A gripping, edge-of-your-seat thriller of family intrigue and dark secrets, from the author of Someone Is Watching and See Jane Run.There was no shortage of words she could use to describe her father, almost none of them complimentary. Serves you damn right, she thought. A voice mail from her estranged sister, Melanie, sends Robin’s heart racing and her mind spiraling in a full-blown panic … racing and her mind spiraling in a full-blown panic attack. Melanie’s message is dire: Their father, his second wife, and his twelve-year-old stepdaughter have been shot—likely in a home invasion—and lie in the hospital in critical condition.
It’s been more than five years since Robin turned her back on her father when he married her best friend. Five years since she said goodbye to her hometown of Red Bluff, California, and became a therapist. More than two years since Robin and Melanie have spoken. Yet even with all that distance and time and acrimony, the past is always with Robin.
Now she must return to the family she left behind. As she attempts to mend fences while her father clings to life, Robin begins to wonder if there is more to the tragedy than a botched burglary attempt. It seems that everyone—Robin’s mercurial sister, her less-than-communicative nephew, her absent brother, and even Tara, her father’s wife—has something to hide. And someone may have put them all in grave danger.
New York Times bestselling author Joy Fielding has written a gripping edge-of-your-seat thriller of family intrigue and dark secrets. The Bad Daughter explores the deadly differences between the lies we want to believe and the truths we wish not to know.
Praise for The Bad Daughter
“So expert is [Joy] Fielding at seeding clues that readers will never see the final plot twist coming. The acutely portrayed family dynamics lend pathos and a certain schadenfreudian frisson to the proceedings. An author who knows her way around suburban angst.”—Kirkus Reviews
“Fielding, a sure hand at psychological suspense, amps up tension nicely here as the narrative reaches a high-energy conclusion.”—Booklist
“[Keeps] the reader turning the pages until the bombshell final shocker.”—Publishers Weekly
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It made me so tired I couldn’t finish.
1st time in years reading Joy Fielding book & oh my god, couldn’t stop till I finished! Really did not expect the ending on who done it, but really great & surprising finish. Loved it..
A bit predictable, but entertaining. A good “beach read.”
This is a nice, exciting psychological thriller, a “pot-boiler,” but reasonably good. It’ll make that wait at the airport a lot more fun!
Excellant
This was a fantastic mystery without being gory!
I actually figured the twist out about 2/3 of the way through and although I think the capitulation and confession of “the bad daughter” came a little unrealistically it was a good read. It kept me turning pages. It wasn’t quite a read it cover to cover book in one sitting book but it only took me two sittings to complete it.
It moved along and made you care about the characters. As it kept revealing new information, it was easy to keep wanting to move along. The ending was somewhat predictable yet a good read.
Such a great read. The ending blew me away. I highly recommend.
You’ll never guess the ending.
One of the things I liked about the book is the deliberate ambiguity of the title. 70% of the main speaking roles are young-ish women, and the author manages to keep the suspense going right up to the last ten or so pages, when we find out which of them really is the ‘Bad Daughter’. The setting is a small city in northern California where two of their family members-yes, the women are all related- have been murdered, and the story is of the on-again-off-again efforts of the bereaved survivors, and the county sheriff, to find out who did it and why. It was fine right up until the last ten pages, when there are too many revelations, unheralded by any previous hints or references, to be believed. Suddenly This One is revealed to be a clever psychopath. Naaaah. Unbelievable.
Well written but nearly plotless reading,
Good story, not the ending you expect till close to end, like the author read most of her books.
I didn’t want to put this down.
I love books that make you feel for the characters. Good or bad feelings….I couldn’t put it down.
Too predictable
Great book.
Joy Fielding at her best. Loved the book.
I came away from this one with mixed feelings. While the story did hold my interest, it is far from the gripping, edge of your seat thriller that is promised in the blurb. The pacing throughout most of the story is very slow until we get to the last handful of chapters, then it picks up considerably. Even with the slow pace, there were a couple of things that did keep me turning the pages. The first thing was the family dynamic. If you looked up dysfunctional, you’d find this family’s picture. It was a bit like a train wreck – you don’t really want to see, but you just can’t look away. The second thing was the identity of the killer, which is glaringly obvious from very early on, but I’ve been wrong before so I kept going to see if I’d guessed correctly and what this person’s motive could possibly be. Honestly, the cliche of a motive was the biggest disappointment for me, but as much as it’s been done, it still manages to send chills down a person’s spine. Our main character, Robin was likable enough, but her play by play of dreams became a little tedious and she’s not very perceptive for a therapist. With the exception of Blake, there’s not a single character in this one that isn’t flawed in some way – some worse than others, and some of those flaws made the character more likable and for others, not so much. I do have to comment on the sheer amount of dialogue in this one as it was considerable. But as I read, I began to realize that the dialogue could have been cut almost in half if the author had left out the annoying repetition of statements in question form. Once it caught my attention, I couldn’t help but notice how often it was happening and it started becoming a distraction. In the end, I did finish the book and the story did hold my interest, but this one was a middle of the road read for me. It wasn’t horrible, but it wasn’t great either and I can’t say that it would lead me to search out other books from this author.
The main character Robin, who is a therapist who suffers from major panic attacks and needs her own therapist, receives a call from her crabby sister Melanie letting her know that her father, stepsister Tara (who used to be Robin’s best friend and her brother Alec’s Fiancé.), and Tara’s 12 year old daughter Cassidy have been shot in a home invasion. Robin heads back home to deal with the mess. Throughout the book, the author gives you different reasons for why each character would have their reasons for causing the home invasion and you learn all about their family drama. This was a good read. It kept you wondering who the real culprit was with twists and turns. I received an ARC for my honest review. #NetGalley #TheBadDaughter