One Last Child

Anni Taylor has written a cracker of a domestic thriller, involving a group of three year olds who go missing from a nursery school picnic. We're all very familiar with the 'missing child' trope in domestic thrillers, but not a group of five children all abducted at the same time without a trace, kept hidden for over three years until some of them are released back to their parents.

Kate Wakefield, a homicide detective with the Tallman's Valley police in Sydney's scenic Blue Mountains, is the grandmother of one of the kidnapped children. In her sixties, she is close to retirement but still loves her job and has a good track record in solving homocide said. As a close relative of a victim, she is initially only allowed to sit in on task force meetings to keep in touch with the investigation but is later allowed to join the team when some of the children are returned years later.

The plot is well written with quite a few red herrings and unexpected twists. While the first half of the novel feels a little slow as it deals with the initial hunt for the children, following up leads and witnesses, it felt very realistic to me and highlighted the frustration the police often feel in these types of cases that seem to be going nowhere, especially when small children are involved. Athe slow build and lack of progress up to the point where the children started reappearing, made it more surprising when it happened. I loved the originality of an older female detective as the main lead in this novel, especially one who is happily married, doesn't drink excessively or rush into dangerous situations (like so many female detectives in this genre). I'm also pleased to see that a sequel is already underway.

ONE LAST CHILD is the first book in the Tallman’s Valley Detectives series. These will need to be read in the order of release.

The storyline reminded me of another Australian novel that I read when I was a teen, PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK by Joan Lindsay. In it, several teen girls and a teacher go missing while picnicking on Valentine’s Day. They are never found.

Nineteen three-year-old tots and three teachers from the local preschool have gone to the neighborhood park for a Teddy Bear Picnic. Five children vanish with only a single button left behind.

The psychological strain is so well written for so many of those involved – the parents, the detectives, and those being questioned – but not to the point of being bogged down. There are great clues, the ones we need and the ones that lead to dead ends! I loved chasing them down alongside Kate… and feeling her hope and dismays.

I enjoyed this who-dun-it and I’ll be watching for the next book in this series.

Note: While I received this book as a gifted ARC via NetGalley, my opinions are my own and are given freely.

Wow!! What a great story! and very tense. The main character Kate, is obviously a hard working police officer who gets results but having her granddaughter taken with the other children really makes her want to find the abductors. This tale is full of emotion, you find yourself willing everyone on to find the children, who's done it and lock them up. I loved this book and found all the twists and turns exciting!! Highly recommend this book!!

It was summer in the mountains when five small children vanished from their nursery school picnic. The heat was stifling that day, the tinkle of an ice-cream van in the air.

Three and a half years later, in the dead of winter, the children are returned to their families... one by one.
All except for Ivy - the granddaughter of homicide detective Kate Wakeland. The other four children say Ivy is dead.

Speculation grows that the kidnappings were revenge for an offender that Detective Wakeland put in jail years before.

She engages in a battle of wits between herself, the kidnapper and the cold, vast expanse of mountains in between.




loved the book. Twist and turns and It was a book so different from any I have read. I look forward to the next one by Anni Taylor.

Thanks, NetGalley for the advance copy to review.

To say I was hooked by this book would be an understatement! I devoured it in just over 24 hours, staying up far later to finish it than is advisable when you have a 1 year old that gets up at the crack of dawn every day but I couldn’t go to bed without finding out what happened. The plot involves 5 nursery school children who are kidnapped, one of whom is the granddaughter of local Detective Kate Wakefield, (from whose viewpoint the story is largely told from) and the ensuing investigation. The story is full of twists and turns and a number of times I thought I had sussed out who the kidnapper was, only to be completely wrong! Have to say that I’m not entirely sure I fully bought the motive of the kidnapper but this didn’t dampen my enjoyment of the book. There is also a smaller subplot, around an ongoing homicide investigation which I didn’t enjoy as much as the main one. Overall I absolutely loved it though and would highly recommend! I found myself being really drawn to Kate’s character, so I’m delighted to read that there will be a follow up book. Thanks to @netgalley for the advance copy of this book.

OMG! I freaked out on this book. It was so bloody fantastic. An absolute fan of this author. Wow!!

5 children aged 3 years were kidnapped from a school picnic and after 3.5 years, 4 were returned. The other children said the fifth had died. It was the grandchild of investigating officer Kate. And she had to get to the truth... From 4 six year old kids...

My first book by author Anni Taylor, I was kept mesmerized by the story. I couldn't stop reading it. I forewent my work and afternoon siesta just to finish this story. My kindle pulled me in. I breathed this story from beginning to end. It was in me. The emotions of the worried helpless parents were brilliantly shown, they reflected in me.

Kate as the lead cop was brilliant. I could see her being pulled apart by her broken relationship with daughter Abby and her commitment to her duty even after knowing her grandchild had probably died. I kept egging her on to get to the kidnappers and destroy them.

This was one reactionary read which lured me in with every page.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. Have found a new series and another author. This was a fabulous page turning exciting read.

Really good read. Kept me guessing the whole way through. I was hooked from the start. This is definitely a page turner. I loved the characters and the plot and the suspense. I would definitely recommend this book.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

Interesting plot. I have really enjoyed her books, but i find that most of them tend to drag on. The story could be told and be more exciting in less pages. So I did find myself skimming through parts. I also felt the connection from the kidnapping to three years later was very choppy.

I really enjoyed “One Last Child”. It was well written and easy to follow. The end seemed to wrap up too quickly after the story developed for so long. I look forward to reading the sequel when it is released.

First time I have read anything and this author and I am impressed with the storytelling. Very well executed. Good characters. Plenty of suspense to keep me guessing. Would definitely read her next novel. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it.

Thank you NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for the eARC.
What a fantastic read this was, I didn't want to do anything other than read...forget about housework!
Kate, an Australian detective, is still working on the case of a murdered young woman when five 3-year olds go missing from a daycare picnic, one of them her granddaughter. Four of them are returned 3 years later, the only one still missing is her granddaughter. Her husband, daughter and she herself have been going through hell all this time and this nearly drives them off the edge of sanity.
This is one heck of a book, sooo good! And the best part is that there will be a follow follow-up, which I for one can't wait to read. This story will keep you reading with bated breath, I guarantee it. Highly recommended!

On a summer day, 5 children disappear without a trace from their nursery picnic, only for 4 to be returned unscathed 3 and a half years later. Ivy, the granddaughter of homicide detective Kate Wakeland, is still missing believed to be dead and the kidnapper is still out there...

Let me start by saying that I devoured this book with bated breath.
The story kept me on the edge of my seat from the first page until the last one. As a mother, I felt the parents' pain and raced through the book to find out what fate had befallen little Ivy.
The story was gripping, suspenseful, and made my eyes fill with tears on more than one occasion. I never guessed who the kidnapper was, but when it was finally revealed, I thought their motive was a little unsatisfactory.
That, along with finding the private investigator side-plot unnecessary, contributed to the rating not reaching the full capacity.
It still gets a solid 4 stars, and I urge you to pick this book if you're into a suspenseful ride that will keep you guessing until the very end. I'm looking forward to the sequel.

Interesting plot, great characters, very well written except that it's too slow in the first half. And why write most of the book from a first person POV and then insert chapters with third person POV? If the main character can't tell the whole story, let the author do it.

This is great start to a new series!! Unlike other suspense novels, it wasn’t obvious who the kidnapper was. I feel like there is so much more to Kate’s story and hope to read more in the next book. This is definitely a great read!!!

Kate is a police detective in Tallman Valley Australia working on the case of a young woman's murder. When she receives a call about 5 young children missing from a preschool picnic she goes to the scene to investigate. Shocked to learn that one of the 5 children is her granddaughter Ivy. Time goes by and the team of flying fox investigators (named after the preschool group of children) is losing faith that the children will be found alive.
Along with her investigations Kate is involved in some family issues with Ivy's mother Abby.

This book is a well written novel of mystery and suspense. Details are given about the area, investigations etc. but just enough so that the book does not become bogged down. I enjoyed the relationships between Kate and her family members and also her dealings with the rest of the police team. Numerous suspects are researched and interviewed to keep the suspense going until the end. I would highly recommend this novel to readers who enjoy who done it type books and I am looking forward to reading more about Kate.

Anni Taylor has almost perfectly described every parent and grandparents horror in One Last Child.
This is a spine chilling, crazy ride who done it, where 5 young children disappeared.
Who on earth could have taken them? Why did they return some of them?
Who CAN you trust with your children?
This is definitely five star worthy. I see a movie from this book!

The day five children – all three years old – disappeared while on a picnic from nursery school was the day the lives of the parents and family of those children changed forever. Homicide Detective Kate Wakeland was the grandmother of one of the children; Ivy, her daughter Abby’s child. The heartbreak and fear was immediate while the police swung into action, knowing those first minutes and hours were vitally important. The task force that worked tirelessly could find no answers – the frustration of everyone, especially Kate kept them ragged with worry…

Three and a half years later the children were returned – all except Ivy. And as those children were gently questioned, they all said one thing – Ivy was dead. Kate and her husband Pete were at their wit’s end. Abby was distraught – would she ever find her daughter’s body? Kate was determined to find the kidnapper; more so than ever now. She needed to know why…

One Last Child is the 1st in the Tallman's Valley Detectives series by Aussie author Anni Taylor and it was done in her usual brilliant, intense and gripping style! Set in the Blue Mountains of Australia, there are plenty of places to hide up there. Katoomba, Blackheath – great locations for a psychological thriller. I really hope this series is going to be a long one, if the rest is anything like One Last Child. Breathtaking with an electric pace, I have no hesitation in highly recommending One Last Child to all thriller lovers.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

Anni Taylor has done it, again! This read is utterly fantastic!

Five 3 year old children go missing from a nursery school picnic. One of these children is Ivy, Detective Kate Wakeland's granddaughter. Frantic, the three childminders have looked for the five children - but there is only a button from Ivy's dress to be found,...

Kate is itching to be in on the case, but she is told that she is a homicide detective and "too close to the case'. However, Kate is allowed in the case meetings /briefings. Kate's daughter, Abby, is a bit of a rebel and she eventually finds somewhere to live (other than with her parents). Three and a half years later, Abby returns, momentarily, with Jasper, her second baby - 4 months old.. Most likely she came home for money from her dad. The kidnapping of the 5 children has yet to be solved. Abby's partner does not go into her parent's house with her. He waits outside....Kate, now 64 years old, is put onto the case of Ivy and the 4 other children.

Kate finds out things that had been taken for granted by previous officers utilizing a fresh, open mind on the kidnapping. This may not win her much favor with others, though...

Suspense! I read this book in one day - I HIGHLY Recommend!!!

Many Thanks to BooksGoSocial and NetGalley for an absolute delight!

Congratulations to Anni Taylor, a surprising and gripping storyline. Takes the reader on a journey of unexpected twists and turns. A very heartwarming finale to this story. Well recommended read for all mystery genre readers. Looking forward to more from Detective Kate Wakeland.

3.5 Stars rounded up to 4.

Twenty 3 year old, 3 teachers out for a picnic...what could go wrong? As with kids, in a matter of seconds, 5 are missing. One of the missing children is the granddaughter of local Detective Kate Wakeland. Over 3 years later, the kids are returned to their parents one by one, all except Ivy, Kate’s granddaughter. The kids swear Ivy is dead, which takes this case to a whole different level.

A good mystery...not a thriller, psychological or otherwise. Well thought out, good characters. Loved how it focused on one person at the beginning and let us get to know others slowly. Then introduced other characters in more depth. Good pace on the book, loved having an older woman as protagonist. Mystery and family drama done well. I look forward to the next book and solving the mystery teases throughout the book. If you are looking for a mystery to curl up with, give this book a try.

Thanks to NetGalley and Books Go Social for this ARC. Opinion is mine alone.

Five children are abducted during a daycare outing. Three and a half years later, four of them are returned. Only Ivy, the granddaughter of homicide detective Kate Wakeland, is still missing and presumed dead. Not allowed to join the investigation, Kate is unofficially following the case while working on a separate murder investigation.

This is the first in a series about 64 year old Detective Kate Wakeland, and I can’t wait for the next book. There are twists and turns and a completely unexpected ending. I read this through in a day because I could not put it down. It grabs your interest, your imagination, and your heart. If you love murder mysteries, stories about family conflict, and stories with strong female characters, you will enjoy this book.

I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley. My review is voluntary.

A gritty, intense, fast-paced, riveting, artful melding of stunning psychological thrills and nail-biting suspense. An edgy mystery full of dark secrets, shocking plot twists and pulse-pounding, palpable tension. This book brings it ALL!

#OneLastChild #NetGalley

One Last Child, by Anni Taylor, is an exciting new thriller and the first in a new series - Tallman's Valley Detectives. Set in Australia, five three year olds go missing from a preschool picnic without a trace. The children aren't seen for years, and there's little to no leads on where they could be, until they're returned, unharmed, one by one to their families. Except for Ivy - the homicide detective's, Kate Wakeland, granddaughter, and all the other children say Ivy is dead. Now the hunt is on as to where the children have been kept for three years and who was behind kidnapping them and killing Ivy.

With lots of twists and turns, relationship drama, and family turmoil, this book is a page turner that I didn't want to put down. I really appreciated that the main premise of the book was solved by the end of the book, but there was enough of a cliffhanger at the end to keep my excited for the next book in the series. I felt that parts of the book were a little bit too far fetched and too easily tied in a bow, and a couple times I struggled with too many characters, making me not quite able to give this five stars - more like four and a half. All in all a solid book that I highly recommend, especially for those who like thrillers!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A haunting read. I couldn’t predict where the story would lead me. Weeks later and the story is still stuck in my head.

Fantastic book i couldn't put this book down i wanted to see what happened to the children, i look forward to book 2

The suspense will keep you riveted and turning pages well into the night. Great premise for a book, although it really stretches believability. 5 young 3 year olds on a school picnic seemingly vanish into thin air and the hunt for the kidnapper begins. Kate is the lead investigator eventually assigned to the case even though there is a strong family connection. She is dealing with a contentious relationship with her adult daughter which provides several “what if” dilemmas for the reader to ponder. This was a well written mystery/suspense read. Many thanks to Anni Taylor, Amazon Digital Services, and NetGalley. Keep writing Anni as you have a new fan who is looking forward to your next book.

Book 1 of "One Last Child." This book will keep you turning the pages right until the end and keep you guessing. Fantastic read. I can't wait to read more of Anni Taylor.
Will Detective Kate find Ivy and the other children?
Set in Australia with Detective Kate Wakefield and five missing children from her granddaughter's school. Ivy being one of the missing too.


Thank you to Publisher and NetGalley for the eARC

This book is a real page turner that kept me guessing right up til the end! It’s set in Australia and based around detective Kate Wakefield. Her granddaughter goes missing along with four other children from her nursery and the plot unfolds from there. There are so many twists and turns in the story and while I didn’t guess who took the children I did find the motive slightly weak. Taylor’s style of writing made for a very enjoyable read and I’ll certainly be looking out for more of her books! Thank you to netgalley and the author for a fantastic read!

A great story which had me guessing till the last page. I enjoyed reading this book and I am looking forward to reading more from Anni

While I was perusing Netgalley looking for ARCs to apply for I came across One Last Child by Anni Taylor it was available right away and it looked like my favourite kind of mystery, so I snapped it up.

This book was bloody brilliant! It checked all my boxes and as a bonus it’s set in Australia. I’m quickly learning I love mysteries and thrillers set in Australia. The vastness of the country really lends itself to creepy, eerie storylines.

In this story five toddlers go missing from a daycare field trip and return 3 years later. Five kids mean five sets of parents so there ended up being a few characters that I just did not like but that’s par for the course and didn’t damper the story or pace one bit. When I first started reading this, I thought it was going to be typical of the genre but Anni is a master at throwing curveballs. Her placement of the red herrings was extremely impressive. I don’t set out to try and figure out the twist when I’m reading mysteries, it just ruins the fun, but sometimes the author just makes it too obvious. Not in the case! I audibly gasped when everything started to unfold. I wish I could unread it so I could read it again.

After reading this I thought wow what a great first novel. I can’t wait to see more from her… Then I did I search on Goodreads only to learn that this is NOT her first book but her FIFTH! WTF! Why is no one talking about this woman??? Only one of her book’s clocks in under four stars and even that one is averaging a 3.98 Needless to say I have my eyes on her entire catalogue and I am counting the days until my book buying ban is up.

My thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Well written with lots of suspense to keep you turning the pages.
I found that the perpetrators had so much luck on their side. During the summation, I thought: seriously, all these coincidences and phobias and bad supervision of young children, all conspiring to aid in an almost perfect crime. Hats off to Detective Kate Wakeland for cracking the case wide open.
I rate this one a 3.75 out of 5.

Wow! This was a fantastically gripping read with a plot twist of 2 that I didn't think of let alone see coming !

Can't wait to read more by Anni Taylor.

5 out of 5 stars

I love a good murder mystery, and this detective story did not disappoint! Detective Kate Wakeland is FINALLY allowed on the task force that has been searching for three years for five missing children - one of whom is her granddaughter. As Kate works to uncover what happened to the three children that fateful day, she also deals with family issues and uncovers several secrets that have been hiding in her town.

I loved the pace of this novel. Taylor kept the plot moving swiftly, adding just enough side plot to keep all characters interesting while not overwhelming the reader with unimportant information. The occasional narrator shifts at first seemed jarring, but they were always necessary and revealed exactly the right information at the right time.

I teach 7th graders, so won't recommend it for them, but I am going to recommend it to several teachers, as well as our high school ELA teachers to add to their classroom shelves for independent reading.

Thanks to NetGalley for this.

This is really an incredible domestic thriller. To be fair, I don't think I've read too many of these, but the twists and turns this story takes really took me for a ride and surprised me. The pacing is incredible, especially for something that clocks in just under 500 pages, and the writing is great, too. All-around an outstanding read, and I cannot recommend it more highly. I look forward to reading more of Anni Taylor's work in the future, and especially picking up future books in this Tallman's Valley Detectives series.

Synopsis from Goodreads below:
It was summer in the mountains when five small children vanished from their nursery school picnic. The heat was stifling that day, the tinkle of an ice-cream van in the air.
Three and a half years later, in the dead of winter, the children are returned by their abductor... one by one.
All except for Ivy - the granddaughter of homicide detective Kate Wakeland. The other four children say Ivy is dead.
Speculation grows that the kidnappings were revenge for an offender that Detective Wakeland put in jail years before.
She engages in a battle of wits between herself, the kidnapper and the cold, vast expanse of mountains in between.

It was the summer when the Five children vanished
It was the winter after three years that they returned
All except ivy
Who had ivy
And why

Fantastic read. It had me hooked from the word go. Great plot where your heart was actually racing reading it. Empathy billowing out. This is one you won’t wish to put down

An excellent plot and a well written domestic thriller. Set in Sydney's Blue Mountains, homicide detective Kate is the grandmother of a kidnapped child, one of five children abducted at the same time. A bit slow to start and a few red herrings thrown in but a good read. My first read of this author and I look forward to reading more. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

I absolutely loved this book! It had everything I look for in a good read - an interesting and likeable main character, a 'real'-seeming world, lots of suspense, and that hard-to-define page-turning quality. Oh, and humour! It kept me up late at night reading 'just one more chapter'...!

I didn't guess the culprit. The plot was very clever, with lots of surprises.

My only (very slight) reservation is that the main character's relationship with Ivy wasn't fleshed out very much - I would have cared a lot more, I think, about the outcome if it had been.

Still a definite 5 though!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this wonderful book.

I was lucky enough to have the chance to read the latest novel by Anni Taylor.
This one is called ' One last Child' and it doesn't disappoint.
Kate Wakeland is a homocide detective who has to deal with a situation where 5 three years old disappear from a nursery. This is a hard enough case without the fact one of the children is her own granddaughter Ivy.
The book has raw emotion which pulls you in and I felt genuine distress for the families and also for Kate. Trying to remain professional and also support her own family.
About two thirds through it all starts to pull together and the case seems to make headway. But for a twist that turns it in a completely different direction
What an excellent read!!

My first by this author and it will not be my last!

The premise was extraordinary - not one child abducted, but five! All at the same time from the same day care outing and not a clue as to how they disappeared. Even worse, one of the children is the granddaughter of a local homicide detective, Kate Wakeland.

Kate is an excellent main character. She is an older woman, very experienced in the job, happily married with a supportive husband and no apparent alcohol problems. I think she might be a workaholic but I am not going to hold that against her. In other words she is a pretty normal woman. Hooray say all of us who are finding ourselves tired of all the traumatised cops we normally get in this genre.

The rest is just a great story with lots of surprises, a couple of red herrings, heaps of police work, some delightful references to places near Sydney, and a satisfying ending. Very well done and I recommend it to anyone who likes a really good mystery.

The cover and synopsis of One Last Child drew my attention like a moth to a flame. I immediately knew it wasn't a matter of if I'd read it, but when. And after the publisher offered me an arc, I knew the time was now. Clueless to the fact that the story setting was in Australia, I began reading and quickly came to appreciate the author's utilization of environment to set an ominous tone in this heartfelt, gut-wrenching story. I highly advise readers skip all spoilers as the suspense building element of this story depends on the unknown.

The first half of One Last Child deals with the ongoing search and investigation of five children who go missing while on a daycare picnic. A search for the missing children turns into a three and a half year nightmare. I can see why some readers might find the pace a bit slow during this time, but I greatly enjoyed the author's meticulous attention to the smallest of details while crafting this suspenseful story chapter by chapter. Taylor sets and maintains a dismal tone of impending doom as a few slim leads turn into dead-ends. Her manipulation and development of characters throughout the story is fantastic, keeping readers off-balance as they attempt to figure out the who, where, how & why. The second half of the book picks up the pace when prayers are answered and four of the missing children are returned, and the case shifts to focus on why the grandchild of Homicide Det. Kate Wakefield isn't returned with the others. Four families celebrate while one family grieves. Why wasn't Ivy returned with the others? I'm not often left in the dark throughout most of a book, but this story kept me mystified until the end.

One Last Child is an emotional, raw, intense, heartfelt story that tugged on my heart strings time and again. I found myself reading late, burning through pages, praying for answers and a happy-ever-after for each family. The author's ability to set a despondent tone, build suspense and trepidation while keeping readers guessing is nothing short of brilliant in this stunning mystery suspense story. I know I held my breath through much of it. The author drops a small bombshell near the end that appears to be the set-up for the next book in the series, and I can't wait! I'm grateful to have discovered and read this hidden gem in the mystery/suspense/thriller genre. Highly recommended!

What a great book. Would definitely recommend to it others I no. Great work will look out for this author again

Enjoyable lots of twists and turns. Shows humanity at its best and worst. How peoples perception of the world can become distorted and make them act outside the realms of 'normality'.

Ah it's so hard to find a surprising crime novel these days but damn if she didn't do it. I had no idea where this was travelling.

Here's the lowdown: Five 3-year-olds go missing from a daycare excursion. One of the children is granddaughter to our cop protagonist, Kate, so you can bet she's gonna move earth and water to find the people responsible. Three years later, four of the kids show up unexpectedly. Now Kate is really mad because guess which one wasn't returned?

One thing that really struck me with this book is that it seems a lot of care was taken to research and include realistic details. Procedures, interview tactics, childcare, cameras and technology ... all of it seemed pretty in depth. I liked that.

This one is all about the children, but Kate's got another case as well, looking for a young woman's murderer, so that leads us down an interesting side-path to keep things varied. I always assumed they'd end up entwined somehow, but working multiple cases at a time is reality. So I enjoyed its inclusion.

Kate's a grandma so, as a single lady, her family stuff didn't really do much for me. She's got her rock solid husband, drama with the daughter, an ailing mother ... all things that I can't relate to. However I think there's a lot who will be able to relate to Kate and thus will feel a stronger bond with her. She didn't do much for me but she got the job done which I did enjoy.

The tension wasn't particularly tight throughout but I certainly had a lot of questions, and towards the end it got pretty hard to put down. Things went in directions I didn't expect and it all seemed to come together in the end quite well.

Overall a decent crime novel that will keep you guessing. I'll be keeping an eye out for the next one.

I want to start off by saying thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book, it was a very good read easy to follow along with storyline and characters. This was a new author for me but I very much enjoyed it, thank you for the opportunity and I look forward to reading more by this author again. I highly recommend this book to everybody.

One Last Child by author Anni Taylor Is written with more than one mystery or case to solve by Detective Kate Wakefield. The setting is the area of the Australian Blue Mountains and as an ice cream van sits on the side street, five three-year-old toddlers go missing from a day care picnic! Nola, the new assistant stands as if in a trance and she never sees what happens to the children. Kate joins the other searchers when she is told her young granddaughter, Ivy is among the missing. Kate is not allowed to join the task force because she is too personally involved, so she must carry on with her murder investigation of a young woman named Harper. In the beginning of the book, the daily back stories of the main characters are explained. As the search for the children goes cold, Kate has other problems as she deals with her daughter, Abby, Three and a half years pass and the unexpected happens, four of the children silently appear to their families. Where is Ivy?
This book is very well written and now I am looking forward to reading the next in the series!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review and ARC of this book.

This was one of the most amazing books I have read this year and I can’t wait for more in the series to be released.

Kate is a very hard-working detective who gets some great results and the story is mostly told through her perspective. Though generally, she works on murders and rapes she is keen to work on the disappearance of five three-year-olds from their nursery school picnic. The main reason being her little granddaughter, Ivy is one of the disappeared children.

This is a harrowing story where five small children just vanish without trace aside from a single button for a cardigan. The psychological strain of all the families involved is clear to see but none so much as the strain it puts on Kate and her family, most notably her young daughter, Abby’s, struggles.

Three and a half years later, one by one, the five children are returned to their families…all aside from Ivy, who the other children say is dead.

There are some great twists and turns in this and the outcome is not what you might have expected. It kept my attention well and I couldn’t put it down as I was so desperate to find out what happened. A highly recommended read!

★★★★★ 4.5 stars rounded up

I was first introduced to Anni Taylor with her debut "The Game You Played" which was scintillatingly brilliant and even more so that it was set around areas I am familiar with in Sydney and have frequented often. But more and more there are some wonderful Australian thriller writers coming out of the woodwork...and Anni Taylor is one of them.

I wasn't sure what to expect with ONE LAST CHILD but I shouldn't have been at all surprised if her debut was anything to go by. And I certainly wasn't disappointed. Despite being twice the length of many other authors in this genre, the pace of the story and the easy writing style had me devouring every last page in just over 24 hours - with a few hours for sleep in between...lol

The premise for this book was an extraordinary concept. Five 3 year old children disappear from a nursery school picnic within a few short seconds on inattention...and all without a trace. It was a day the lives of the parents and family of these children changed forever. Added to that is the fact that the grandmother of one of the missing children, Ivy, is the town's local homicide detective, DS Kate Wakefield.

Kate and her husband Pete have a cottage in the Tallman's Valley, a once-small now growing community situated just a short drive from the main hub of Katoomba in the vastly expanse and dense bushland of the Blue Mountains. Kate had worked homicide in Sydney until the birth of her daughter Abby before moving to Tallman's Valley where she has worked in the local area command for the past 20 years.

Abby was 18 when she returned from an overseas holiday pregnant and then giving birth to Ivy, who was clearly the light of their world. Abby was at a university lecture where she was studying law at the time Ivy went missing and her life took a rapid downward spiral in the wake of her little girl's disappearance. She never forgave herself for not being there for her. Abby and her mother have had a rocky relationship since Abby's teens and the disappearance only served to alienate the two women more. They fell out and Abby escaped to Sydney where they heard nothing more from her until years later she returned with 4 month baby Jasper.

It's now three and a half years later and the Strike-force team original set up to investigate the disappearance of the five children are no closer now than they were when they went missing. Kate is brought in and seconded to the team - something which she wanted from the beginning but was advised against due to her personal interest. She revisited the park from which the children disappeared and set about re-interviewing witnesses to get her own feel for the case. Almost at once, Kate got a sense that something wasn't right. The team leader, however, despite being the same rank as her, refused to entertain Kate's notions and instead focused on the paedophile ring angle...despite there being no evidence alluding to one.

Then within a day or so, the children start returning to their homes one by one...all except Ivy. Why the other children and not Ivy? What did the kidnappers want with her? And then, the team discuss the possibility that Ivy was the target all along in retaliation to someone Kate had put away. Was this true? Was Kate the reason Ivy and the other children were taken? Or was there something more sinister at play here?

Whilst not divided into "parts" as such, the first half of ONE LAST CHILD focuses on the search and investigation into the missing children which then turns into a three and a half year nightmare for their families. Despite this build up, the pace is not at all slow which alludes to the author's expert hand at penning such a compelling read with meticulous attention to detail. Anni Taylor not only tells the story, she draws the reader in and uses the surrounding environment to create an atmosphere of impending doom maintaining the element of suspense throughout. She manipulates the characters with ingenuity keeping readers guessing throughout as we try to figure out who is guilty and who isn't. But what we discover is that just about every character has a secret to hide...and it is up to Kate to sift through the secrets and the lies to uncover the truth.

The second half of ONE LAST CHILD with the return of four of the children and the investigation begins to shift focus. And as it continues, it seems that there are more and more questions than there are answers. New suspects come to light and new avenues pursued. But do any of them lead them to the truth? And more importantly, to Ivy? Even the parents of the children returned begin to question why Ivy didn't return with the others and if it had something to do with Kate. Tempers flare and accusations abound...but Kate is relentless. She will not rest until Ivy is found and those responsible are captured.

Alongside the investigation into the disappearance and return of the children is another case that has plagued Kate for as long as this one. The senseless murder of a young 20 year old woman who was beaten then strangled, the jewellery she was wearing stolen and never seen again. It lead us down an interesting side path when one of the pieces of jewellery turns up...in the house Abby now lives with her boyfriend. This leads Kate to question his involvement in the murder, putting Kate and her daughter at loggerheads once again. The way both cases entwined but separately was a clever addition which made for some compelling reading.

I really liked Kate. Sixty-plus, happily married and in no way at all like the stereotypical detectives of many other crime thrillers that end up grating on my nerves. Sure she has her problems, mainly her relationship with her daughter Abby, but those are things author Anni Taylor uses to create an even more captivating story...to which she has alluded will be included in the second novel in this exciting new series. I can't wait to see where that will be taking us! I love Kate's relationship with her husband which seems to go from strength to strength and is so refreshing to see, rather than the constant broken marriages of detectives drowning their sorrows whenever off duty. Pete is her tower of strength and it is refreshing to see his understanding of how demanding Kate's job is and doesn't at all accuse her of putting him second to it. Instead he supports her and comforts her when she needs his strength. It is so refreshing and I love it. I really look forward to getting to know Kate, Pete and Abby in in the future.

I was a tad disappointed in the ending as it did seem a little random and appeared to be unrelated to the rest of the story. The reasoning behind the abductions was a little obscure as well. I felt it should have had more to do with one or two of the other characters and their pasts (and woven together a little neater), one of which was mentioned and alluded to early on but nothing came of it disappointingly. But the tension and the build up in the climax was both atmospheric and foreboding. I could really see myself alongside Kate on that dark narrow road to Jenolan Caves.

I thoroughly enjoyed ONE LAST CHILD and it kept me guessing all the way through. I didn't foresee the guilty behind it though I do admit to picking up on a clue along the way...a witness to the abduction they couldn't interview but then a picture speaks a thousand words.

Although this is just the second thriller by Anni Taylor I have read, I simply LOVE her style and I eagerly await more from her (OK, so I do have a couple of her other books on my shelf to read yet...lol). She has the ability to create a sense of foreboding with just the environmental setting and her ability to set that tone and build up suspense with tension and trepidation whilst keeping readers guessing throughout is outstanding.

And what makes it even better...is the Blue Mountains setting. It is on my doorstep and I know it well.

Highly recommended to anyone who loves a good mystery thriller.

I would like to thank #AnniTaylor, #NetGalley and #BooksGoSocial for an ARC of #OneLastChild in exchange for an honest review.

let me just say that I didn't get much else done in the 3 days it took me to finish this book. I really enjoyed it. I couldn't wait to curl in bed at night and open up my kindle. That hasn't happened with many books for me.. I am looking forward to reading more books by this author!

Thank you for this arc in exchange for an honest review.
Having previously read and enjoyed a book by this author, I was keen to read this one too.
The story was easy to get into from the start and gripping throughout. There twists and turns aplenty which kept the storyline exciting until almost the end. This is where it fell apart for me. Once the ending started to unravel my interest started to fizzle out. I found the motives obscure and far fetched, and felt disappointed that such an exciting story had a disappointing ending.

Glad to discover a new author (new to me at least).

Well written thriller. Captivating from the start. Tense and intense. I recommend it!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book. This is my honest review. All opinions are my own.

First i must say a big thank you to NetGalley, author and the publisher.

This was my first by this author and it will not be my last for sure!!
The synopsis of One Last Child drew my attention immediately and i was so happy that I got a copy and I'm so glad that it was truly amazing psychological thriller.
Recommended and again recommended!!

What a page turner. I honestly couldn't put this one down.
A group of nursery children go on a day out to a local park for a teddy bears picnic. In the blink of an eye, five of them go missing. As someone who used to work in a nursery, this is one of my worst fears.
The story spans just over three years. Three long years not knowing where the children are. Three years of secrets, searching, lives destroyed.
I absolutely loved every thing about this one. If you haven't already, I highly recommend you read it. I look forward to reading more from this author.

Review for 'One Last Child ' by Anni Taylor

Read and reviewed via NetGalley

This is the first book that I have read by this author. It is the first book in the 'Tall man's Valley detective series'. It most definitely won't be my last.

I have struggled some what with the past few books that I have read so this book was very refreshing. A gripping psychological thriller from start to end this book really sucked me straight in.

The writing was excellent as were the descriptions and characters. I really felt as if I was in the storyline and feeling the emotions of the characters. Every character was very realistic and very well developed and I loved most of them. I look forward to reading more about them. The main detective was female and its always great to see a strong female lead in a crime novel.

The plot was compelling and an explosive start to a new series, one which I'm looking forward to reading. It was absolutely jam packed with crime, suspense, murder and many mysteries, each with red herrings aplenty. A true page turner that kept me on the edge of my seat!

Didn't expect the ending at all and loved the little cliffhanger!! Every case in the plot was explained with nothing missing, nothing worse than something happening in a crime novel that you never get an answer/explanation for.

THE cover of the novel suits the storyline very well and is one of the things that made me choose to read this book.

I would highly recommend to fans of any of the above as well of fans of Tess Gerritsen, C. L TAYLOR and Angela Marsons. In fact I would recommend this to anyone and everyone looking for a good book. A massive congratulations to a very talented author on a fantastic start to a new series!!

Rated 5/5 (I loved it ) on Goodreads and Amazon (UK and. Com) and over 30 Facebook pages

Free on kindle unlimited or 99p to purchase. I think this is an excellent price for this book

436 pages

Feel free to add me on Goodreads for more reviews

#OneLastChild #NetGalley #AnniTaylor #BookReview

One last child by Anni Taylor.
It was summer in the mountains when five small children vanished from their nursery school picnic. The heat was stifling that day, the tinkle of an ice-cream van in the air.
Three and a half years later, in the dead of winter, the children are returned by their abductor... one by one.
All except for Ivy - the granddaughter of homicide detective Kate Wakeland. The other four children say Ivy is dead.
Speculation grows that the kidnappings were revenge for an offender that Detective Wakeland put in jail years before.
She engages in a battle of wits between herself, the kidnapper and the cold, vast expanse of mountains in between.
I really enjoyed this book. Surprised and twisted. Wasnt who I thought. 5*.

One Last Child was a surprisingly intense story that completely stole my interest and an afternoon of my life. It was well worth the read and has me gearing up to read more by Anni Taylor in the future.

I don't always enjoy a mystery/thriller as they can tend to be quite predictable but this one kept me engaged throughout the entire story. I couldn't predict the ending and honestly wasn't entire sure where the story would end up.

I was first drawn to this story by its cover and the Australian setting behind the mystery. As an Aussie, I love to read books set in Australia and this one delivered with not only a tense, ominous writing style but also a few snippets of landmarks near Sydney being included. It's not often books are set close to home and this made the book seem almost sentimental to me.

What I truly enjoyed about this story was that the characters weren't the usual types you's associate with this genre. There weren't an abundance of police officers drawing out the plot. Rather, Kate was a seemingly normal person put in an utterly devastating position. The confusion surrounding the lack of return one of the five children set up a story that was intense and grim towards the end. The inclusion of a few red herrings kept me off-the-mark and provided the perfect set up to an unpredictable ending.

This was my first book by Taylor but definitely not my last!

This book was very exciting and had many unexpected great twists and turns.  I really enjoyed this book.  I am always looking for new authors to read and enjoy so I can follow them and their books.  I have not read Anni Taylor before and I think I will read more.  So far, I have enjoyed this author's book.  Children go missing and several at once and a great detective is on the case, I love these types of books and this book was no different and had me on the edge of my seat.  *This book was given to me for free at my request from NetGalley and I provided this voluntary review.*

I have never read a book by this author but I was extremely impressed with this story! It is a fast=paced, heart wrenching story that I had trouble putting down. The characters were interesting and relatable and the storyline was very engaging. Overall a great book!

This was an easy to read thriller thaylt kept my attention all the way through! Lots of twists and surprises I didn't see coming. Very good, would recommend!

Thee and a half years ago five 3 year old children went missing from their nursery picnic without a trace. Police leads have led nowhere and the children are still missing. Only one day four of the missing children are returned. All except one. The grandchild of Detective Kate Wakeland has not been returned and she is determined to find out who tore her family apart

This book is fast paced and keeps you guessing until the end. Well worth a read and I certainly did not see the ending coming. Read now to find out what happens.

I loved this story!! Lost a lot sleep trying to get to the end. Fantastic writing style & intense plot make for a great read!

It was summer in the mountains when five small children vanished from their nursery school picnic. The heat was stifling that day, the tinkle of an ice-cream van in the air.

Three and a half years later, in the dead of winter, the children are returned to their families... one by one.
All except for Ivy - the granddaughter of homicide detective Kate Wakeland. The other four children say Ivy is dead.

Speculation grows that the kidnappings were revenge for an offender that Detective Wakeland put in jail years before.

She engages in a battle of wits between herself, the kidnapper and the cold, vast expanse of mountains in between.

How good to read of an older female protagonist! An enjoyable, fast paced read, that keeps you guessing until the very end. Recommended.

I very much enjoyed this book. It has a good story and excellent main characters. I would definately recommend this book.

I # one Last Child # Netgalley
This was a enjoyable read. You just would not expect 4 of the 5 children kidnapped; 3 and a half your Ago would ever be returned back home, after all that time I personally would not have expected them to be Alice’s it as a well written book with a nice steady pace I could understand the frustration of Kate Wakeland, being a detective wanted to be on the same Taskforce as the investigation into her granddaughters kidnappers were about and who they were. It was a really good plot and Kate love she as got for her granddaughter As much as I liked Kate and her husband trying to help their daughter bring up ivy I couldn’t help thinking when she got into drugs and various. That she was a bit selfish. Ok it was believed that ivy would not be ever coming back. When she disappeared out of the blue she returned. Unexpectedly with another baby a boy this time I was pleased to hear that the little boy was not a replacement for Ivey. All in all a enjoyable book with a excellent plot. I could say a fair bit more.but I do not do spoilers. Whatsoever.... funny enough I was reading a review on a book I really fancied reading. Until the review not went on chatting away about the book and I noticed the person who was writing away there, and before I knew it I was reading a really big spoiler yet how it was reading I genuinely do not think the person who put a huge spoiler in had realised she said what she did say, it certainly didn’t come across like that. However I know now I will no longer read the book. I don’t like spoiler so what reason would I want to spoil a book for others. Anyhow going of tangent. This really was a good read. I teally enjoyed it. I have actually downloaded boom 2 in this series. I do recommend you should read this I think it will be a good seres. I am already 2 thirds of a way into another boon then I will be reading the book 2 crib this author who by by the way this was the first book I have read by this author and I will be reading more. AS I have already stated that I have book 2 already downloaded ready to start

When five young children go missing from a nursery school picnic their parents are sick with worry and question how this could happen. Homicide Detective Kate Wakeland quickly learns that her granddaughter, Ivy is one of the missing children. The police had to work as quickly as they could to try to gather any information that could help track these children. As time passed by the police were not any closer to finding answers that would lead to the missing children.

Three and a half years later the children are returned to their family all except Ivy. One by one, the children are asked about what took place and where they went. The one thing all of them said was that Ivy was dead.

One Last Child by Aussie author Anni Taylor is the first book in the Tillman’s Valley Detective series and I thoroughly enjoyed it. This was an intense read that captured my attention from the first page to the very last page. Looking forward to the next book in the series.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for my digital copy to read and review.

Never read a book by this author before but I can start by saying sincerely this will not be the last.

Not just one child missing but 5 children missing. I mean this is utterly gripping and terrifying from the very start.

The main character Kate is just fab, Strong, independent, hard working. A real power house.

The book is amazing and fast paced. I was hooked and am hooked and want to read more - quite urgently !