This is a phenomenal book if you enjoy mysteries. I love it when I can't figure out the mystery in a book until the very end, and this is like that. Throughout reading this I guessed a lot, was wrong quite often on what I thought was going on, and then was satisfied at the ending when I found out there was even more to it than I had originally thought. So...it's a great book.

Right away when you begin reading this, you know that there is something strange going on, but it isn't immediately clear what is at the heart of it all. I liked the way the author combined many different story lines to create a complex book with a lot going on in it. Her characters are strong and memorable and the past meets with the present in just the right way to make the book work.

Fiona Barton takes a strong plot and makes it that much stronger by using well-designed characters and a descriptive setting that makes it easy to imagine being there, right alongside the action. The relationships she creates are believable and last in the memory of the reader long after the last page has been read.

Highly recommended for those who love mysteries.

This review is based on a complementary copy from the publisher, provided through Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

Fiona Barton, author of last year’s popular debut The Widow, is thankfully at it again with The Child. Fans of psychological thrillers will devour this well written tale that opens with the discovery of a newborn’s bones at a construction site, and ends by revealing surprising connections between the books’ three main narrators.
Kate- the ambitious reporter who first latches onto the story- is determined to learn what happened to the “Building Site Baby”, and before her investigation is over, she will have looked into many dark corners, crossed paths with some undesirable individuals, and exposed more than one shameful secret- for better or worse, the truth will come to light.

I liked this one better than The Widow.

A baby's skeleton is found in the ground during a construction project. It's a newborn that has been there for a long time.
Angela lost her baby.
Kate is the reporter who decides to cover this story.
Emma has serious mental health issues and thinks this story will expose her to the world.

I loved how the stories were told separately, leaving one to wonder how they could possibly all tie together. As we learn more about Angela and Emma we wonder how are they connected. It took me until almost the very end to go Ah Hah, I got it.

Fiona Barton is a very good writer, she is accessible and smooth to read. This was an excellent book!

Wow! That just about sums up this incredible new book. Just as good as Fiona's previous bestseller The Widow, this book is breathtaking in its pace and style. The characters are very well drawn and the book keeps you guessing right until the very end. I read the whole thing in three days as I couldn't put it down. Fantastic

Thank you, Berkley Pub, and Netgalley for allowing me to read and review this book.
Where do I start? This book was absolutely, heart pounding, kept me on the edge of my seat, thrilling. I feel like it’s been a lot time since I have read a 5-star book, until now. This is my first Fiona Barton book, and now I must rectify that and purchase “The Widow”
The multiple narrators, the insane twists and turns, and the vile people you learn of in this book, make it a page turner, that I read well into the wee hours of the morning, because I could not put it down. Normally I can’t read certain topics that are discussed in this book, but it was done with tact, and I had no issue finishing the book. I urge you all to read this, I promise you will not regret it. I also promise, it will leave you with your heart pounding.

I enjoyed this book immensely. With multiple layers that keep you guessing this story is intriguing and thought provoking. While I did have an idea of how it might turn out in the end there were were plenty of other subplots to keep you guessing. Really enjoyed the development and connections of the strong female characters and how they coped or not with all that life threw at them. Storyline was very in depth weaving in all of the history of their lives in a captivating way.

The Child by Fiona Barton is a wonderful mystery read with some great twists and turns.

A baby’s skeleton was found in a construction site and was named as the “Building Site Baby”. Reporter Kate Waters decides to investigate the story. The book is narrated with different POV’s , Angela whose baby was kidnapped at the maternity ward ,Emma who is hiding a secret for a very long time and Jude , Emma’s self-involved mother. During Kate’s investigation, more mysteries are unearthed and secrets’ revealed. Will Angela finally figure out what happened to her baby a long time ago and will Emma’s secret destroy her marriage?

I liked this book much better than Fiona Barton’s first book The Widow. The characters were complex and well developed. Some twists and turns with a surprise ending. I would definitely recommend this book with a 4 star rating.

Many thanks to the publisher & NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest and fair review.

This and more reviews at https://chloesbooksblog.wordpress.com/

I had a hard time getting into this book, it wasn't until about halfway through that it really started to flow and then in the last third it all came together with a whirlwind. I was able to quickly piece things together and figure out the ending. However, it didn't take away from the story.

This is the second book my Ms. Barton and I find that I don't really like the characters in her book. There are some really sketchy and creepy people!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review.

The setting is London, where a baby’s skeleton is found during the demolition of some old homes. It’s determined that the baby was buried sometime in the 1980’s, and a reporter decides to investigate. The story is then told from multiple viewpoints, and there are some intricate plot weavings . However, this book seemed to go on so much longer than necessary. I thought this of Fiona Barton’s first book, The Widow, which had a plot twist but took an interminable time to get there. Having my suspicions about who the baby belonged to, I kept reading. Must admit also that I love the English dialog, and learned a new word or two (my favorite being fug to indicated a warm and stuffy atmosphere).

While it was interesting, I could have put it down at any point. There is so much unnecessary detail that my mind started to wander. Overall, not bad, but make sure you have a lot of time to read this one. It’s a mystery, but I wouldn’t classify it as a thriller as it was so easy to figure out.

The characters are rich and intensely drawn in this story. The movement between points of view keeps things fresh, but the speed at which the story actually develops is slower than a snail's pace. It's a worthy read because it's clear the storyteller is immensely skilled, but it's not a quick read like some of the novels it's been compared to.

Reporter Kate Waters reports the story of the discovery of a baby's body long ago buried in the yard of an old house. But her investigations set off a series of events and revelations that prove to be much more of a story than Waters had imagined.

This was an fast-paced, engrossing tale filled with heartbreak and secrets. Very enjoyable mystery.

Decent mystery but I knew the solution way too early which detracts from the pleasure and tension!

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to preview The Child by Fiona Barton. Last year, I read The Widow. It was really well written and engrossing. I feel the say way about The Child. A local reporter, Kate, trying to keep her career on track since her last big story about a "widow". Kate learns about the body of a baby found under a urn in an older section of town and she decides to explore this finding more.
Kate's investigation into the child's body takes on a life of its own. She must dig deep to find the identity, as well as, what happened over 30 years ago. The story centers on four women's lives and this allows the reader to get into their heads - how are they connected to this baby?
There are alot of characters in this book and at times that does get a bit confusing, however, I really liked the switchback to different characters througout the book. Each character's point of view gives the reader an insight and this connects the reader to the characters.
This is well written and a great ending. Barton follows up with another WINNER. RECOMMEND.

I just finished reading The Child by Fiona Barton. As a fan of The Widow, I was so excited to get approved by Netgalley to read Barton's follow up with novel. (The books are not related, but the reporter can be found in both books.) The Child did not disappoint! I hung on to every word and was kept in suspense until the very end.
There were a few moments that I wished I had the paper version versus the E reader, as I wanted to go back to check earlier facts. I would highly recommend this book to other lovers of psychological thrillers.
*I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Having read Barton's other novel THE WIDOW last year, I was really looking forward to THE CHILD. I enjoyed THE CHILD overall, however it was not as suspenseful as her other novel. I found that this one became slightly more predictable and not quite as thrilling. I could put the book down and not really be thinking about what would happen next. There was still an interesting plot, but it was not necessarily a page turner.

Great read! Kept me turning pages well into the night. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book. I can not wait to recommend and discuss this book with library patrons.

First of all thank you Berkley and Netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest review. I will start off with a brief summary, my dislikes, move on to my likes, and my personal thoughts.

This is book is a mystery that centers around the discovery of a deceased newborn baby and the reporter, Kate, is trying to discover how the baby died, who the baby's parents were, etc. The story is told by Emma in first person. Kate, Angela, and Will are told in third person.

What didn't I like about this novel?

1. There were a few errors but it didn't detract from the story.
2. I didn't care for Will's side. I wanted to skip his chapter so bad. I read it, and I threw up in my mouth. It would have been better without him.
3. I had 1/2 of the plot figured out about halfway.

What did I like about this novel?
1. Even though I figured out half of the plot, I didn't see the other half coming. The author got me there.
2. Even though there were a few tiny errors, it was written quite well.
3. It gave me that roller coaster of emotions, I was looking for in a book.
4. It kept me on the edge of my seat. I couldn't put it down. I probably read this book in less than six hours. I couldn't put it down. I wanted to find out about the baby.
5. The author did a great job with creating believable characters. It wasn't too far-fetched for me. Great job!
6. My favorite character has goes to Kate. A clever reporter. Maybe give Kate a series/book to herself? *Hint, hint*
7. I skipped another arc for this one. I'm glad I did it.

Personal thoughts?
Give Kate her own book & series. I could see so many things with this character and her police buddies. We all love and enjoy those "nosy" reporters. This was a suspense/mystery. I honestly couldn't put it down. This author deserves all five stars. I enjoyed it! Thanks for knocking me with the other half of the plot. I still hate... HATE Will. Find out for yourselves. Yes, I recommend this book. Good job, Barton!

Yes, this book was captivating and mesmerizing and altogether worthy of the hours I spent with my nose in it. I have to admit I was patting myself on the back for figuring out this puzzle of a book.

The story is narrated by Kate (the reporter), Emma (a lady who lived near where the body was discovered), and Jude (Emma’s mother). A baby’s skeleton is found on a construction site after a building is torn down and as Kate scrambles to figure out whose baby it could have been, she stumbles into a web of people who are unknowingly connected. She meets some fantastic and interesting characters and a few who are cruel and disgusting. Through some great detective work by the reporter, we soon learn how the pieces fit together with a big stumper in the middle of the book followed by an a-ha moment.

Well done Fiona Barton. This is a must-read for mystery lovers.

Thank you to Fiona Barton, Berkley Publishing Group, and NetGalley for my ARC copy of this book.

I was very excited to have the opportunity to read, The Child by Fiona Barton.  I had read Fiona Barton’s debut novel, The Widow and love it!  In the beginning of The Child, there are a lot of characters and the narrative switches between them frequently.  It took me a little bit to get all the characters straight and feel a connection to them.   Three women are the main characters.   Katie is a journalist wanting to dig deeper into the story of a infant’s body found at a building site.  Emma is an Editor, she has some difficulty/anxiety.  She become very interested/obsessed in the infant.  Angela and Nick are parents of baby Alice who was abducted from the hospital shortly after birth. 
The character develop is great.  You have a good sense of each character and their inner thoughts while the story switches between past and present.  The Child by Fiona Barton starts off slow with giving you a glimpse into each woman’s life and you are also introduced to people in their lives as well.  Just as I began to feel like this story wasn’t going anywhere, my interest was peaked.   The small connections between the women’s life start to be skillfully revealed.  Ok, Ok…Fiona Barton you got me!  I am hooked.   Each connection brings you closer and closer to understanding the memories that haunt the women, with a few twist to keep you on your toes.
The suspense builds and builds.   I am reading the last few chapters in the morning before going to work.  Ok….I will have a second cup of coffee and read one more chapter.  Ok…. I will read one more chapter and work late tonight.  Ok…I am sitting on the edge of seat and on a total emotional roller coaster – tears and all!  I will finish this book before going to work.  Yes, I was late for work, but The Child by Fiona Barton was totally worth it.    Fiona Barton sure knows how to build the suspense and deliver a memorable ending! I give The Child by Fiona Barton 4 star – could I have a note for being late for work??

When I read Fiona Barton's first book, The Widow, I thought it was OK, but somewhat disappointing. Her newest book, The Child, is more of the same. It reads fast, and the story is intriguing enough to keep you interested, but there were a lot of little things about it that were a let-down. Most of the characters are annoying and unpleasant, but part of that I feel was due to to the fact that there were too many points of view, so no character was fully developed. There was even one random chapter that had the point of view of a character that we had never heard from before, and that we would never hear from again. I hope that waste of space doesn't make it into the final version.

The story wrapped up in a way that felt completely unrealistic. Really everyone's actions throughout this book felt inauthentic.