Imagine living your life as a normal teenager with an overprotective mom. One day there is a knock on the door. It's the FBI. You find out not only is your name and personal history not what you always believed, but you are also the daughter of Jeffry Robert Lake, an infamous serial killer. That's what happens to Scarlet. Her father uses her as a pawn, telling the FBI he will give names and locations of women he killed if he can see his daughter. Scarlet decides she has to do this in order to give the families of these women the closure they need.

This book was outstanding. Reading the growth of Scarlet while coming face to face with a monster and learning more about his crimes than she ever wanted to know was great. Scarlet proved to be a strong individual. She played her role in order to get the information needed. Her mother actually showed the most personal growth throughout their ordeal. The story didn't just center around the prison and visits with Lake. The reader gets to see how being the daughter of a serial killer influences almost every aspect of Scarlet's life. We see how the press treats her, how friends react to the news, how her social life is impacted, how her entire world changes with one conversation.

I rate 4 stars and would recommend this book to everyone.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Whenever I read a true crime story about creepy killers, I always think how would their family feel, what plays in their mind to learn that one of their own is a killer?! Author McLaughlin has provided a wholesome answer to my question in the form of this book — Daughter. Thank you Wednesday books for the e-arc.

Saying anymore things about this book will release the tension, so I’m just gonna say if you like the synopsis, get reading. Daughter will not disappoint you! She is fast paced, brave, suspenseful and her actions will shock you.

Daughter was such a creepy, twisted thriller. I loved all the twists, and Scarlet’s interactions with her father. Scarlet and her mom also had such a close bond that I loved reading about.

Scarlet’s average life is shifted when she finds out her father is a serial killer and will only give her the names and locations of his last victims—and everything for Scarlet changes. This book was a fantastic read; easy writing that was fast and enjoyable and the author did a great job of delving into Scarlet’s huge change of life. I wasn’t sure what to expect with a YA thriller because I have not read a lot of them, but this may have helped me make a choice to read some more of them because it was a fantastic read!

The writing is gripping and the chapters are short. The romance and the found family were perfection. This really is such a well done book, but my problem comes from the book pitch (as I interpreted it) not lining up with the story I read. It talks a lot about the father/daughter angle and the murders, but that took up relatively little page time. Instead, it fed out into how that impacted Scarlet and her mother, more than anything else. Which makes a lot of sense, seeing as it is a pretty huge thing to have happen in your life, but it didn't make it any less of a let down for me, personally. I wanted more of the thriller aspect than I got.

If you like an emotion driven story and stories about family, this is a great read. It was hard to put down. But if you're looking for something with more thriller vibes, you might need to look for another book.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books for the arc of this book. I have read many serial killer books, but none like this one. The writing was amazingly good. So good I really did not want to put the book down. The characters were great. Scarlet started out being a typical teen chaffing with an over protective mom and became so much more. She and her mother were both such strong women and went through so much. The more minor characters were also well-written and distinct.
The story was chilling and did not feel like a YA story for the most part. I think for some older teens, it might be upsetting, so just be careful. But that said, I really loved this book.

This novel is freakishly chilling and absorbing at once! Scarlett is in high school and discovers the man she thought to be her father is in prison as an infamous serial killer. He now wants to see her and suggests he will give her names of victims he killed. Obviously this is a difficult choice as of course she is curious, but at what price? These scenes are hard to read as our hearts go out to this young girl whose childhood was anything but normal. But read you will, as you cannot in good conscience, tear your eyes away even as you may be weeping inside for young Scarlett. If you are a mother, go hug your daughters (or sons) and be ready to embrace Scarlett's bravery and tenacity. This one will tear at your heartstrings (and any other strings you have) but it's totally worth reading!
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC

This was excellent!
What a fantastic idea for a book and extremely well written. The darkness of the killer, the daughter who finds out her legacy, and the mother who may not be all she seemed. It tapped into all the obsession of modern society for serial killers.
The interactions between daughter and father were superbly written. The whole thing was twisty, morbid, horrific, and yet I couldn't put it down and had to keep reading. The final twist was the best.
If you like your storylines dark and twisty, this story is a must!
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

This is one book True Crime Fans don't want to miss.

I read 70% of this book in one day, it was that good.
Any True Crime fan will enjoy this book.
You can tell this Author was inspired by the Netflix docuseries about Bundy and his crimes.
This book was done very well and i loved ho it was more about the victims including Scarlet and her mom instead of Jeff.

In “Daughter: A Novel”, Scarlet Murphy, aka Brittany Lake, finds out she’s the daughter of the infamous serial killer Jeff Lake.

Fifteen years earlier, Scarlet’s mom divorced Lake, changed her name, and disappeared with her two-year-old daughter. Now Jeff Lake is dying in a prison hospital, and he says he is willing to give up the names and locations of his other victims, but only to his daughter.

That would be so crazy to find out that you are the daughter of a serial killer - and not in a good way!

When I first heard about “Daughter”, I was intrigued and knew I had to read it! It was excellent and kept me engaged. Although, it did go in a different direction than I thought it would. The romance in the story surprised me (because something like this would turn your life upside down), but I was glad Scarlet had someone to talk to who liked her for who she was and not because of her father.

Scarlet was courageous for facing Jeff Lake. She really wanted to help the other families, and I like the creative ways she was going about that and trying to take the spotlight off Lake and onto the forgotten victims.

It is a YA novel, so not overly graphic, but there is drinking, drug use, sex, and foul language.

FTC Disclaimer: I received an ARC of the story from the publisher for my honest review.

Scarlet has never know her father. Her mom has been a single mother as long as she can remember. Maybe a little too strict, but that’s ok. When the FBI show up at the door, Scarlett gets the shock of a lifetime when she learns her father is an infamous serial killer. To make matters worse, he wants to meet her. Of course she is not going to go, until the FBI tells her the reason he is making this demand.
Well written and thought out, and a great ending.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book surprised me. I expected it to fall into some cliches that I hate but it didn't do that. The main character felt like a real teenager who would have to deal with all of this. I also like how they portrayed the media since the media would invasive in a situation and this was shown in the book. I also like how the book had a storyline about how people always remember the killer and not the victims and how our main character wanted to change that.

I had two main critiques for this book. 1. The writing style felt basic. It wasn't bad but it could have used more. This although didn't ruin my enjoyment of the book. 2. There was a romance between the main character and another character. This felt so out of place in the book and honestly stopped this book from being 5 stars. The thing that frustrated me the most about this was that you immediately know who the love interest is the second you meet them.
4/5 stars.

There is ALOT going on in this book.

This is THE definition of a dysfunctional family. Her mother is the perfect helicopter mom and, honestly, at times was incredibly annoying and I had to put the book down.

The storyline is clever and really forces the reader to see two points of view.....the killer's one and the victim's one and that was very well done and very interesting.

The pacing was good although, could have used with a pick up in several locations.

Very engrossing though and I was actually surprised at the feelings I got when reading this book.

Wow! This book was a page turner for sure! I was hooked from the moment I learned that Scarlet's father was a serial killer and her mother had kept it from her for 17 years. I found the character development great. I cared for the characters and they felt real. The plot was compelling and I wanted to find out what was going to happen next! The only reason I gave this 4 instead of 5 stars was I felt that there were some parts in the middle of the book that dragged a bit. Without releasing any spoilers, I will say that I wanted more drama during the visits. Overall, this is a solid read that kept me glued to the Kindle this weekend. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Interesting but not really my cup of tea. A mystery thriller crime. What would you do if you found out your father is a infamous serial killer. And now he wants to find you? Well written I just personally couldn’t get into the story. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Scarlet finds out her father was a serial killer. The FBI asks her to find out the names of the victims they have not found yet.

Great thriller! Good characterizations.

I did have one question which I asked in notes to publisher and will ask on the book’s Goodreads page.

Many thanks to Netgalley and St. Martins Press/Wednesday Books for the read.

What a read this was!

Super suspenseful, chilling, and just non-stop feels. I was so engaged in our main character and her very creepy father!

This is the kind of psychological thriller that just keeps you reading. While much of what happens isn’t action-oriented, the book is still fast paced and as you read, you realize you don’t really know what might happen next.

I enjoyed every page of this one and will happily read the author again!

*ARC via Publisher

I have never read a book like this before!! For fans of serial killer documentaries this is great! I loved watching the story unfold and how there was still some twist and turns right until the very end. The character development was so well written and made me feel so connected with Scarlett. I also loved how the author included the main character having anxiety. A lot of people will be able to relate to that! Overall, this was a really good book and I’m already telling all my friends and family about it!!

Scarlet is so tired of her mother's over protectiveness! Her entire life it seems like her mom has been paranoid and never gives Scarlet an ounce of freedom. Now, about 6 months shy of 18 and about to graduate from high school and head off to college, Scarlet is afraid her mom will follow her. Then, the FBI walks in her door and reveals the truth. The father Scarlet always thought left when she was a baby is actually infamous serial killer Jeffrey Robert Lake. As if that weren't enough, he's dying of pancreatic cancer and has offered to reveal more names and locations of his victims' bodies, but only to his daughter. It all sounds unreal, like one of the movies Scarlet hopes to someday make when she finishes film school. Scarlet faces an impossible choice: remain anonymous and continue to liver her life while knowing there's families out there with missing daughters who need the closure that she could give them. Or, she can meet with the most notorious serial killer of her time and try to not be too scarred by all the demons it brings.

This book includes plenty of secondary characters, but the main focus is Scarlet - with a little of her mom thrown in for fun. If you want a psychological thriller and lots of scenes with serial killers, this is not the book for you. Instead, this is an exploration of Scarlet's feelings and how she processes being the daughter of a monster. It's very well-written and thought-provoking. There's a lot of profanity and scenes of drug use and drinking. (I actually felt like Scarlet did an unrealistic amount of self-medicating with drugs and sex). Still, it's a powerful look into the psyche of a teenage girl, and coping with trauma, with a little social commentary on our society's ridiculous obsession with serial killers.

A quick and powerful read, I do recommend it.

Disclaimer: I received a free electronic copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

As a fan of mystery and thriller books, I was excited to get this book I will definitely read more by Kate McLaughlin in the future.