Thank you for the opportunities to read this book. I have attempted it on a number of occasions but unfortunately I haven’t been able to get into it.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5

Birthday Girl by Matthew Iden was a solid read for me and I absolutely loved the pacing!

I would have liked more twists, but it was definitely a gripping novel and a quick read. The chapters were all really short and I enjoyed the different viewpoints. I think I could have done without the cop's POV just because I think it would have given less away, but otherwise I liked them all and it made the book go by even faster.

Birthday Girl was both creepy and disturbing at times, and I love the cover. It is very fitting for the book and you will find out why if you read it! I'd call this more of a thriller/suspense than a mystery since you find out fairly early who the kidnapper is (at least I realized it quickly). This was my first time reading a book by Iden and I'm very interested in reading more now. I hadn't heard of him before and I love when I find new-to-me authors and seriously enjoy their books!

Song/s the book brought to mind: Superman (It's Not Easy) by Five For Fighting

Final Thought: There are a lot of broken characters in Birthday Girl and a lot of tragedy so it is on the heavier side as far as suspense novels go. I was hooked from the very first chapter and couldn't wait to find out where it went. If I would have had time I could have easily read this in one sitting so if you're looking for a quick, suspenseful novel this is it.

Thank you to NetGalley for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

Good story! Quick read! I had a hard time putting it down. I needed to know what happened. This book kept me guessing!

Elliott Nash, former criminal psychologist, is homeless and cynical. His life fell apart after his young daughter was murdered years ago. Enter Amy. Amy’s daughter was kidnapped a year ago. The police have given up on the case and left Amy to find help wherever she can get it—like from Elliott.

This was a good psychological thriller that kept me reading well past bedtime. The characters are mostly believable, though you sometimes have to stretch that belief. The chapters are short (great for those busy readers like me!) and are each told from a different character’s perspective. It’s easy to keep up with the characters and the story.

I found the book to be well written, and I would absolutely recommend it to other fans of psychological thrillers or suspense!

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Love the Elliott Nash character! To have him be voluntarily homeless adds an interesting character flaw to what could have been just a standard PI.

The story itself was just OK. I have definitely read stories with better written plots, but it held my interest. A quick read.

I just read this book in one sitting and it was really good! Matthew Iden is a new author to me but I will certainly be looking out for his books now.

Birthday Girl: A Thriller is, as it says in the title, a thriller and it certainly serves up a whole lot of very suspenseful moments. The story is about missing children and one totally crazy adult and it moves forward at a great pace. Each chapter is short and fast, and each one relates to the point of view of one of the many different characters. As the book builds to a conclusion there is just no moment at which you want to put it down.

I found Birthday Girl: A Thriller to be well written, full of interesting characters, full of suspense and occasionally even scary. There is a small gas oven which could be the thing of nightmares! If you enjoy a good thriller then this is a book for you.

Okay, first take a good look at that creepy cover and try to understand why I couldn’t pass this up. Birthday Girl by Matthew Iden is a book that I haven’t seen on many blogs, which is a pity since this is actually a really gripping thriller.

This is the story of Elliott Nash, a homeless man who used to be a brilliant psychiatrist but the death of his daughter left him completely desperate. Eight years after her daughter’s death, a woman called Amy looks for his help to find her missing daughter Lacey, whom she believes to be alive even after almost a year. Elliott and Amy start investigating Lacey’s disappearance, which they believe to be connected to other missing kids that were found killed around their birthdays. But what exactly is going on?

This was a quick and fast-paced read, I read it in about two days and it was one of those stories that I was quite excited to go back to. I really liked Amy and Elliott’s characters because, despite their flaws, you could see that they were actually really good people. I also loved how the author, Matthew Iden, explored the topic of living in the streets. It really made me think, especially when Elliott’s character mentioned how sometimes homeless people scream at you, not because they’re crazy, but because they want to feel visible. It was heartbreaking.

There were several points of view in Birthday Girl, yet the most gripping were those who featured Sister and the children. My favorite kids were Charlie and Charlotte, of course! Oh, and if you read that prologue and don’t become immediately hooked, I don’t know what else will do, really. It was so so creepy and scary that I had to keep reading!

A minor issue I had with Birthday Girl was that the last part felt a bit rushed and you actually knew everything before the characters found out, something which I found rather anticlimactic. However, later, there was also a small twist that was smart and satisfactory and in the end, I did love how things turned out to be.

**I received a digital copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**

I have been following Matthew Iden since his Marty Singer series started. I honestly thought this was another one of those, and I was excited.

It's not.

This is a stand alone thriller. The story is told from 5 character perspectives.

Amy is searching for her daughter, now that the police have given up, she knows time is precious.

Elliot is a homeless man, who used to be a forensic psychologist. He lost his own daughter and it crippled his life. He hopes that by helping Amy, he can redeem himself.

Then you have Sister and Charlotte. Charlotte and the other children are afraid of Sister. But why?

And finally Detective Dave, he is the one who was on the case with Amy, and suggested she find Elliot.

This was such a wild ride! It honestly kept me guessing all the way through. Best book yet, by Matthew Iden.

Eight years ago, Elliott Nash’s daughter was kidnapped and murdered. Since then, everything the brilliant former criminal psychologist had is a memory—his child, his career, his wife his lost his home and is now living on the streets with only guilt,nightmares and the memory of his daughter to make him feel alive. Until Amy Scowcroft solicits his help to find her missing daughter Lacey

Amy Scowcroft is a down on her luck single mother who's daughter was kidnapped over a year a go with the police saying it's a cold case giving up the search Amy refuses to believe that Lacey is dead and to Elliott its a chance to prove himself a chance to make him feel needed a chance to make up for letting his daughter down a chance of redemption!

with Amy finding a clue about 7 other missing children that have gone missing with some turning up dead on there birthday all the children including Lacey are from broken homes was taken into foster care and all taken near there birthday, right now that's all they have to go on until the kidnapper slips up and makes a mistake!

Sister is the Kidnapper who's keeping the children in an old house she sees it as shes helping them saving them she gives them new names that only mean something to her but there was always someone with the name before them and will have the name after them if they make a mistake step out of line she will punish them to the max her idea of help is there idea of hell!

the children are scared they don't want to upset Sister because they know what will happen but with each child finding there own way of coping it can and will cause fights they are alone and only have each other will they make it past there birthday will they escape see there family's again or will Sister have one final plan to make sure the children stay apart of her family!

i really enjoyed reading Birthday Girl it was a very fast paced thriller it was a book that kept you wanting more it was great the the two main characters was either homeless or down on there luck it made a nice change i thought the story and characters was believable i didn't want the book to end i would of been happy to keep going but i know a story has to end there was a few twists that i was shocked by that i didn't see coming it got to a point where i was on the last 25% but i could not stop reading i had to know what happened next i loved the ending it was a perfect fit for the story and the Characters the writer did a great job i loved it and i will read it again some time soon and recommend it to my friends.. thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for my copy of the book .

HIGHLY RECOMMEND EVERYONE TO READ THIS!

5 Stars for this thrilling novel. I was hook, line, and sinker from the get-go. The first chapter drew me right in that i was completely immersed and didn't realize that i needed to go to bed. The suspense of it all!!!!

Dr. Elliot Nash, a forensic psychologist who once worked with the D.C. Metropolitan Child and Family Services unit. The novel begins with you finding out Elliot has suffered from some person tragedy which now leaves his homeless. As Elliot is struggling with his own demons he meets single mom Amy. Her daughter ,Lacey was abducted about a year ago and she was sent to sought out Elliot by Detective Dave Cargill ,who was working on Lacey's case but it hit a dead end. Dave knew if anyone can help find Lacey it would be Elliot, Dave has his own set of problems and some demons in his past. Then you add in this mysterious character called "Sister"
who lives in her long gone parent's home and is a caregiver for a group of children. Sister is a disciplinarian who seems to be in her own world mentally.

I LOVED THIS NOVEL. I enjoyed Sister and trying to figure out what or how she played into what was going on. Also trying to figure out who she was and what was her story, how did she play into Elliot and Amy's life, if at all. This novel left me guessing till the almost end because once you figured out what was going on you were left hanging on the edge of your seat till BAM! its over. I loved it, all of it. I hope to read more from Matthew Iden.

Thanks NetGalley and everyone involved.

This is my first book by this author and I really enjoyed it.

Elliott’s daughter Cee Cee is abducted and we are introduced to Elliott years after the abduction. Once a criminal psychologist, he loses everything after Cee Cee is taken, turns to alcohol and loses his job, loses his wife, then ultimately loses his home and is now living in the streets. Amy is another character in this book and her daughter Lacey was also taken but Amy hasn't given up looking for her and needs help. The detective refers her to Elliott, because he believes if anyone can help Amy it would be him.

The backstory is creepy and I love creepy. Personally, I would have preferred more chapters of "Sister" and "Charlotte" opposed to so many from Elliott and Amy. Around 75% , I was starting to become bored with them, but don't fear as the book soon starts to take off and continues through to the end. The "Sister" chapters were great. She had a traumatic childhood that she lets us in on in bits and pieces. Suspenseful and creepy.....

This book covers abuse of children, kidnapping, murder and mental illness. This book was well written and intriguing and I would like to read more from this author.
A big thank you to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for allowing me an advanced copy of this book.

Elliott Nash was a renowned criminal psychologist who often testified at trials, helping to put criminals away.

Until one abducted and murdered his daughter.

Despite his degree, he could not cope with his own loss, and he lost his marriage, his career and his will to live.

Until Dave, a former colleague from the police department, steers Amy Scowcroft his way. Amy’s daughter, Lacey, disappeared about a year ago, and despite the statistics, she refuses to believe that Lacey is dead. But the police have labeled her case, a “cold case”, so she must continue this investigation on her own.

Reluctantly, Elliott agrees to help, and the two stumble upon a link between Lacey’s case and a few others, but the link involves the abductees birthdays, and Lacey’s is coming up soon...

The reader is privy to all of the characters knowledge, so you have a pretty good idea of what is going on and as the race against time continues, you will feel the tension as you wait for the protagonists to catch up to you!

This is the second book that I have read by Matthew Iden ( One Right Thing-Marty Singer #3 being the first) and if you enjoy crime fiction, I recommend that you give either (or both) a try!

I would like to thank Netgalley, Thomas and Mercer, and Matthew Iden for granting me an ARC, in exchange for my candid review!

It took me a few chapters to figure out who was who and what was going on, but once I got that all sorted out the story swept me away. The tension builds and builds to a satisfying conclusion that makes me wonder if there might be a followup book. This is a story that got me thinking about how children cope with family issues and about the social systems that 'serve' them. I want to pass Birthday Girl on to friends for their reaction.

Very good. Very strong characters. I enjoyed the suspense of it

This book was a page-turner. I loved every moment of the story and enjoyed how the mystery unraveled. I would put a warning on it because it does contain child abuse, but it is an excellent book! I highly recommend. I look forward to reading more from this author.

This book was provided to me by NetGalley in exchange for a review. Don't want to give a thing away. Read this book. Now!! SO great! You won't be able to put it down!

I love Matt Iden's books; however, this departure from his Marty Singer series wasn't for me. Matt Iden is an excellent writer, but the first chapter was just too disturbing for me . I wouldn't recommend this book to friends with similar proclivities only because I doubt they'd enjoy it, but people who enjoy psychological thriller would appreciate andI enjoy it.

"Sister was descending the stairs backward so she could drag a large bundle, something long, wrapped in a blanket, and heavy enough that she was having trouble lifting it.".....

Elliot Nash is homeless. His former life just a memory. His daughter was murdered 8 years ago. Her death ended his entire life, his marriage, and his job as a criminal psychologist.

Amy asks for Elliot’s help in finding her daughter. Kidnapped a year ago, she can’t accept her child is probably dead. She thinks that Elliot, with their shared grief, and his educational background, can help her find her daughter, Lacey.

As it turns out, there are at least seven children who have disappeared around the time of their birthdays. This may be the clue that will help Elliot and Amy uncover what happened to these girls. Can Elliot find his own redemption with the answers to this mystery?

Are any of the children still alive? Is it too late? The streets of Washington D.C. are dangerous and treacherous for those who may be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Throughout, I just wanted Elliot to find some kind of peace, find a piece of his life again. I hoped for Amy to get her daughter back. It wasn’t a story you could put down, and not keep wondering what happens next.

I’ve previously read this authors books, including all of his detective “Marty Singer,” series. I enjoy Matthew Iden’s work, and this book, “Birthday Girl,” was also an excellent thriller and mystery suspense tale.

Thank you Matthew Iden, Netgalley, and Thomas & Mercer Publishers.

Really outstanding thriller! Too realistic and therefore very scary! Great reading!

Where do I even start? I've been on a thriller kick lately, but I've been finding that many of them are formulaic and not very original. This book is not one of them.

The story follows an investigation into a string of abducted children, and is told through several POVs. It's creepy and horrific, and the suspense was very strategically paced so I never felt impatient for the plot to move along.

The twist at the end was phenomenal. I wouldn't even say that I was misled, but I was happy to be wrong, as if made me pause and rework in my head what I had been picturing all book long once I got to the reveal. .

This ride was thoroughly enjoyable and gripping, and I can't wait to check out this author's other books. I'm officially a fan.