A man must save the life of a little girl who may be his own flesh and blood in this pulse-pounding novel of psychological suspense from the USA Today bestselling author of Kill All Your Darlings.When Michael Frazier’s ex-wife, Erica, unexpectedly shows up on his doorstep, she drops a bombshell that threatens to rip his family apart: Her ten-year-old daughter is missing—and Michael is the father. … missing—and Michael is the father. Unsure whether this is the truth but unwilling to leave the girl’s fate to chance, Michael has no choice but to follow the elusive trail of the child he has always wanted but never knew he had.
Over the course of one night, lies that span a decade come bubbling to the surface, putting Michael, his wife, and his whole family in jeopardy. And as the window for a little girl’s safe return closes, Michael will have to decide who can be trusted and who is hiding the truth….
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Excellent book!
Somebody’s Daughter moves at a relentless pace from the moment the story opens on a quiet, otherwise uneventful evening at 8:16 p.m. Michael Frazier and his wife, Angela, are shocked to find his ex-wife, Erica, on their doorstep, claiming that her nine-year-old daughter, Felicity, has been kidnapped. She begs Michael to help search for the girl, announcing that Michael is the child’s father. Angela has been under the impression that neither Michael nor any member of his family has remained in touch with Erica during the decade since their divorce. and is stunned that Erica would turn up making such a claim. Michael knows that he and Erica continued their physical relationship right up to the point that their relationship broke up, so Erica could be telling the truth. If she is, and the child he has never known is missing, he can’t refuse Erica’s desperate plea. Promising that he will be back soon, he leaves with Erica. And leaves Angela with myriad questions.
Throughout the night, the police search for the child, as do Michael and Erica. Angela also gets involved in the hunt, unable to simply sit at home and do nothing. In the process, her mother-in-law, Gail, reveals details about Erica’s life in the years since Michael ended their marriage, and Erica’s menacing former boyfriend arrives on the scene.
Detective Erin Griffin and her partner, Jim Twitchell, are assigned to the case. Griffin is recently divorced. She also miscarried a child. Her intuition inspires her to follow clues that other members of the police force discount. In particular, her misogynistic colleagues accuse her of being overly emotional and relating too deeply to the case. She is appropriately outraged and offended — but undeterred.
As the long night wears on, Angela learns truths about Michael and his family that bring into question everything and everyone she has trusted. Michael’s family is revealed to be more deeply and profoundly troubled by the death many years ago of his younger sister, Robyn. Erica’s struggles as a single mother and her behavior in reaction to those challenges is revealed to have been deeply troubling on occasion.
Bell has crafted an intense, compelling mystery in which virtually every character is a suspect — for good reason. The deeply flawed characters are empathetic and believable. He injects clues to Felicity’s fate at deftly-timed intervals and, in due course, eliminates suspects as the tension gradually builds to a shocking conclusion. Somebody’s Daughter is simply un-put-down-able because as the story progresses it is apparent that Bell could opt to resolve the story in many different ways. The conclusion he ultimately provides is well-reasoned and, overall, emotionally satisfying, if a bit rushed and lacking complete resolution of all details.
Thanks to NetGalley for an Advance Reader’s Copy of the book.
Such a talented writer. This book was so good I’m in the process of reading all of his published thrillers
Great if u like suspense/drama a good vacation read by the water
With razor sharp prose and a satisfyingly twisty plot, Somebody’s Daughter is an intense, emotional thrill ride readers won’t want to miss!
Dollycas’s Thoughts
David Bell has yet to disappoint me. There is a reason he has become one of my favorite authors.
This story introduces us to Michael Frazier and his wife Angela. They have been trying desperately to have a child. Just as they are about to go to bed there is a knock on the door. Michael’s ex-wife Erica has come to beg his help in finding her daughter. Claiming the police are not doing enough, that she has no one else to turn to and then claiming that the girl is his daughter, he doesn’t know if he believes her but feels he has no choice but to go with her and search.
Angela is beside herself with worry and that only escalates when a strange man arrives at her door telling her his connection to Erica and her daughter. He convinces her to go with him to find her husband, his ex, and the lost 10-year-old.
Everyone’s life could change within the next few hours. Micheal knows he needs to find the truth but first, he needs to find that little girl. She IS Somebody’s Daughter.
Secrets, secrets, secrets! So many people keeping secrets and as each one is revealed the story takes another twist. Michael life has not been easy. A tragic event from his past has truly shaped the life he has lived since. In just one night he learns so many things he didn’t know. His quest to find the truth and this girl puts his life at risk as well as others, people he loves and people trying to help him.
Mr. Bell has a writing style that makes it virtually impossible to put the book down. The story is told from various points of view, which for me was very enjoyable. His short chapters that leave you hanging at each ending set a very brisk pace and an urgency to keep reading. I made the mistake of beginning this book on July 3. I read until I couldn’t hold my eyes open any longer. I took it with me to a family get together on the 4th hoping I would be able to keep reading, but that didn’t happen. As soon as we got home, I dashed to the bedroom to read and stayed up until I finished in the early morning hours on July 5. I had a heck of a book hangover when I got up, but it was so worth it. (This seems to happen to me a lot when reading books by this author.)
Bell also knows how to deliver that last final twist that caught me totally by surprise. Then he tied everything up nicely for me too. He even gives us a glimpse into the character’s future.
Full of surprising twists, Somebody’s Daughter hooks you from the start and draws you into a tale of secrets, lies, and lives haunted by the past. A suspenseful — and poignant — thriller.
Goodbye reading funk. I was so deep in a funk, nothing was good, nothing kept my attention and then I picked up Somebody’s Daughter by David Bell and I devoured it. Every word, every paragraph, every page just flew out of the book and I couldn’t stop. I was invested in the twists and turns of the storyline, invested in the amazing realistic caring characters, and invested in the safety of a young girl who hadn’t been seen for hours.
The suspense in Somebody’s Daughter never lets up. There are so many twists, turns, and ups and downs. With each twist in the book, I wanted to find the missing girl. I wanted to know what had happened to her yet I was thrilled that the story was continuing and that the girl hadn’t been found yet. I was so into the story I wasn’t ready for it to end.
David Bell takes the reader in circles, introducing characters that all have some type of tie to Erica, the missing girl’s mother, or Felicity, the missing girl. There are times you are sure that you just met the kidnapper and then something else happens and you know that it isn’t quite right. I found it very easy to keep track of who the characters were, how they were connected to the main characters, and what they were doing to “help” find Felicity. I liked how he intertwined the characters that would never have met each other putting them in different situations where they were together and making them interact all in the name of saving a missing child.
Whether this is your first David Bell book or one of many, you will not be able to put it down. Pick up your copy now.
This was my first David Bell book and it won’t be my last. He is such a good storyteller. This is such a complex psychological thriller with so many twists, there was no way my theories could hold up. I really enjoyed it. The characters were well developed and each of their stories well thought, out but man it was hard to trust or like anyone. That’s when you know the writer did his job and kept the mystery alive.
This is the first book that I’ve read of David Bell’s and it won’t be the last. This had so many twists going on, a missing girl, a man finding out that he has a daughter who is the girl that is missing, his current wife trying to process the exwife showing up at their house with that news and him agreeing to go with her to help search. There is so much going on that you don’t want to put the book down as you need to find out what will happen next. I recommend this book but beware you will be up late as you will need to finish reading it.
Kudos to David Bell, Author of “Somebody’s Daughter”for such an intense, captivating, enthralling, riveting, suspenseful and intriguing novel. Did you ever wonder who would ring your doorbell, in the evening, especially when you are not expecting anyone? If it is David Bell, and he starts his story with this beginning you only have to imagine what he has in store for you. I love the way that David Bell provides clues, and vividly describes the characters and locations in his stories. The Genres for this story are Mystery, Suspense, Thriller, and Fiction.
The author describes his colorful cast of characters as complex and complicated. There are deep dark secrets, and any one of the characters can be suspects in this mystery. There are twists and turns.
Michael Frazier and his wife Angela are having a peaceful evening, until the door-bell rings. They are not expecting anyone, and of course once Michael opens the door, things are not going to be the same again. Standing in the door-way, is Michael’s ex-wife Erica.
Erica shocks Michael by telling him that Felicity her daughter is missing, and the police are involved. Michael never knew that Erica had a daughter, and it seems that Erica was married to Michael at that time. Could this be Michael’s daughter as well? Erica shows a picture to Michael of Felicity, that reminds him of his deceased sister Robin.
Michael feels he has to accompany Erica to get some answers to why Felicity is missing and who would take her. Angela has many reservations about this, and yet lets her husband leave with Erica.
There is danger and I felt a high amount of tension, as Michael goes along on Erica’s quest. The more information, and the more characters that Michael meets, seems to put him in jeopardy. Who can be trusted? Even Michael’s family seems to be suspicious.
I enjoyed this fascinating adventure and would highly recommend it to readers that enjoy a suspenseful and intriguing mystery . I received an ARC from NetGalley for my honest review.
When Michael Frazier’s past shows up on his doorstep he is ready to shut the door in her face and send her packing, but before he can give into that impulse she utters something that rocks him to his core… he has a daughter and she is missing! His ex-wife hasn’t always been truthful with him so at first he has his doubts about what she is telling him, but she is adamant that it is true, and with a child’s life possibly hanging in the balance he isn’t so willing to take any chances, so he gives in and offers to help her find their daughter. But saying “yes” to her could potentially cause a riff with his new wife, especially since the subject matter is something that is so important to them now, they have been trying for a child of their own, and so far been unsuccessful. He feels like he is stuck between a rock and a hard place, and is unsure who to believe or where to turn…
From the first page of this exquisitely crafted tale you will be hooked, these characters will lure you in, dazzle you with their thrilling adventure, and leave you saying WOW!! This is my second novel by this author, and I have to say I loved this one just as much as the last, it was downright amazing!! It is a stirring tale, with a multi-layered plot that will toy with your thoughts, rattle your defenses, and have you dangling breathlessly from every word! If you like thrillers, then I highly suggest you get your hands on this one, you won’t be disappointed with what you find!!
I requested an advanced copy of this title from NetGalley, and voluntarily read and reviewed.