A little boy has seen a horrific murder but is too traumatized to speak. Detective Kerri Blasco struggles to connect with him…Charlie Sparkes peeks out to see his mother and another young woman brutally shot. Hysterical, the brave child bolts into the cold November night for help. He screams and cries, only to fall into more trauma.Homicide Detective Kerri Blasco is called to the murder scene. … Blasco is called to the murder scene. One woman lies dead next to the blood soaked rug where Rachel Sparkes was seriously wounded. With little memory of the attack, she has been taken to the hospital – but where is her child? He too, Kerri discovers, now lies in a hospital bed, mute and traumatized in a fetal position, refusing even food and water.
Charlie must have seen what happened. Kerri’s heart aches for this piteous little boy and she struggles to help him; struggles, too to find the monster who did this horrible crime. “It’s your kind of case,” Sergeant Alex Brand, Kerri’s boss and partner tells her, stepping up police urgency when another innocent is shot, and then another…
Kerri Blasco finds herself more emotionally obsessed with this case than with any other, despite clear and onrushing danger to herself…
Advance praise for Shoeless Child:
“I absolutely adored this amazing book. Thrilling, absolutely gripping, it was a rollercoaster of a read that I just could not put down. One of the best novels I have read this year. It has everything – tension, a fast and original plot, characters so real you feel they are in the room with you and a story you cannot stop thinking about. Warning: you will not be able to do anything else while reading this book, it will take you over, which is exactly what a great book should do. Five stars!” Renita D’Silva
“I loved Shoeless Child! The action is non-stop fast and the plot is original – but it’s Charlie’s character and story that make the book so much more. Kerri’s interactions with Charlie are filled with compassion, emotion and empathy – her determination to solve the case, whatever the danger to herself, is a characteristic she’s shown in the past; she outdid herself this time. A gritty, intense psychological thriller, Shoeless Child is one I highly recommend.” Brenda Telford
“A brutal murder and a broken child combust into a story so ingenious and utterly unexpected, it will have you re-reading parts to see if you missed any subtle clues. Shoeless Child is a psychological thriller that will have you rushing to the end, only to be blown away once you get there. This is a definite Read and Read Again!” Jennifer Tooker
“Grips you by the throat and starts throttling your imagination on page one. Then, just pages later, your eyes will well up with tears. Terror and pathos are the very signature of the Kerri Blasco books. SHOELESS CHILD is meant to be read in one sitting because there’s just no good place to set it aside!” Madelon Wilson
“Fantastic! I love, love, love the Kerri Blasco books! This thriller had me frantically turning pages. It’s fast and never drags the way some thrillers do. I love the relationship between Kerri and her fellow detectives, especially with Alex Brand, her police partner/secret lover. Their romance in the Kerri Blasco books is warm and doesn’t overwhelm the stories. Plus the humor is funny and genuine, never snide and doesn’t feel forced like in other books. As for whodunnit and why – it definitely took me by surprise!” Alice Liddell
more
Great book, fantastic characters…could hardly put it down!
Loved it! Fell in love with little Charlie. Ending had a nice twist .
A great read. Couldn’t put it down!
Had me guessing and I guessed wrong.
This is a great book—-good triumphs over evil
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was a quick read that kept my interest. I did figure out the culprit about 3/4ths of the way they the book…but enjoyed the additional reveals and the conclusion.
This is one of the best, page turners in a long time. I love psychological thrillers! This gives the thrill of the hunt, the mind games without sounding like it was written so a twelve year old could understand the story. This story lets your imagination run.
I enjoyed this book although it was very sad at times.
This was a great story with lots of suspense.
I couldn’t put it down. Think it took me about three hours from front to back. Very good writing and suspense.
Engaging characters that make you want to root for them. Plot that makes the book hard to put down.
It was a real page turner and plot very realistic. Enjoyable read.
Good , generous, loving characters
Insight into a child’s traumatized mind
Liked it just for that
I had my suspicions about the person who committed the murder in this book. And although I was right, the reason was entirely a surprise. I love reading this author!
Traumatized children in the midst of caring and uncaring adults– many of them also traumatized. woven into the plot which is metaphor for life is complicated.
It was so so. Kept my interest
This is not a book to read when you just want to relax. It is totally a page-turner, and the characters are ones you’ll want to invite back to visit you!
This book was wonderfully written and edited. I was captivated by the little boy from the moment I met him, and his journey was a remarkable one. Intelligent, believable and very likable main characters surrounded him. I did not predict the ending, and it did not disappoint.
Engaging mystery with a few unexpected twists along the way.
It was a great read. Very captivating.