it was filled with so much suspense. All of the characters were flawed but this added to the story. The story is filled with heartbreak but the author does a great job of handling it sensitively.
An excellent book. Highly recommended.

Two sisters…..

Leila the eldest, architect and highly successful after years of poverty due to taking on guardianship of Yasmin after their mother’s suicide. She has suffered numerous miscarriages and this has caused a temporary separation between her and her husband.

Yasmin is married, a secretary and also a mother to three year old Max.

There is nothing Leila won’t do for Yasmin, from taking on her care to loaning them money and caring for Max when needed. So how come a successful woman used to constantly juggling, forgot that he was in her car and left him there during a heatwave? Was it an accident? Or done with an intent to harm? Or was he already dead when he was placed in her car in his car seat allegedly asleep?

Detective Sergeant Christopher Shepherd is tasked to find out while Clara Pearson, criminal solicitor takes on Leila’s case after she’s charged with manslaughter.

This author is not afraid of tackling a hard hitting and very taboo subject. She does it with sensitivity while also managing to give a gritty and thought provoking narrative. This is so much more than a legal thriller. It probes deeply into sibling rivalry and raises possibilities that I hadn’t even considered. No stone is left unturned and plenty of twists mean you feel you are learning the truth in real time alongside the detective and the jury.

This is by no means an easy read with a child’s harrowing death as it’s subject. But nonetheless I couldn’t avert my eyes. Like driving past an accident, not knowing what you will see but unable to tear your eyes away due to curiosity.

Next of Kin examines a truly devastating tragedy: the accidental death of a child caused by his loving aunt. She claims she forgot he was in the back of the car but the prosecution says she left him there deliberately. Who is telling the truth?

Authors take note, because THIS is how you write a gripping legal thriller. Once again, Abdullah takes a shocking crime and puts a thought-provoking spin on things. This trope is proving to be her signature and forte; executed to perfection each time as she makes you ponder the grey areas of a crime, holds you hostage in breathless anticipation, and throws in some shocking twists.

The book opens with a normal family get together that quickly gives way to crushing and heartbreaking scenes as three-year-old Max dies after being left in a hot car by his Aunt, Leila. As we learn his fate the pain and anguish is palpable. It is like you can actually feel their hearts shattering. Tears stung my eyes and my heart ached as I read. The emotions continue to leap from the pages as the family try to deal with Max’s tragic death, Leila’s possible guilt, the impending court case, and an array of family secrets lurking in the shadows.

Every facet of this book is spectacularly written. The story and characters are nuanced, compelling and full of depth. As with all this author’s books, this is a story that has many layers and deals with a multitude of topics, going beyond simply the crime that took place. At the heart of this book is a family who have been visited by tragedy many times. She explores the effect this has on mental health and how trauma and jealousy can affect our perception of people and events, often clouding our ability to see things clearly. She asks just how much someone can take before they break and examines the complicated threads that can both hold a family together and threaten to tear it apart.

Another aspect of Ms. Abdullah’s books I admire, is how she uses them as a social commentary, focusing on a different issue in each one. In Next of Kin it is childless women. Leila isn’t a mother, and through this she explores how it feels to be a childless woman in our society. She shows how these women are scorned, viewed as cold and selfish and looked down upon. In Leila’s case, her childlessness is even used against her as a reason she’d want to kill her nephew, adding to the already pervading sense of injustice you feel on her behalf.

Sizzling with tension, this book will keep you on the edge of your seat right until the last page, the author slowly peeling away the layers to reveal the hidden truth. And just when I thought I’d got it all figured out… Holy twist, Batman! In comes a curve ball that hits like a bomb and blows everything I thought I knew into pieces. Days later I’m still reeling from the shock.

Gritty, hard-hitting and addictive, this is one of the best legal thrillers I’ve ever read. Ms. Abdullah just keeps getting better and better and is now my go-to author recommendation in this genre, overtaking John Grisham, who I’ve been a huge fan of since my mid teens. If you haven’t read her books, then what are you waiting for? Do it now!