Daniel is my son. He has always been mine. And he always will be.On some level deep inside, Laura Bateman knows something is wrong. That her relationship with her son is not what it should be. That it is based on lies.But bad things have happened to Laura. Things that change a person. Forever.For twenty-six-year-old Daniel, the discovery that his mother is not who he thought comes close to … he thought comes close to destroying him. As his world turns upside down, he searches for sanity in the madness that has become his life. Daniel is left with nothing but questions. Why did Laura do something so terrible? Can he move past the demons of his childhood?
And the biggest question of all: can he ever forgive Laura?
Revised edition: This edition of His Kidnapper’s Shoes includes editorial revisions.
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This is the first book I’ve read by Maggie James and I certainly enjoyed it.
It’s an emotional tale of Laura Bateman who is driven to steal someone else’s young child, the reasons why and the terrible impact on herself, Daniel (who’s now an adult,) and Daniel’s real family are all explored.
Can Daniel forgive the woman who kidnapped him? And what sad secrets is she keeping from him? And what terrible truth hasn’t he told her?
There are startling revelations, and emotional scenes with the story building up slowly but surely to its conclusion.
It’s a difficult one to comment on in detail without spoiling the story. But I didn’t quite buy into the girlfriend conundrum revelation at the beginning of the story. Some of the other details regarding Daniel’s life story and proclivities were more interesting to me.
This is for you if you enjoy psychological suspense with a strong emotional aspect, looking at both a female and male viewpoint (cleverly done,) as the story is written in dual point of view. The plot is simple, engaging and effective. The characters are damaged by the tragic circumstances of their lives and this is conveyed well. Laura Bateman’s certainty that her actions were justified creates an interesting and engaging aspect to the story.
Overall, an enjoyable read, which kept me turning the pages.
A recommended read – my rating 4 stars.
Thank you so much to the author for a copy. I freely give my unbiased and considered opinion.
I read this book quite quickly and for the best part was carried along. You do have to stretch the imagination in places, but that’s to be expected. However, given Laura’s dedication to her son, I couldn’t quite make myself believe she didn’t know how her husband was treating Daniel. That said, I did enjoy it.
Audiobook Version
His Kidnappers Shoes was advertised as a psychological thriller, but I didn’t find it suspenseful or thrilling at all. Even though this book wasn’t what I was expecting, I still really enjoyed the Daniel and Laura’s stories.
Daniel just found out, as an adult, that the woman who raised him kidnapped him from his biological family. I’ve always wondered how an adult would process this. If the family who kidnapped him gave him a good life, would he be angry? If the home he grew up in was bad, would it fuel his anger further? Daniel’s reactions to this life-altering news seemed very genuine and realistic to me. There were some parts of the story that moved a little slower than I usually like, but it still held my attention and took me for a ride.
I chose to listen to the audiobook version of His Kidnappers Shoes and ended up with mixed feelings about the narration. I felt the male narrator, Nico Evers-Swindell, did a great job voicing Daniel’s chapters, but the female narrator, Susan Duerden, left me with mixed feelings. There were some places the female narration seemed too breathy, if that makes any sense. I ended up getting used to the female narration, but it could be frustrating at times.