By: Miranda Rijks
ISBN: 9781837563456
Publisher: Inkubator Books
Publication Date: 03/31/2024
Format: e-book
My Rating: 5 Stars (ARC)
𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙖 𝙣𝙤𝙧𝙢𝙖𝙡 𝙛𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙮 𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙣𝙤𝙧𝙢𝙖𝙡 𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙨. 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝘼𝙡𝙞𝙘𝙞𝙖 𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙙.
After her own mother mysteriously disappears, seventeen-year-old Alicia turns up on her godmother’s doorstep and asks if she can stay. Carina can’t say no to the godchild she hasn’t seen in over a decade.
And in a way, Alicia is the daughter she always wanted – she’s so smart and driven, definitely scholarship material. Carina is only too happy to help this brilliant young woman achieve her full potential.
But husband Don and children Tegan and Arthur aren’t so sure. There’s something about Alicia… Is she just too good to be true?
Then, out of the blue, sixteen-year-old Tegan is accused of a horrible crime and life for this ordinary family spirals down into chaos.
Does Alicia have anything to do with the terrible secrets that are only now being exposed? Has she set out to destroy this family? Before she can answer these questions, Carina will have to face her own troubled past, stepping out of the light and into a very, very dark place….
My Review
Master storyteller and queen of twists Miranda Rijks returns following Make Her Pay with her latest, THE GODCHILD. In this twisty psychological thriller of revenge and obsession, an average family finds their lives disrupted by a surprise visit from a godchild that turns into a chilling nightmare!
The tensions ratchet up as nefarious motives and twisted allegiances come to light. A delightfully twisty psychological thriller with the author's signature style!
Carina Ruff is the head teacher at a prestigious private school in the South of England. Carina is married to Don (a stay-at-home dad and aspiring novelist) with three children, Arthur (14) and Teagan (16) and baby Ethan.
The day their lives change is when a young woman unexpectedly shows up at the door, stating her name is Alicia and claims she is Gina's daughter. Carina has not seen her since she was a baby and is shocked.
Gina was her college friend, who had not seen or heard from her for many years. The girl says she has been living in Spain, and her mother was a drug addict. She wants to stay with them, but Carina thinks it is for a few nights. Soon, she worms her way into their home and lives, and they cannot escape her. Plus, they cannot reach the mom.
Teagan especially does not like her since she has to share her room. She has enough problems at school, and now Alicia wants to attend their school. She seems to be taking over their home, cozying up to her parents and brother while walking the dog and helping with the baby.
Teagan does not trust this girl and starts her investigation. Who is Alicia, and what does she want with their family? She seems to know a lot about their family.
Things go from bad to worse, turning dark, sinister, and creepy.
From past to present from Carina (then and now), we learn about the events of the past when Carina and Gina were in college. The wild girl that Carina was in awe of until things got out of control.
Now, here is Alicia. The gaslighting, lies, and manipulation begin. Then, a crime. What is her motive, and who is this girl claiming to be the godchild.
Told from the POVs of Carina and Teagan (then and now) and a counselor, Kathryn Friar, in therapy sessions with Alicia, where readers get insights into each character as we try and figure out this mystery.
The past and present converge in this pulse-pounding mystery domestic suspense. What darkness lies in this suburban home?
Unsettling and darkly sublime, the author deftly explores twisted family dynamics and devastating secrets in suburbia in this roller coaster wild ride that will shock readers by the final page. (that ending!)
Surprising. Entertaining. Spine-chilling! — From the opening page to the shocking last line, you will be hooked.
As always, Miranda Rijks (favorite author) delivers the unexpected and ways that past secrets rise to the surface in ordinary families. For Rijks fans and those of Daniel Hurst, K.L. Slater, and Emily Shiner.
Thanks to Inkubator Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced reading copy for an honest opinion.
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 4.5 Stars —rounded to 5
Pub Date: March 31, 2024
About the Author
Miranda Rijks is a writer of fast-paced, twisty psychological thrillers many of which have been Amazon bestsellers. She has an eclectic background ranging from law to running a garden centre.
After surviving bone cancer, Miranda turned to writing and is now living the dream, writing suspense novels full time. She lives in West Sussex, England with her Dutch husband and two black Labradors and spends as much time as she can in the Swiss Alps.
