She began to sing, the girl. Her voice was soft, so soft it was almost of the wind. It was a lullaby. She cradled her arms, rocking them gently back and forth. As if she was holding a baby. But she was not. Her arms were empty.On a cold morning a cyclist finds the brutally slaughtered body of a woman in her car, on a remote lane leading to the long-abandoned Irish village of Kelly’s Forge.But … Kelly’s Forge.
But when Detective Finnegan Beck arrives from the nearby town of Cross Beg to investigate he notices there’s a baby’s seat in the back of the car. A bottle of baby’s milk lying in the footwell. And no child.
Little Róisín isn’t the first child to go missing from that same remote location though. There was another baby girl, taken more than fifty years before, who was never found. Has too much time passed for there to be a connection, or does something – or someone – link these two crimes?
Beck claims he does not want to stay in Cross Beg. His heart is back in Dublin, with the woman he loves. But, knowing that a child’s life depends on him changes things. He knows he has to find the missing baby girl. Because if he doesn’t, he fears there’s a chance everyone will give up the baby for dead, just like they did before…
This dark, twisted page turner will keep you up all night. Perfect for fans of LJ Ross, Patricia Gibney, and Rachel Caine.
Readers are loving The Child Before:
‘So many twists and turns throughout the whole book. You never knew what surprise was going to happen next. This book had me holding my breath up til the end. I would have never guessed who the killer was. I just love books like this.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘An amazing book… Lots of twists and turns… Full of surprises. I thought I knew who the killer was halfway through but I was totally wrong.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘A fast paced thriller with heart wrenching turns!… I went from heartbroken to angry to scared!! What a perfect combination for a thriller!… I would absolutely recommend this book!’ Goodreads reviewer
‘Wow. This was a great book. Held my attention from the first page. Tons of twists and turns. Can’t wait for more’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘Gripping to the end. Love the plot twists and turns… Michael Scanlon is one writer to watch for the future.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘Inspector Beck is an unforgettable character… A highly entertaining read.’ Goodreads reviewer
‘Full of twists and dark turns, the author keeps the reader guessing up until the very last page.’ Goodreads reviewer
‘This is my kind of book… Kept me guessing and reading until late into the night.’ Goodreads reviewer
‘Bloody good… I didn’t for a minute spot the culprit.’ Goodreads reviewer
‘Brilliant. I love the slow unwinding of the different strands in the plot… Great writing… full of atmosphere and suspense. Well deserved five stars.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
Praise for Michael Scanlon:
‘Gripping… Keeps you guessing till the end… Unrelenting pace… excellent writing… The needle of suspicion keeps moving from one suspect to another… If you loved the detective series of Harry Bosch or Cormoran Strike, you will enjoy this one.’ Goodreads reviewer
‘A page-turning, don’t-put-it-down, yes-you-will-be-up-all-night kind of read… amazing!’ SPW Writes, 5 stars
‘I have never, ever read a whole book in one day… until now.’ Booked Up Girl, 5 stars
‘Bloody brilliant… One seriously, fantastically and brilliantly written book. I was hooked on this book from the first moment. Simply unputdownable… I totally and utterly flipping well loved [it]… Simply outstanding.’ Ginger Book Geek, 5 starsmore
First, I would like to thank Boukouture publishing and NetGalley for providing me with a free Kindle ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
I typically do not like to read a book from the middle of a series if I have not read the first book, but the synopsis sounded intriguing and gave me the impression that I could read it as a stand-alone novel, so I took a chance on it.
When reading this book, you really forget that it is part of a series. It is easily read as a stand-alone novel. However, my biggest complaint with the book is its lack of character building, which perhaps occurred in the first installment in the series. The first book seems to have garnered a lot of positive feedback, so maybe I set myself and my review up for failure by reading this novel on its own.
Initially, the prologue gripped me. I was so excited to read this book because the prologue was full of imagery. I read the short prologue three times over because I wanted to soak in every word.
Unfortunately, that is where the fun stops, my friends.
This book was exceedingly boring. For a mystery, one would expect some intrigue, case development, and police detective work. Honestly, I just felt as though I was watching Detective Inspector Beck Finnegan wait for someone to hand him the killer on a silver platter without lifting a single finger. Not only is Beck completely devoid of character, but he is painfully boring to read about. He doesn’t do anything. He doesn’t investigate anything. He doesn’t really talk to anyone in the book or even the reader. The author sums up his lackluster qualities perfectly when Mikey says to Beck, “You’re emotionally stunted, mate, you know that?” and the author narrates, “Beck did not reply, thought: I already know that.” (This is an irritatingly incomplete sentence, by the way.)
The excellent writing in the prologue did not carry on throughout the book. Instead, obnoxiously short chapters composed of choppy, short sentences take hold. For instance:
“It was cold now in the room. And with it came a feeling, solid and heavy, pressing down on him. Which was this. The baby was dead. God, he thought. Please. God. Let me be wrong.”
By this point, I had lost all hope that the book would redeem itself. I refuse to DNF books, so I carried forward, but I struggled to stay focused and kept getting lost jumping between characters (since there is nothing really unique about anyone). Again, perhaps I could have appreciated this book more if I had read the first novel in the series, but I found this book to be rather disappointing.
DS Finn Beck is back .. still in the small Irish town to which he was banished from Dublin. He has put in for a transfer back to Dublin since his name was cleared. But first he has a case to solve.
A young mother is found brutally slain lying in her car on a remote road. What’s even worse is the child’s car seat in the back … but no baby. Has the baby been left with someone ..or has someone taken the child? Was the mother the primary target? .. or just a way to get to the child?
This girl child is not the first one to go missing in this particular area. Fifty years ago another child disappeared and whose body was never found.
Beck is anxious to get back to Dublin, but he’s afraid if he leaves now, there’s a chance that everyone will quit looking for the child … just like they did before.
DS Beck is a man with issues … he needs anger management and he’s an alcoholic, having just recently started attending AA meetings. He’s really a good man at heart and wants nothing more than justice for victims of crime.
This is a well written story, going back and forth between the present day missing child and the one from decades before. Taking place in Ireland, the author makes use of old Irish folklore and really interesting small village residents. There’s plenty of action, plenty of suspects with suspense that begins on the very first page.
Many thanks to the author / Bookouture / Netgalley for the digital copy of this crime fiction. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.