4-4.25 STARS

"Somebody's Daughter by author, David Bell, was an enjoyable novel overall, but it ultimately lacked any true suspense, as I had the true culprit pegged quite early on. Still, I was captivated enough to keep reading, eager to discover how it would eventually all play out.

Boasting a unique and intriguing premise, I was excited to delve between the pages of this latest suspense novel by an author whose other books I have previously enjoyed. It’s the story of Michael Frazier, whose ex-wife (Erica) shows up on his doorstep, seeking his help in locating the missing daughter he never knew he’d fathered. To complicate matters further, Michael is remarried, and running off with his ex, could jeopardize Michael’s relationship with his new wife, Angela.

While Michael has his doubts regarding the paternity of the missing girl, Felicity, as long as the possibility exists that he could be the young girl’s father, Michael feels compelled to join Erica in her search. Expecting to be gone for just a few hours at best, Michael soon finds himself engaged in a more in depth journey, walking a path that is paved with twists and turns in the search for his would-be daughter.

This engrossing story draws the reader in right from the very start, but along the way it starts to fall a bit flat. But most notably, there are threads woven into the storyline that remain dangling and unresolved—leaving me to wonder why they were even there to start with. Yet, despite its imperfections, once I started this book, I was hard-pressed to put it down. That, in and of itself, is quite telling, and a testament to the artful storytelling of David Bell.

Thank you to NetGalley, Berkley Books, and David Bell for the ARC to review. This is not the first David Bell book that I have read. The first David Bell book I read, which I received from NetGalley, was "Bring Her Home" and I loved it. I even neglected by housework to finish reading it. When I review a book, I do not analyze the entire book. I give a review of the book in its entirety. Is it a good read? Does it keep your attention? I was thrilled to receive this second book by David Bell, from NetGalley, and it did not disappoint. I was hooked from the start. Mr. Bell leaves you hanging in suspense at the end of each chapter. Anytime you think you have it all figured out, he throws you a curve ball and then BAM, you are hit with an ending you didn't expect. I highly recommend this book and if you have never read "Bring Her Home,' I suggest you read that as well. I can say I am a big David Bell fan. I'd read one of his books any day.

I found this story to be fast moving and entertaining ... but ... totally implausible! By 24% I was very tired of Felicity being referred to as “the kid”. It was used over and over. The word kid was used 172 times in the book. Using the word child or her name would have really helped out. Since it was an advanced review copy, hopefully some further editing corrected that. Each chapter was a bit of a cliff hanger making it faster paced. Although filled with twists, I did figure out the ending at 35%. With so many pages in the story, the ending felt rushed and didn’t tie up one of the storylines. Still an enjoyable read and I wouldn’t mind seeing Detective Erin Griffin in future books.

Michael Frazier is in for a shock when his ex-wife, Erica, shows up unexpectedly at his door one evening. They divorced 10 years ago, but she’s back to tell him that her nine-year old daughter, Felicity, is missing (surprise!) and that Felicity is Michael’s daughter too (bigger surprise!). Erica is desperate for his help. He has no time to wrap his mind around this revelation before he’s caught up in the mad search for Felicity too. Angela, his current wife, is none to thrilled with the situation, but what can she do? A child is missing…

SOMEBODY’S DAUGHTER is a gripping mix of suspense, mystery, police procedural, and family drama. The whole book takes place over one night, and the short chapters with alternating perspectives kept the pace flying along. Lots of intriguing characters are introduced, and whether they’re trustworthy or not is up in the air. Let’s just say that Erica wasn’t the only one with secrets.

My one quibble with the book is that it left me with some unanswered questions. One important story line ended abruptly without any further explanations. I had other questions too, about Erica and some supporting characters. Maybe the ending was just rushed?

Overall, I thought that SOMEBODY’S DAUGHTER was an exciting, entertaining, and emotional thriller, which you can always count on from David Bell.

Happy publication day and thank you to David Bell, Berkley Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book!

I was hooked the second I started reading. Imagine going about your evening with your beautiful wife, cleaning up after a lovely dinner, when the doorbell rings. At the door is your ex-wife whom you haven't see or heard from in years. Her child is missing and she needs his help.

"She's yours, Michael. Felicity is your daughter, and I need your help getting her back."

Wow. First bomb dropped and what follows is just an intense roller coaster ride of twists and turns. It's written from multiple POV's which I don't often love but I felt it was down really well here. It's fast paced, gripping and very easy to read which makes it the perfect book to unwind with in the evening after a long day at work.

I will post a full and more detailed review on my blog, https://laundrypiles.wordpress.com

4 Somebody’s Missing Stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟

This book pulled me in from the very first chapter and did not let go until the very end... The book is told From alternating points of view... with very short chapters that all have a bit of a cliffhanger at the end... this made this book a very quick and suspense filled read...

One quiet night at home Michael answers the door to find Erica... and his life is changed forever.... Erica‘s daughter Felicity is missing... and the kicker Felicity is also Michael’s daughter, something he is just now finding out... told from the perspective of Michael, his new wife Angela, and a police detective....

Angela was by far the most relatable character to me.... you could just put yourself in her shoes... a loving wife desperate to have a child of her own, who just found out her husband has a child with another woman, and the child is missing.... now those are some tangled emotions to sort through! And if that’s not enough Angela begins to find out more and more family secrets and deceptions... I really feel as though her story was the strength of this book... The perspective of the police detective added some information we might not otherwise no and Michael.... i’m still slightly puzzled by him and quite a few of his actions, but no judgment...

This was a fast paced enjoyable thriller and I had no idea who was guilty until the end... where this book was slightly lacking is the emotional connection between the reader and the child’s parents... I found Erica terribly unsympathetic and Michael just irritated me for some reason... I recently just finished Three Days Missing... another book involving a missing child and the main difference between these books is the emotional connection with the characters as well as a sense of urgency.... yes this book made me turn those pages quickly because I wanted to know what was going to happen next, but TDM made me feel every emotion that mother was going through and I was on pins and needles The entire read.... hate to compare, but because I read these books so close together the difference was noticeable... both books were filled with suspense and kept me guessing until the very end, one was just a little more emotional...

Definitely recommend this to fans of a good suspense filled psychological thriller...

*** many thanks to Berkley for my copy of this book ***

3.75 stars.

What would you do if you ex-wife showed up at your door saying her daughter is missing and she's saying the girls your. Micheal and his Ex-wife Eric set off to find answers about her missing daughter, leaving his wife Angela at home with a lot of questions. This is a thrilling ride of a story of what happened to a young girl and all the people in her life that may know what happened. I thought it was a great story, very suspenseful until the end. I think I was expecting more twists.

Thank you to net galley, the author, publisher for the Arc.

Michael Frazier and his wife Angela were happily married and trying everything to get pregnant which would make their life complete. The strains of trying for this one important element for complete happiness was only made all the more tenuous when Michael’s ex-wife Erica showed up on his doorstep pleading for his help… She then dropped a bombshell that her nine-year old daughter Felicity was missing – and the bigger shocker he – Michael was her father!

Naturally, even though Michael was finding his new fatherhood was hard to believe there was a niggling fact that it might also be true. Against his wife’s objections, Michael had no choice but to try and follow the trail of crumbs that Erica’s story left behind. Could it be true and could the bond he had with his soul-mate Angela withhold the stretch to the limit suspense as more and more facts came to life?

This truly was an amazing suspense thriller with a plethora of characters all having this or that in common and fingers pointing all over the place as to who had kidnapped the child. The only reason this didn’t earn a coveted FIVE star review is that I felt that the end was a bit rushed and there were threads that seemed hastily brushed away or forgotten. However, don’t let this dissuade you from picking this up as SOMEBODY’S DAUGHTER was a truly great and rapidly paced read!

Marilyn Rondeau

A different genre from what I normally read and wasn’t sure whether I would enjoy it. But it turned out to be an interesting and entertaining book. Well written although the characters were a bit different but maybe that was the intent. I would like to read another book before adding to my list of authors.

Now let's get to it! First off, ALL OF THE THANK YOU'S to Netgalley for sending me a free e-book arc of David Bell's upcoming release, Somebody's Daughter, in exchange for my honest review. I have been hearing amazing things about this book and I was thrilled to see that I had the chance to read and review it before its pub date! All opinions are my own!

My rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

YES! Your eyes are not deceiving you-- I DID rate Somebody's Daughter 5 stars! In fact, I believe this is my first 5 star review of the summer!

Somebody's Daughter is a fast-paced thriller that truly hits the ground running in the very first chapter! Michael Frazier was once married to Erica-- a long time ago when they were impulsive college sweethearts. While Michael loved Erica's flighty, child-like charm, in the end he realized he couldn't build on the foundation of their dilapidated marriage and decided to end the marriage. Flash forward ten years later, Michael is married to Angela and they have a picture perfect marriage except for one thing; they have desperately been trying for a child without any luck. One night, Erica knocks on Michael's door to tell him that her child is missing. But why should Michael care? Well that's simple, Erica is claiming it is his child. 😱

This novel is intoxicating! In fact, I tweeted at David Bell that his new novel is, "the epitome of 'Just one more chapter before bed,'" and I totally mean't it! Bell's response to me? "Just keep going..." 😂 With my new found motivation from the man himself, I did just that! And I wasn't disappointed in the least!

The construct of the novel is quick, short chapters with a devastatingly brilliant cliff-hanger at the end of EVERY CHAPTER! (Do you see why I couldn't get myself to stop?!) Each chapter sheds light on each of the characters involved in the story at a different time during the night and throughout the search for this missing child. I loved this aspect of the book because I felt like I was allowed to be an unbiased reader-- this doesn't happen to often in thriller's or mystery books! 

David Bell's writing is concise and straight to the point- something I love and appreciate very much when reading a thriller! The fact that the chapters were quick to read in conjunction with the concise writing gave the story a very cinematic feel!

I can't tell you too much without giving away spoilers, so I will say this: IT WAS AMAZING AND YOU NEED TO READ IT! There are twists and turns, the characters are well-developed, the writing is amazing and there were no plot-holes that I could spy. If you love a quick read with a really great plot, then I suggest this for your next summer read!

Somebody's Daughter will be published tomorrow! July 10th 2018 & I suggest you run to your nearest bookstore & pick up a copy! Kudos to author David Bell, who just became an auto-buy on my list! Thanks again to Netgalley for the free e-copy arc of this book in exchange for my honest opinion and review. But most of all, thank you to my subscribers & friends who have read this review!

If you have read Somebody's Daughter by David Bell-- LET'S TALK! I would love to hear what you thought!

Have a great day,

Miranda xx

Expected publication July 10th!

I know we're always told to never judge a book by it's cover, but truth be told, the cover of Somebody's Daughter really grabbed my attention when browsing NetGalley and I couldn't help by request it. It is so simple, but has a mysterious edge that stopped me in my tracks.

Props to David Bell for his incredible writing. The concept of this book was great. An ex-wife a decade in the making showing up on the doorstep of her divorced husband's new home, proclaiming that her daughter is missing, and SURPRISE, she happens to be his ten year old daughter he didn't know existed. She begs him to help locate the missing girl. But he is going to have some competition for parental rights because the ex-wife's boyfriend also thinks he's the father. And a nearby woman thinks the girl might be her daughter who was kidnapped as an infant a decade ago. One thing is for certain; Felicity is somebody's daughter. But whose? And where has she gone? Find out in this new psychological thriller!

I really enjoyed this book. It was written over the course of a night, with each chapter functioning as a point in time across a timeline of the night. There were multiple story lines all going on at one time and the way they converged was fantastic.

I will admit I felt the ending was left a bit unresolved which is the reason I ended up giving this 4 stars instead of 5. I would have liked some of the loose ends to be wrapped up a little bit better, but overall it was a really great book and totally worth the read. Would recommend to anybody who likes a good twisty whodunit.

-I was gifted this book in exchange for an honest review. I would like to thank NetGalley, David Bell, and Berkley Publishing Group for the opportunity to review.-

I just finished reading Somebody’s Daughter by David Bell and thoroughly enjoyed it. I liked how each chapter ended in a cliffhanger and was told from a different point of view. I must say that sometimes the action seemed a little ludicrous with totally unbelievable reactions from the different characters. It seemed like some of the cliffhangers were forced just so it could end on this note. There were also a couple of characters who did things that nobody in their right mind would do but then again most of the time they were under a lot of stress so who knows what they would do in this situation. I wasn’t too crazy about the ending but that was probably the only way to go. I would gladly recommend this book to others and give it 4 stars. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this book in exchange for my unbiased review.

This was my first David Bell novel and I. am. hooked. I flew through this in a day as the secrets and lies in this book were so compelling, and I desperately wanted to know the truth. Complicated family relationships, devious exes, a missing child- there was tons to intrigue in this book, and it really delivered with tightly paced plotting. It's always fun to discover a new to you author with a backlist to jump into, and this book was a real pleasure.

David Bell does it again! Somebody's Daughter is a fast paced thriller that keeps you guessing until the very end. What we loved about this book was that every single chapter ended in a cliffhanger which of course makes you want to continue reading right away! This is why if you don't have the time to read through it fast, you'll go crazy with anticipation!
David Bell has a great knack for character development and plot twists. He is great at making the reader feel a part of the story. I truly felt my heart ache for Angela, an innocent party in this mess that her husband Michael has seemingly got himself wrapped up in! I felt betrayed by Michael, his mother, his sister, and Erica his ex wife as if I were Angela herself. Then there were times I felt drawn to Michael, feeling pain and heartache at how he was suddenly thrown into a situation he didn't expect or bargain for!
If you like suspenseful, thrillers that keep you guessing as plots thicken while you read, this is the book for you!!! We haven't read a David Bell book that we didn't love! Highly recommend! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The marriage barely lasted a year, you've been divorced for ten. What drew you to your ex in college-her impulsive and carefree personality-became recklessness and immaturity after graduation. You realized the marriage was a mistake before the ink was dry on the license, but you gamely stuck it out in the hope she'd come to embrace the stable and predictable life you craved. But that just wasn't Erica-so you moved on and never looked back. Now you're with Angela-she has the same calm and dependable personality as you-everything Erica was not. Besides the happy marriage, you've made more money than you'd ever dreamed of, and live in a beautiful home. Life is great, just like you'd planned. There's just one small problem (ok, it's a really big problem, but you've spent so much time in denial you hardly notice the elephant in the room). Except when you do, which is every second of every day. The one thing missing from your perfect life-the thing you want more than anything-appears to be the one thing you can't have-a child. Then nearly a decade after you last saw Erica she shows up on your doorstep, hysterical and begging you to help find her missing daughter. But why would Erica turn to you after all this time, why ask you to search for the child? Because Erica tells you, her nine year old daughter Felicity is also your daughter-a child you didn't even know existed until this very moment. Erica claims Felicity was conceived in the waning days of your marriage, but she didn't learn she was pregnant until after you'd left and has been raising Felicity on her own since. Just the thought you could be a father-your dream come true-sends you rushing off with Erica to search for the girl. Somebody's Daughter is every parent's worst nightmare-your child vanishes without a trace. The plot moves at a breakneck speed-the entire novel takes place over a mere 24 hours. And while it's fast paced, Somebody's Daughter is full of holes-nobody behaves in even a remotely logical way. And you need the proverbial scorecard to keep track of all the players- besides Erica and Angela, there's Michael, for whom fatherhood seems to be as elusive as the Holy Grail, Felicity's teacher who appears to have an unhealthy attachment to her, Erica's ex boyfriend who claims he's Felicity's father, Michael's mother and sister who live in the shadow of another tragedy involving a child that happened nearly 20 years before, and the tough but tender female cop dealing with her own domestic drama. Everybody is hiding something, and the truth becomes a moving target. David Bell has been down this path before-he knows his way around a good mystery-but Somebody's Daughter misses the mark. It's got a great premise, but goes off in so many tangents you almost forget a child's life is at stake. With short, choppy chapters you can read Somebody's Daughter in an afternoon. There's worse things you can do with your time, but don't be surprised if you feel like something's missing. Perhaps a plot that makes sense?

This book is amazing! It is good from the very first page! I feel sorry for Michael and Angela. They have something else come up every turn they make. This book is gripping, and I could not put it down. Lynn's revelation at the end was mind-blowing!

I want to know more about the secondary kidnapping, and what happens to the other characters. Please tell me there will be a sequel!

Michael's ex-wife appears at his door asking for help in finding their daughter, a child he didn't know he'd fathered, who'd disappeared. This was an illogical story with all of the characters, police and civilians alike, running around after sketchy leads. Annoyingly short chapters that end on supposed cliffhangers made it hard to get into the story, plus the horrible dialogue and unbelievable motivation for stupid actions--I'm sorry to say this triller did not thrill me.

Thank you Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book - all opinions are my own.

Somebody's Daughter was a decent read for me, but fell a bit short of the mark on being fantastic.

Synopsis: A 9 year old girl has gone missing, and Michael Fraizer finds his ex-wife, Erica, on his doorstep begging for his help to find her - a child who she claims is his daughter. Unsure about whether Erica is telling the truth, he finds himself drawn into trying to figure out what happened.

The premise of this story was spot on for a plot that would grab my attention, but somehow I never found myself really sucked into this book, or fully engaged. At times, it felt like there were just too many extra plot twists layered on, that weren't really necessary - and more aggravatingly, were never really resolved. While I love good twists in a mystery, there were almost too many to keep up with in this story.

I also never clicked with any of the characters, largely because huge swaths of their behaviour often seemed implausible. While the premise of the situation would clearly lend itself to a high stress situation, it also felt like characters moved through a series of actions, decisions and rollercoaster emotions that would have played out better had the story taken place over several weeks rather than a day.

Not to say I didn't enjoy this book - I did. It was face paced, and the chapters flew by with little cliff-hangers that did lure me into reading well into the night to untangle the mystery of what happened. This book makes for some easy summer reading, if you are looking for a good mystery to fly through.

This is a classic whodunnit. I enjoyed this book. It was very fast paced and easy to read. The story is very engaging. I loved all the twists and turns. I found myself constantly trying to solve who took the child. Once you start this book you won't want to stop until you discover the answer. Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

David Bell does it again! Somebody’s Daughter is a fast paced thriller that keeps you guessing until the very end. What we loved about this book was that every single chapter ended in a cliffhanger which of course makes you want to continue reading right away! This is why if you don’t have the time to read through it fast, you’ll go crazy with anticipation!
David Bell has a great knack for character development and plot twists. He is great at making the reader feel a part of the story. I truly felt my heart ache for Angela, an innocent party in this mess that her husband Michael has seemingly got himself wrapped up in! I felt betrayed by Michael, his mother, his sister, and Erica his ex wife as if I were Angela herself. Then there were times I felt drawn to Michael, feeling pain and heartache at how he was suddenly thrown into a situation he didn’t expect or bargain for!
If you like suspenseful, thrillers that keep you guessing as plots thicken as you read, this is the book for you!!! We haven’t read a David Bell book that we didn’t love! Highly recommend! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐