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
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I really liked this book. The author does a very good job in that the book moves a long smoothly. The ending was surprising and unexpected. I will read more by her. No sex scenes or filthy words to just fill up space just a good story that flowed. 5 stars!!!!
Kept me guessing until the last pages. Loved your characters and the plot. I found myself a new author. Loved it.
A great example of how love can heal the traumatized child. Giving out of his own need to save another brings a damaged little soul back to himself.
This was a quick read but a great book!
I just finished reading this book. I really enjoyed it. Traumatized child holds the key. I would recommend this book!
Very good read i highly recommend it!
Great murder mystery, with a I didn’t see that coming twist at the end!
I appreciate a solid “who is it “. This book delivered.
thought provoking
This book kept me up late, reading.
Was difficult to stop reading so that I could accomplish things. Even went to bed hours early so that I could read, then read into the early morning hours. Wonderful book.
very well done. I couldn’t put it down. Hope there is another book on the way
Love the twists and turns.
This is a one-sitting rad. Great story. Loved it
I loved this book. Fell in love with the main character and couldn’t wait to see what she would do next.
The author made police detectives human!
This was an excellent book. It was very well written and kept you guessing until the end.
One of my favorite things is to find a new author’s first book and continue reading her books as they are published which is exactly what I did with the works of J. A. Schneider. Her books snag you on the first page and don’t let go until the very end. What I find most interesting is a writer’s development from one book to the next. The good ones stick with what works and develop within their own framework. Schneider is one of the good ones.
J. A. Schneider’s framework revolves around maniacal, misogynistic, serial killers. She evokes a bit of THE FIRST DEADLY SIN, by Lawrence Sanders, a book I read years ago that has always stuck with me as a non-whodunit. You, the reader, get to follow the killer first hand. Each encounter drops just the tiniest of clues, so you know a little more each time the killer is featured. This is a whodunit that keeps you guessing from first kill to last as to the actual identity but not the sociopathy of the murderer.
Kerri Blasco, New York City homicide detective, is the tough cop with a sad backstory. Like many good cops, she relies on instinct while sifting through evidence. Going with her gut is what she does best. She is also your basic softie, often leaving a murder scene fighting back tears for the victim. It is this balance that keeps her story from becoming just another noir outing. She has grit and determination paired with a caring soul. Kerri is a strong female lead that is both likeable and human.
I am an equal opportunity reader, probably because I read to be entertained. Yes, I read about nasty serial killers to relax. I also read lengthy tomes of horror. Any writer that can engage me and entertain me starting on page one, is worth five stars. Although you can read WATCHING YOU as a standalone novel, I would highly recommend that you start with the first Kerri Blasco book FEAR DREAMS, followed by HER LAST BREATH, and finally get to this one. I would also recommend that you check out the half dozen Rainey & Levine medical thrillers for a new take on what can happen in a teaching hospital.