Synopsis:
When Ottawa psychologist and single mother Susan Koss discovers that a strange man has been following her twelve-year-old daughter Maddy, she fears he’s a predator. But it’s worse than that. The man, Daniel Kazan, believes Maddy is his granddaughter, abducted as a baby, and he’s obsessed with getting her back.
Susan insists on a DNA test to disprove Daniel’s claim, but the result is one she can’t understand or explain: it says she’s not Maddy’s mother.
Then Maddy vanishes. Susan’s convinced Daniel has taken her, but he has an alibi, and two searches of his house turn up nothing. The hunt is on—police are on full mobilization, and Susan fears the worst.
Book Details:
Genre: Suspense
Published by: The Wild Rose Press
Publication Date: April 18, 2022
Number of Pages: 308
ISBN: 978-1-5092-4118-7
Book Links: Amazon.com (Amazon.ca) | Barnes & Noble | AppleBooks | Goodreads
Read an excerpt:
As I was putting on my coat, the doorbell rang. I looked out the window.
What the hell?
Daniel Kazan stood on my doorstep.
I went cold. How dare he? I flung open the door. “What are you doing here?” I exploded.
Confronting him, I saw that he was a few inches taller than me, and exuded a tense energy that raised my hackles. He raised his hands, palms out, a placating expression on his face. As if he were trying to calm me down or reassure me.
“I just want to talk to Hannah. I came early to catch her, before she leaves for school.”
I squared my shoulders. “Get out of here! You've been told to stay away from us!”
His face was in shadow. “I think it’s fair to want to see Hannah. I’ve waited a long time.”
The guy is nuts. “She’s not Hannah—she’s my daughter. Maddy.”
“You’re keeping her from me.” He was leaning toward me, and I had to keep from falling back. I couldn’t let myself seem weak. If he thought he’d intimidated me, what would be his next move?
My heart pounded. My hands were curled tight, my nails biting into my palms. “Damn right I’m keeping her from you. Now get off my porch before I call the police!”
What if he wouldn’t leave? I should call for help—but my phone was inside, and I didn’t want to leave him on the porch unattended.
***
Excerpt from Not Your Child by Lis Angus. Copyright 2022 by Lis Angus. Reproduced with permission from Lis Angus. All rights reserved.
My Review
Single mother, psychologist Susan Koss is having a difficult time with her 12 year old daughter, Maddy. Maddy wants to be independent and not have her mother make every decision for her. When Susan learns that a strange, older man has been following her daughter, she becomes even more protective of Maddy. Her daughter believes she’s overreacting.
The man following Maddy turns out to be Daniel Kazan. He is sure Maddy is his long-lost granddaughter who had been abducted when she was a baby. Danaiel wants his granddaughter back and he’s not going anywhere without her.
DNA tests are done. Susan can’t believe the results and she’s not going to accept them. Meanwhile, Maddy vanishes. Susan is sure Daniel took her, even though he has an alibi.
The police, as well as Susan and her friends, search all over for Maddy with no luck. Susan is scared to death that she will never see her daughter again.
Wow! Wow! Wow! What a book! I wasn’t just sitting at the edge of my seat reading this, I couldn’t sleep until I got to the end. I absolutely had to know what was happening.
The author threw so many twists and turns throughout the entire book. I couldn’t figure out what was happening or how it would all play out. It’s a captivating book that kept me hooked from page one until the end. I even contemplated jumping ahead to see how it ended but I didn’t. I read straight through from beginning to end.
The ending totally took me by surprise. It is quite powerful and stunning.
Lis Angus has a bright future in suspense writing. I’ll be on the look out for more books by this author. This one is already on my Best of 2022 list!
For reading challenges:
Cloak & Dagger Reading Challenge 2022
FTC Disclosure: I voluntarily reviewed a free Advance Reader Copy of this book from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.
Author Bio:
Lis Angus is a Canadian suspense writer. Early in her career, she worked with children and families in crisis; later she worked as a policy advisor, business writer and editor while raising two daughters. She now lives south of Ottawa with her husband.
Catch Up With Lis:
LisAngus.com
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BookBub - @lisangusauthor
Instagram - lisangus459
Twitter - @lisangus1
Facebook - @lisangusauthor
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Wow (wow, wow LOL) Fantastic review! This one is on my TBR list, but after your review I may have to bump it up!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for this fabulous review! I'm thrilled that you love the book. (Sorry to make you miss sleep, though.)
ReplyDeleteThat looks good.
ReplyDelete