The replacement by Melanie Golding is part psychological thriller with some Celtic folklore thrown in.
A toddler is left abandoned outside a shop in a seaside town. Before Social services turn Ruby or ‘Mamma Bee ‘named by the toddler named Leonie turns up claiming to be her mother and allows Leonie to go home with her.
Miles away the body of Gregor Franks is found in a bathtub with bad head injuries. At first the Police think he is dead but, when he is taken to hospital days later, he awakes killing a porter when he escapes the hospital’
What is the connection between the two incidents? Well one is for certain when the story goes back in time to find Constance who seem to be drugged and held captive in Gregor Franks flat and helpful Ruby helps with the childcare of Leonie. At first Ruby finds it is hard to connect with Constance, but they slowly become friends and Ruby discovers that there is a different side to Gregor and not the charming guy who does yoga in his flat that she first thought.
Thank you, HQ, for a copy of ‘The replacement by Melanie Golding. This had an interesting and unique premise, and I did enjoy it but unfortunately, I didn’t love it. The first half of the book I didn’t think it flowed very well. It was jumping from one thing to the other. Only when found out the relationships between Ruby, Constance and Gregor that it started gelling together and the story got a more intense. 3.5 stars from me.

This book opens with Leonie, a young girl who is found wandering alone in the street, so the local shopkeeper call for the police. However, not long after, the girl's mother (Ruby) appears, and is reunited with her child. All seems well.
Meanwhile, in the flat directly across from Ruby's, a badly injured man is discovered in his bathtub. He is barely alive. These two events seem unrelated, until DS Harper starts her investigations.
Why was the child left wanding alone? Who attacked the man? These are just two questions that need answering in this book that is full of suspense, and mystery.
From complex relationships and mythological Selkies, to murder & intrigue, this book is sure to keep you hooked.
A thoroughly enjoyable read!

When a small child is found wandering alone, the local shopkeepers call the authorities immediately. Twenty minutes later, the girl’s mother turns up, panicked and distraught. It doesn't take long to clear things up, and mother and daughter are soon reunited and sent on their way.
Miles away, the body of a man is discovered, floating in a bathtub, but the most surprising discovery of all is that he isn't dead. Despite his injuries, he is very much alive.
Two seemingly unrelated events. But as DS Harper begins to investigate, disturbing truths start to come to light that connect the man to the mother and child, and suddenly it’s not clear where the danger truly lies. Harper must find out, and quickly. Because someone, or something, is closing in and she needs to uncover the truth before it’s too late…
Enthralling and captivating story sinister in places keeps you wanting to find out more.

An intriguing book that combines police procedural, complex family dynamics and mythology. The narrative drew me in from the beginning and kept me engaged throughout. I look forward to the author's next book.
(Copy via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review)

A moving story with lots of tension and suspense as the plot thickens. Ruby, a member of the police force and mother to Ruby- not her sister as family would imply, is involved with trying to solve the attempted murder of Ruby’s neighbour. A compelling read as it starts with a young child being found alone outside a shop in very cold weather.

I really enjoyed this book. It starts with a small girl found wandering alone. The police are called but the child's mother turns up and they are reunited. Meanwhile, miles away, a man is found almost dead in his bath with a serious head injury. How can these 2 events be connected? It's up to police officer Ali Harper to join the dots. When she realises her estranged daughter is involved it becomes a race against time to uncover what has happened. This will keep you on the edge of your seat to the end. Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.
Copied to Goodreads.

WOW WHAT AN AMAZING CONCEPT OF A PLOT. A BOOK THAT WAS DELICIOUSLY DARK AND UNDERSTATED YET KEPT THE READER INVOLVED AND COMPELLED TO FINISH . A STAND OUT BOOK THAT WOULD SO MAKE FOR A GREAT NETFLIX ADAPTATION

Myths and legends not being my usual fare, I was unsure as to whether I would enjoy this, but I loved it. A modern tale of an old, much forgotten, traditional one - it brings the wild Scottish island coastal landscape to life interwoven with modern day negative, coercive relationships. There's a truly chilling 'baddie' in here - who keeps you reading, without pause.
I loved the way the story built gradually, explaining the injured man found in a flooded bath at the beginning - and how that ties in to a child found on a seafront street in a totally different area.
Ruby is a recluse, a composer, and suffering from depression. She meets an irresistible neighbour and begins to form a relationship; but then discovers he is already in a relationship with a small daughter.
I liked the way Ruby normalised and accepted things Leonie told her, about her upbringing - not questioning them but accepting her interpretation.
You really are left wanting to know more... Highly recommended, even to 'myth cynics'!

I would like to thank Netgalley and HQ for an advance copy of The Replacement, a stand-alone set mostly in Sheffield.

A young girl is found wandering alone in Cleethorpes, but her mum soon turns up so no further action is taken. Not much later in Sheffield a man is found close to death in his bathtub and DS Joanna Harper is tasked with uncovering what happened to him.

I asked to read The Replacement because I thought it would be a police procedural and it is in parts, but mostly it is a sort of re-imagining of an old traditional tale with extra twists. It is clever and imaginative and I found it quite mesmerising in the story it weaves. Of course, realism takes a back seat, not just in the folklore aspect but also in some of the characters’ behaviour. Not that it really matters given the kind of fairytale atmosphere the author creates.

I did find the story mesmerising as I said, but I didn’t find the novel compulsive. A contradiction? Not really. The author has a strong story to tell, but it is choppy. There are several points of view and various timelines and the novel switches between them all on a regular basis. It makes it difficult to get stuck in to the read and offers too many points where it’s easy to put the novel down. There is a strong contrast between Joanna’s mostly practical investigation (she has her unprofessional moments) and the other side of the plot which is rather fantastical in all areas.

I think the characterisation is strong, but I can’t say that I took to any of them. Their motivations aren’t mine so I didn’t feel any identification with them.

The Replacement is a bit outside my comfort zone with its fantasy elements, but it has an interesting tale to tell.

Thank you to netgalley for the advanced review copy.

Wow! I was not expecting this at all. A thriller mixed with folklore and legend. I’ve never read anything quite like it and I have to say I loved every minute.

There was multiple stories going on at the same time which eventually meshed together, but how it did I never saw coming at all. DS Harper has an unconscious man, a child found in a totally different city and a missing sibling to investigate. The author weaves a brilliant web of mystery and intrigue and I was on the edge of my seat the entire way through.

I highly recommend going into this one as blind as you can. Five stars!

I really enjoyed this book, it was a great surprise to find that half of it was set in the little seaside town where I grew up. The folklore at the centre of this book was really interesting and definitely something I’m going to read up on! The story itself held my attention fully from the very start of the book! It was fast paced and occasionally had me on the edge of my seat!

Really enjoyed this book. Liked the several twists and turns in the characters. Ruby was very likeable and even Constance grew on me! Sped read this in a few days as I couldn't put it down! Looking forward to reading more from this author.

The seaside town of Cleethorpes lies on the east coast of England. It is the shortest day of the year and the light is fading on this cold December day, when a child toddles alone into a shop. The shopkeeper and customers search for who she is with, but there is no-one there to claim her. When the girl becomes upset and, unusually, screams silently, a customer pacifies her with chocolate. The police are called and arrive soon afterwards with a social worker. Minutes later, a well dressed woman rushes up to the shop, claiming that it is her daughter who had run away from her. Mother and child are re-united. Or have they?
Meanwhile, 50 miles away in Sheffield, a woman realises that there is water leaking through her ceiling from the penthouse above. She contacts the caretaker, Terry, who sees that the water is bloody, He calls the police who force entry to the flat where they find the body of a man in an overflowing bathtub. He is barely alive and has a wound to the back of his head.
DS Joanna Harper leads the investigation on the ground and soon finds a link between the two events. To complicate matters, it seems that her sister may be involved.
This is a most unusual book. The main theme is a police procedural with the personal issues of the investigating detective influencing her actions. Add in a folklore theme and it left me doubting what was real. The writing is superb, particularly in relation to the folklore and the descriptions of the locations and sounds.

When a small unaccompanied girl is found wandering into a shop the owner calls the police. A short time later a woman arrives and claims to be the child’s mother.
Nearby a mans body in found injured and near to death in a bathtub and a woman walks naked into the sea.
A slow moving thriller with some folklore and a few interesting characters.
Thank you to NetGalley and Blogger HQ for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book and would like to read more by this author. I loved the way the folk tales of Selkies (seal-people) were blended into the story without making the ending feel implausible. Melanie Golding also avoids the temptation to create a too sickly perfect ending for the characters, sticking to what would realistically happen to the child at the centre of the plot. Although the crimes involved were serious, the novel never descended into too much detailed gratuitous violence. In fact, the writer's style made this a very pleasant read whilst the plot kept me reading until late at night in order to finish the story. Highly recommended.

I am very sorry to say I gave up on this book. It had much potential but the tooing and froing in time was too confusing and half the time I never quite knew who was who as in the space of one page our heroine detective was referred to as Joanna, Jo and Harper! A battery was taken out of a phone and yet music was still able to be played and a nearly blind person was in possession of a normal phone! The complicated relationship between Joanna and her daughter Ruby also took a while to come to grips with. If the author could have just told the story as it happened am sure this reader could have stuck with it!

Wow! What a great read. I couldn't put this down.

Melanie Golding has managed to weave the story of the Scottish island selkies into a police procedural and it all seems plausible and real. I found this really impressive and it opens up so many possibilities for hybrid stories mixing legend with other genres.

When Ruby, a talented violinist, meets Gregor, the man in the flat opposite her, she is introduced to Constance and her little girl, Leonie. Upon discovering that they are being drugged and abused, Ruby agrees to help them escape. Little does she know that this will make her a suspect in a potential murder enquiry.

I felt completely invested in the journey of the characters. There was a lot going on but it was so well structured and plotted that it was easy to follow. I loved the epilogue;

I will definitely recommend this read and look out for more by the author.

Thanks ideed to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I read this book in a day and found it so hard to put down. It is very well written and gripped me from the first page. A great read and very exciting, with plenty of twists and turns.

I absolutely loved this book. A really brilliant mixture of a police unvestigation of an attempted murder with a folk story interwoven throughout
The mixture of the two, works really well.. Constance is a believable character pining for home, despite being a. mother to her baby daughter Leonie. Ruby who befriends Constance, is searching too, for her place in the world and within her family.
A really good read.

A completely unexpected mix of mystery and folklore, the Replacement is one of 2021 must read!
I am still haunted by the pictures the writing created in my mind and spellbound by the beauty of some of them. A powerful story of love which deserves every praise.