Cover Image: The Doctor's Child (The Doctor's Wife Book 4)

The Doctor's Child (The Doctor's Wife Book 4)

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Daniel Hurst, the king of revenge plots, returns with his famous Doctor's Wife series explosive finale with #4, THE DOCTOR'S CHILD.

Fans have anxiously followed the journey of the doctor's wife and mistress throughout the series, leading up to their explosive meeting with the two daughters. Get ready for some fireworks in this twisty suspense thriller. SCANDALOUS!

Two mothers will do anything to keep their daughters safe.

The Doctor's Wife Series:
My Reviews
The Doctor's Wife #1
The Doctor's Widow #2
The Doctor's Mistress #3
The Doctor's Child #4

As we learn from previous books, Doctor Drew Devlin and his mistress, Alice Richardson, have an affair. It was widely known nationwide for its crime documentaries and news articles.

A child was born out of this fateful affair, a daughter, Evelyn. Drew, the doctor/father, was murdered by Fern, the wife, due to the affair. Then, she goes on to murder more people to hide her secrets.

At present, the focus is the grown teen daughter, Evelyn. The doctor's child.

Surrounding the murder- the players:
Fern Devlin—The doctor's wife (Drew). The black widow.
Cecilia—Fern's daughter with Greg (dead)
Doctor Drew Devlin—(dead)
Alice— Drew's Mistress
Evelyn—(Alice & Drew's daughter from the affair).
Tomlin—The detective

Tomlin is still haunted. He could not catch Fern several times and initially charged the wrong woman. He is now sick. Will Fern be caught before he reaches the end?

Fern Devlin, the infamous doctor's wife, is still on the run. Every time Fern is involved, there are deaths and bodies to follow. She seems to outsmart everyone. Manipulative, intelligent, evil, wicked, clever and devious.

Revenge is a powerful motivator. Motherhood is also powerful.

Fern Devlin is the doctor's widow, the woman who every police officer in the UK is still on the lookout for.

She has changed her name and appearance. She is known as an ex-at who left England and moved to a small French village, seamlessly blending into life in her new country. No one knows the true Fern. None know her as a murderer. She has lived almost eighteen years without anyone knowing who she is.

Now almost sixty, she is marrying an older doctor, Pierre, and her lovely daughter, Cecilia, is eighteen.

Greg is the father and the man she murdered while trying to uncover her lies and murder. She also had been involved in more murders— Rory, her accomplice in Drew's murder back in Arberness, and Greg, her daughter's father. She gave birth to her daughter in Cornwall and fled with her overseas. Before this book is over, she will murder someone else when they find out who she is and threaten to expose her.

Fern also keeps her secrets from her husband and her daughter. No one can ever find out, or she will be in prison for the rest of her life. Her daughter would also hate her. She can never know the real Fern.

Motherhood has changed Fern, and she would do anything for her. However, she does not know how this will be tested. She can never go back to England.

Alice's child, Evelyn, is around eighteen-nineteen and a little older than Cecilia.

The last time Fern saw Alice was on a clifftop in Cornwall. Alice allowed Fern to escape despite spending so much time trying to catch her. Fern had also set up Alice, sending her to prison to take the fall until they proved she was innocent.

Told from POVs: Alice, Fern, Evelyn, and Cecilia (past and present).

Someone is trying to blackmail Fern, and she is worried that someone is on to her and that she will be on the run again.

Before attending university, her daughter decided to travel to Paris with friends, get jobs, and live there. Fern is worried about her, but she has to let her go.

But little does she know along the way, she will meet Alice's daughter, and when the parents visit, she will come face to face with the woman she set up and murdered.

How will her daughter react when she discovers the truth? When her daughter discovers who she is and what she has done, will she turn herself in?

💥What happens in Paris is EXPLOSIVE! Hurst gives his fans their money's worth in the grand finale showdown, THE DOCTOR'S CHILD!

I had guessed this book would follow (or hope so) the last book so the characters could come full circle where it all began. It's a big world out there, but this is fiction. You know the two mothers and daughters had to meet (fate) and everything to be unraveled, but you do not know how it will be unveiled and who will be collateral damage.

Even though the author provides a lot of background, I highly recommend reading all the books in the series to fully understand the characters. I have certainly enjoyed this series, and no one does it better than Daniel Hurst.

Who knew one man's affair could cause this powerful and complex domino effect? I appreciated how the author chose to end the book. You almost feel sorry for Fern—from murderer, motherhood, and a road to redemption.

I enjoy this author's writing—both his series and standalones. I'm not sure how he cranks out all these books. His writing is crisp and clear, with short chapters, twisty plots, fast-paced suspense, and well-developed characters. He is my go-to author for dark humor, psychological thrillers, and domestic suspense.

I turned on the audio feature of the e-book and listened in one day!

Thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for an advanced reading copy in exchange for an honest opinion.

blog review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 5 Stars
Pub Date: May 1, 2024
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Daniel Hurst does it again! This series includes my favorite books by him, and this 4th and final installment in The Doctor’s Wife series did not disappoint! It gave everything I needed it to give. Fern and Alice are back and they each have a daughter. As their daughters turn 18, they want to go out and explore the world. Yet, thy are unaware of how their worlds are about to collide and be upended!

While this can be read as a standalone, I recommend reading the previous 3 books in the series for background information. This was the best book in the series! Hurst wrapped things up in a way that can leave no questions. I will miss these characters. I truly felt connected to them while reading this series. The author did a great job developing these characters and making you feel as though you knew them.

The plot develops in true Daniel Hurst fashion - fast paced, action packed, short chapters that leave you wanting more, and a plethora of drama. He keeps the twists and turns coming at you furiously in this one, and I found myself on the edge of my seat, anxious for the outcome. I devoured this in one sitting. I will miss these characters and their antics, but I couldn’t have asked for a better ending to this series!

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

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An amazing fourth book in the series by Daniel Hurst. Here we are taken forward 17 years from the last book. The 1 year old girls are now adults and venturing out on their own. While each had been living in different countries we are taken on an anxiety filled journey wondering when their paths will cross and what the results will be.

I found the book to be fast paced from the very first page and I just couldn’t stop reading. The only negative I have was that I felt a little disappointed by the ending which I don’t know if it’s because the series was coming to an end or if I had my own expectations of how I wanted it to end and it didn’t happen. Or it could be a mixture of both. But overall an amazing story.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC

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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Doctor's Child by Daniel Hurst is the fourth (and hopefully the last) book in The Doctor's Wife series. This book broke my heart and even though I gave 5 stars I wish I would stop on book 3.
This is a really good wrap-up, seriously, but not for me! Looks like I loved the wrong characters.
I can't say anything else without giving up some details so here you are 5 stars and broken heart!

Finally settled and happy Fern lives in South France with her husband Pierre, and her daughter, Cecilia. Cecilia is ready for her big life in Paris and Fern must deal with broken nest syndrome.

Alice is still single; unfortunately, her relationship with her daughter Evelyn is complicated. Evelyn is hurt and bitter and ready to leave for the best.

The paths are crossed and events take unbelievable turns.

Thank you, NetGalley and Bookouture for this copy!

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I was so excited for book 4 in The Doctor’s Wife series by Daniel Hurst.

The whole series is full of suspense and will keep you guessing until the very end.
We’ve been through 3 other stories and now we are meeting the Doctor’s daughter. I loved the different characters’ POVs.

In this fitting finale to The Doctor’s Wife series, Hurst skillfully weaves together the lives of Fern, Alice, and their daughters, Cecilia and Evelyn. As the young women forge their own paths, the legacy of their parents’ tangled history continues to shape their destinies.

Hurst masterfully constructs a web of secrets, lies, and hidden motives that keeps readers on the edge of their seats.

Hurst’s prose is sharp, evoking the claustrophobic atmosphere of small-town life and the weight of secrets buried deep. The pacing is relentless, with revelations dropping like well-placed breadcrumbs. And that ending—oh, that ending!

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Another fantastic read in the Doctor's Wife series! In book four, we have The Doctor's Child out for revenge. Well put together and a satisfying read. There are surprises upon surprises and nicely concludes the series.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC!

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This is book four in the Doctor Drew Devlin series and we are back with Alice and Fern and their daughters, now aged 18.

Fern is still on the run after Alice let her go and living a simple life in France, under the radar. Alice’s daughter, Evelyn, wants revenge on Fern for killing her father, but if the police can’t find Fern, can Evelyn?

It was great to be back with these fabulous characters again and I enjoyed catching up on those 18 years as the timeline switched back and forth throughout the period and f the POVs of all four women, plus Fern’s current husband, Pierre. This story brought all of the events of the first three books together really well and as usual, the pace was fast and the action didn’t let up.

I would have loved a final shocker of a twist though, which was sadly not there, despite the pleasing ending.

4 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Daniel Hurst and Bookouture, for an ARC in return for an honest review.

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A great follow up. A nice way to tie it in a bow at the end!! I really enjoyed the entire series of this one.

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The Doctor’s Child
By Daniel Hurst ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Big thanks to @netgalley for allowing me to read and review

Daniel Hurst strikes again with book 4 in the series! Mind blowing what this book throws at you! Must read this binge worthy book!

Fern and Alice both have teenage daughters now and we get to meet them 😄

I’m not sure if this is intentional from Daniel but I actually really like Fern 🤪

Is this the last book Daniel? I hope not ….. @danielhurstbooks

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I’d like to thank Bookouture and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The Doctor’s Child’, book 4 in the Doctor’s Wife series written by Daniel Hurst, in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Fern, wife of the late Dr Drew Devlin, has been living in rural France with her new doctor husband Pierre and her eighteen-year-old daughter Cecilia. Cecilia is now working in Paris and makes a new friend who calls herself Tiffany but it isn’t until Fern and Pierre meet Tiffany and her mother that she realises the past has come back to haunt her and knows without a doubt that Cecilia will find out what she did in the past that she’s taken great pains to keep hidden.

‘The Doctor’s Child’ is the final instalment in the life of Fern who’s been on the run from the police in England for the past eighteen years and has made a new life for herself and her daughter in a village in rural France. The story is compelling and has kept me completely gripped and I would have given it five stars if I hadn’t been so confused with the timeline as it moved from the past to the present time and the many female characters’ names, who was who and when. Despite this I’ve thoroughly enjoyed reading this final part of the series with a conclusion that’s been perfectly devised but such a shock, not at all how I’d expected it to end.

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"The Doctor's Child" by Daniel Hurst was a quick and enjoyable 5-star read! This installment marks the fourth book in The Doctor’s Wife series. Set 18 years into the future, it follows Cecilia and Evelyn as they navigate life without fathers, leaving their mothers behind to embark on their own journeys.

The story is mainly told from the POVs of Fern, Cecilia, Alice, and Evelyn. Plenty of twists and turns in from these four ladies. There are flashbacks which add more twists to the story. As always Daniel Hurst spins a great story that will keep readers engaged until the very end. Personally, I've found every work by this author thoroughly enjoyable, and I eagerly anticipate diving into whatever he releases next.

Thanks to Bookouture, Daniel Hurst, and NetGalley for providing me with the opportunity to read this ARC and share my honest review.

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The Doctor's Child is the fourth installment in the Doctor's Wife series. This book is set further ahead in time when both Fern and Alice's daughters are turning 18 and looking to spread their wings and explore the world. Alice's daughter knows the truth about who killed her Dad, but Fern's daughter knows nothing about her past. A twist of fate brings the two girls together on their travels and it all comes to an explosive conclusion.

I have thoroughly enjoyed the other books in this series and was really excited to be approved to read this one prior to publishing. There was just enough of a recap at the start to plunge me back into the story without spending ages going over old ground.

The book is told from multiple points of view, which I really enjoyed. I love Daniel Hurst's writing style and always feel a connection with his characters. This story is fast paced and I whizzed through it, being so impatient to know how it ended.

I think this might be the end for this series, but it is one that I have thoroughly enjoyed and will always recommend.

My thanks to NetGalley and the Publishers for sending me this ARC in return for an honest review.

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I've read all of the doctors wife series and this was a great final installment! Extremely gripping!
Highly recommend.

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“The past can’t stay hidden forever. The truth will always come out and, when it does, good luck”

The fourth book in the series, The Doctor’s Child, follows Evelyn and Cecilia. Evelyn has grown up in England, and Cecilia in France. The Doctor’s mistress and the doctor’s wife’s children are now 18 and wanting to spread their wings and travel. Unknowingly, the two meet in Paris and become friends. It’s not long before secrets come gushing out and the ghosts of the past come back to haunt them.

This wasn’t very believable, and that made it hard for me to enjoy it.

A lot of time is spent going over what happened in the previous 3 books. I think it’s aimed at making the book easier to read as a standalone, but I felt like the first 30-40% of the book was surmising the past storylines and that made it a bit repetitive and fluffy.

I didn’t find any of the characters particularly likeable and the twists didn’t quite hit the mark for me, I’m afraid.

3.5 stars from me, generously rounded up to 4.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for my advanced copy.

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Anther awesome read from Daniel Hurst, I have loved all the Doctors books, that all have been great. I honestly love every book I have ever read from this author. I highly recommend all these books.

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This was my first read by this author. I knew I was reading book 4 in the series but had heard good reviews and took advantage of being offered an ARC. This book could be read as a standalone. I felt as though the story was a bit too extreme and far fetched. I know it’s fiction, but I personally prefer a story that still seems believable. That being said, the short excerpts at the end for the previous books in the series did still pique my interest, and I may try the first book.

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The Doctor's Wife #4

"I'll always protect you." These were the words my mother whispered to me every time she kissed me goodnight. And whenever we ventured outside our windswept seaside village, she's clutch my hand tightly, and her face would be pinched and pale. I have never understood why. But I do now. Growing up, I'd heard the whispers and rumours. My mother tried to keep the truth from me, but she failed. I understand exactly what happened eighteen years ago. I know I am the murdered doctor's child. Everything could have been so different if the doctor's wife hadn't ruined my mother's life - and mine too. We could have been a proper family, living in a big house with a stunning sea view. Instead, I never got to know my dad, and my mother is a shadow of the person she once was, always looking over her shoulder.

This was a compelling and fast-paced read. The alternation chapters are told from the various main characters perspectives. Fern and Alice have not seen each other in years. Their girls have grown up and want to do some travelling. But Cecilia and Evelyn accidentally meet each other in Paris.

This is a story of redemption. I could actually see a spin-off series about how the girls lives progressed after the latest upheaval they've had to endure. This book could be read as a standalone, but I do recommend that you read this series in the order the books were written in.

Published 1st May

I would like to thank #NetGalley #Bookouture and the author #DanielHurst for my ARC of #TheDoctorsChild in exchange for an honest review.

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This is book #4 in The Doctor's Child series and I loved the first three books in this series by Author Daniel Hurst. This book was not a favorite of mine and I was really disappointed in it. There are multiple narrators and too many different timelines to contend with to keep straight and I had to keep referring back to my notes as to the dynamics of who was who, how, when and why. I definitely would recommend reading these books in order. I look forward to future books by this author who is one of my favorites.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC of this book.

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I recently read ‘The Doctor’s Mistress’ so was really looking forward to reading this next book in the series. It certainly didn’t disappoint and was just as good as the previous book.

Fern was living in a village in rural France under the alias of Teresa. She lives with her doctor husband Pierre and her daughter Cecilia. Fern was still wanted in the UK and was constantly on edge and suspicious of new people in case someone recognised her.

Alice was still living in Alberness with her daughter Evelyn and thought about Fern and what she did every day.

I loved how the chapters were split by character and told each persons story. It was an easy book to read and I couldn’t put it down.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

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Wow, what a series this has been! This book has been well written and a beautiful conclusion to end the series! You won't want to put this book down!

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