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!

What began with a slow start ended with a bang! I was 20% through the book before I really began to care about the characters and find it interesting enough to feel compelled to turn the page. But then it kept gaining momentum and intensity, like a snowball rolling down a mountain and becoming a boulder. Halfway through the book I couldn't put it down, and finished the second half in one day. The story threw a nice curve ball and surprised me at the end. Quite an intricate plot. Ultimately I enjoyed it enough to prompt me to purchase her other book. 4 stars! I'd like to thank NetGalley, Berkley Books, and Fiona Barton for this advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

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.

The skeleton of an infant is unearthed at a London urban renewal site, and the lives of several women who don’t know each other are about to become intertwined. Each woman has a stake in the outcome of the ensuing investigation, albeit for different reasons, including the reporter who seeks to answer the question of who buried the newborn there and why. 

We hear the story from their various points of view, which gives the reader intimate knowledge of each woman’s background and the basis for her concerns about the discovery. The tale has enough twists and unexpected turns to keep the reader involved in figuring out what’s going on, and the ending provides a satisfying conclusion that gives all aspects of the story a reasonable resolution. 

My one complaint is that one character’s POV is in first person, while all of the others are in third, and I found that transition jarring at times. To me there was no good reason for singling her out that way. However, that was a minor distraction, for the author writes well and the plot and pacing kept me interested throughout. I cared about how it would all play out, and while some readers may anticipate the big reveal, I did not and was sufficiently surprised to enjoy the final twist.

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.

The remains of a baby are found when workmen are tearing down old homes / apartment dwellings.  


Many years, decades prior, Angela gave birth in a local hospital and the next day went to take a shower for just a moment while her newborn laid in her hospital room. When she returned from the shower her infant daughter was gone, never to been seen again.

Kate Waters is a local reporter, you might have met her in the author's prior book, "The Widow." She finds out about the body of the infant being recovered from the work site and starts wondering if there could be a connection between this infant and the infant that disappeared so many years ago. 

Emma grew up same area as where the buildings are being demolished, she is an emotionally troubled adult women but she gets by with her depression medicine and her husband who is a great deal older than she is. 

The story is told in alternating point of views of these three women. It is a complex and intriguing story that spans many years. I never saw the ending coming and that is refreshing. 

The story begins a bit slow for me, of course you have to build the characters to get to the larger story, and once you get about 30% into the book the story is in full motion and it is a book you won't put down.

I would like to thank NetGalley for giving me an opportunity to read this book prior to publication for an honest review.

Told from multiple perspectives, The Child manages to be both a fast and riveting read. I found it a bit difficult to keep the individual characters straight until midway through the book - perhaps because I was flying through the novel to find out what was going to happen next. Escapist reading at it's best!

Fiona Barton is definitely an author to be bargained with. With her second novel THE CHILD, Barton improves upon herself tenfold. 

RELEASE DATE: June 2017

PUBLISHER: Berkley

DISCLAIMER: Novel sent via NetGallery in exchange for a honest review. 

SYNOPSIS: As an old house is demolished in a gentrifying section of London, a workman discovers a tiny skeleton, buried for years. For journalist Kate Waters, it’s a story that deserves attention. She cobbles together a piece for her newspaper, but at a loss for answers, she can only pose a question: Who is the Building Site Baby? As Kate investigates, she unearths connections to a crime that rocked the city decades earlier: A newborn baby was stolen from the maternity ward in a local hospital and was never found. Her heartbroken parents were left devastated by the loss. But there is more to the story, and Kate is drawn—house by house—into the pasts of the people who once lived in this neighborhood that has given up its greatest mystery. And she soon finds herself the keeper of unexpected secrets that erupt in the lives of three women—and torn between what she can and cannot tell…

REVIEW: I remember reading THE WIDOW (Barton's first novel) and not really being awe-inspired. I do remember the rave reviews of it though. I'm so happy that with Barton's second novel, she improves upon herself and provides a stellar gripping story that captivates you from beginning to end. 

A skeleton of a newborn baby is found in a housing development. The story of three women intertwine here - Kate, a journalist looking to get to the bottom of the found baby; Angela, a woman who lost her own child many years ago; and Emma, a woman who battles a mental illness from a horrific childhood. Together, all three stories intersect to answer one question: who is the housing development baby? 

I loved this novel - if I could have devoured it in a night, I would have (but alas, sleep). 

At first, this story will seem discombobulated - the stories of the 3 women seemingly have no way to intersect. It is only after peeling back the layers (and getting through a 1/3 of the story) that you begin to understand that there is a deeper picture here. It plays out flawlessly and dramatically - a perfectly layered mystery novel that demands to be read in one sitting.

The characters and their arcs are well developed - I would have enjoyed more from Angela's point of view and less from Kate's, but that is mainly because I did not enjoy the character of Kate. I felt she was very self-centered and thrived off of the despair of others - a trait of journalists, maybe? Regardless, I felt a little 'omph' go out of me every time Kate's chapter was up. 

One other negative was that the story wrapped up WAY too quick. Almost less than a chapter and all it's pieces are wrapped up in a neat bow. I would have liked to explore that a little more. 

All and all, a good read.

When a baby skeleton is unearthed at a construction site, reporter Kate Waters thinks it is a story worth investigating. As she digs into the mystery of the child, she uncovers more than she bargained for. Told from the viewpoints of various characters, Barton tells an intriguing tale about the newborn baby and all the characters involved, leaving readers left to put together the connections until the very end.

I enjoy the way the author gives viewpoints from so many characters.  I found the mystery to be easy to figure out, but found the developing story rather interesting nonetheless..