Well, where do I even start with this book? It is absolutely brilliant, it will have you hooked from the minute you pick it up.

Leila and Yasmin are sisters, and very close. They live near each other and Leila often helps out with childcare for Max when she’s needed. But on this fateful day, she drives to work, and forgets about Max. I won’t say anything more, or it will spoil the story, but it is both shocking and twisty. I genuinely gasped at several points in this book, and it’s totally unputdownable.

What follows is a complex family drama, with some unexpected twists along the way.

This masterfully crafted, complex and addictive story had me turning page after page. Every aspect of it is perfect, from the initial shock, to the courtroom dramas, to the aftermath. It’s my first read by this author, and I will be seeking out more of her books, it’s simply superb. Can’t recommend it highly enough.

OMG what an absolutely brilliant page turner of a book! Kia Abdullah has taken an horrific event and built a gripping courtroom drama around it. I’ve loved her previous two books but this one completely knocked my socks off!

I don’t think I’ve heard of many cases like this in the UK but in the US there have been some very high profile cases where people have left their child in their car and forgotten about them. Often these children have been left in an unventilated vehicle for hours in the summer heat and very few survive. It’s always shocked me as I’ve read with disbelief that a parent could possibly forget to take a child to nursery and leave them in the car while they go to work. It I know a lot of the time it’s been proved that this is the case and it’s a recognised problem! Apparently our brain can go on autopilot and I know we’ve all found ourselves somewhere that we knew we were going to but can’t remember getting there! But here it’s not a parent that is accused of leaving their child in the car on the hottest day of the year so far, but an aunt. When Leila takes a call from her brother in law to say he’s been called into work urgently she agrees to drop Max at nursery for him. Max is asleep when he’s put in her car so when Leila is also called by HER office with an emergency she goes straight there and NOT via the nursery…

This is a gripping but most definitely shocking read. I couldn’t believe what I was reading at first and struggled to understand why a character that I thought I had understood would do something so utterly terrible! How could you forget a child?!?! But when the case comes to court, we discover that there may be more to the tragedy than first thought. Leila seems such a caring person, but both her and Yasmin have been through so much in their past that maybe they have been damaged far more than expected.

There are some brilliant plot twists towards the end of Next of Kin and it’s one of those books that you physically can not put down. It’s a fascinating case and it will break your heart. Kia Abdullah is a magnificent storyteller and has once again delivered a gripping and thought provoking read.

I am not sure what to say about this book. I enjoyed it even though the context of the story was really sad and very thought provoking. Leila and Yasmin are sisters. Leila brought up Yasmin who is 7 years her junior. Both are married. Leila is still trying her best to help her sister who she feels is not as strong as her. One morning Andrew, Yasmin’s husband rings Leila and asks her to take Max (Andrew and Yasmin’s) son to nursery. Leila was a little irritated as she has a very busy firm but did not want to refuse. She picks up Max to take him to nursery close to her office. On her journey she receives a phone call from her office with an urgent request. She rushes to the office and it is only after Andrew rings her later that morning she realises that she left Max in her car on one of the hottest days of the year. An ambulance was called and Max was rushed to hospital but every parents worst nightmare begins as Max passed away. Leila was arrested and faced a charge of negligent manslaughter. The court room part of the book was a page turning adventure. The prosecution harped on the point about how Max was forgotten but Leila continued in her stance that as he was sleeping she just forgot and that caused the tragic circumstances. The family are torn, is Leila to be forgiven, can Yasmin and Andrew forgive her. Leila’s marriage is struggling having separated from Will but he steps up which helps most of the time. The story continues with so many twists and turns with a policeman who would not give up as he feels nothing is what it seems – interesting and a great read. Will read this author again

As with Kia's previous 2 novels this is equally as brilliant. It drew me in from the very first page and then I just couldn't put it down.
Leila is a successful business woman married to Will. Her sister Jasmin is married to Andrew and they have a 3 year old son Max.
Leila and Jasmin have had a tough upbringing. When there parents died it was up to Leila to look after her sister.
When Max dies in Leila's car Detective Shepherd becomes almost obsessed with finding Leila guilty.
The courtroom scenes are very intense. I was swinging from she must be found guilty to then changing my mind and hoping she would be found innocent.
During the book we get flashbacks of the sister's lives which are fascinating.
Is Leila really the ice queen she is portrayed as?
This is very pacy and I enjoyed it immensely.
Thanks to Netgalley and HQ far the ARC in return for an honest review.

Wow this novel by Kia Abdullah kept giving. I was hooked from the first page and it went through at a great pace. I have read a couple of books recently that have been so slow that I thought it was me. Pleased to say it is not and this book proved it.
The story tells of relationships between sisters and their spouses with a tragedy at the centre. Lots of twists and turns on the way.
Every spare moment I had I picked up my kindle to find out what happened next..
I would like to thank NetGalley & HQ Sories Harper Collins for my ARC for which I have given my honest review

Next Of Kin by Kia Abdullah is an enthralling, horrifying and disturbing contemporary crime suspense that had me hooked from the start.
The plotline is absolutely tragic as the characters and the reader become immersed in grief and loss. We witness lives torn apart and characters weighed down with guilt.
Relationships that have been kind, caring and compassionate begin to buckle – but will they break completely? Or will they be restored?
The characters are well drawn and realistic. Their emotions are laid bare.
It seems like everyone has their secrets – release one and a whole Pandora’s box will fly open.
Next Of Kin was a powerful suspense. My heart raced as my head yelled ‘no!’ at several points. Kia Abdullah is a fantastic author. Next Of Kin is a marvellous read.
I received a free copy from Harper Collins via Net Galley. A favourable review was not required. All opinions are my own.

Rating: 4.6/5

Although this is her third novel "Next of Kin" is my first experience of Kia Abdullah's work - but it certainly won't be my last. I don't give out many 5-star ratings for book reviews, but I can't find any good reason not to award that top grade in this instance.

"Next of Kin" is, at it its heart, a compelling courtroom drama - but it is also much more besides. From the outset - with the shocking and visceral realisation that a young child has been left to die from hyperthermia in the back seat of Leila Syed's car on a sweltering summer's day - this novel grabs hold of your attention, and your emotions, and doesn't relinquish its grip until you have read the final page.

The story is constructed in three parts. Part one essentially deals with establishing the events that will lead to the trial. The court case itself is the crux of part two and then part three deals with the aftermath once the legal proceedings have been concluded.

The plot is tightly constructed and wonderfully executed. There are twists and turns that regularly crept up on my blindside and took the storyline in a direction that I hadn't quite anticipated. However, never did I feel that I had been cheated by the author employing underhand tactics to achieve this. The characterisation is excellent and I genuinely felt that I could envisage the protagonists in front of me rather than purely as words on a page. The court scenes are wonderfully effective and engrossing, with just the right amount of dramatic licence to make for compelling reading, without going over the top and losing credibility. A number of deeply emotional themes are covered in the course of this novel, all of which are engaging, but some of which can be quite disturbing, or even harrowing, and may make for difficult reading for certain people.

I have no hesitation in recommending this to anyone who not only loves reading crime fiction, but well-written fiction of any genre.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for supplying an ARC in return for an honest review.

This was another absolutely wonderful read by the super talented Kia Abdullah and what a read it was!
From the first few pages we are flung headlong into a heartbreaking and compulsive story packed full of emotions and shocks that just kept coming and I found myself changing my mind throughout the read as to what exactly was happening and who if anyone was to blame for the tragic events described in the opening chapters. The book is beautifully written and a hard read at times because of the subject matter but this is an author that really can pullout all the stops making it a story that was impossible to put down.
I loved the book I was shocked by the ending as I really hadn’t seen it coming, Kia Abdullah just gets better and better her previous books were amazing and I think this is her best so far.
My thanks to NetGalley and HQ for giving me the chance to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I was expecting a lot from this book and it didn't fail to deliver.

With twists, turns and events you could never predict this is a definite page turner. Well written, well thought out and gripping right from the start.

A deliciously disturbing story, I thoroughly enjoyed it. A good addition to the bookshelf

Boy oh boy! |Another fantastic offering from Kia Abdullah.

The story is centered around the death of a child and the family fall out from it, as well as a court case with a charge of manslaughter.

Again Miss Abdullah manages to create a dark but utterly readable and intoxicating tale. Our four main characters are written with both light and shade, with no discernible "good guys" or "bad guys", just ordinary folk trying to do their best in harrowing circumstances.

The storytelling is exquisite. The characters so well rounded and flawed. You feel both empathy and disgust for them at various stages.

Throw in a few twists and turns along the way and you have an absolutely compelling and fulfilling read.

An easy 5 stars from me. Get your hands on it if you can.

Thanks to the publisher for the ARC through Netgalley.

The acclaimed Kia Abdullah has deservedly acquired a reputation for writing unmissable courtroom dramas, sensitively portraying riveting and taboo issues that make for utterly gripping reading. Here, she powerfully portrays the raw and harrowing fallout of a traumatising tragedy, a child's death, and the ensuing courtroom trial that follows it, accompanied by the inevitable imploding family relationships. The ambitious Leila Syed is married to Will, she has carved out a successful career, she is a partner in a architectural firm, a busy and pressurised role. Coming from an impoverished background, family circumstances resulted in her playing a key role in raising her younger sister, Yasmin, who is now married to Andrew, and they have a toddler son, Max.

On what begins like any other ordinary day, all their lives are set to unravel. Andrew fatefully calls Leila in the early morning to ask her to take toddler Max to nursery as neither he or Yasmin are able to. Leila is happy to help and agrees, only to get fatally distracted by a work emergency herself. A dawning horror begins to grip a panicking Leila when Andrew calls, he has been notified by the nursery that Max never arrived. Max had been forgotten in Leila's car on the hottest day of the year, and the horrifying nightmare is compounded by what follows. Leila is charged with negligent manslaughter and a tense high profile court trial attracts huge attention and judgements.

As might be expected from Abdullah, nothing is as seems in this emotionally heartrending rollercoaster of a hard hitting story, with its surprising twists and turns, of secrets and lies, of what constitutes family, and of complicated and flawed sibling relationships laced with feelings of jealousy and resentment. Attitudes to women and motherhood in society are raised in the novel, highlighting how men are not judged in the same way. This is not an easy read, but I found it compulsive with great characterisation, nailbitingly suspenseful, as I turned the pages as fast as possible to find out how it all ends. Highly recommended. I think existing fans of the author will love her latest offering, as will many readers who will be reading her for the first time. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

This book centres around two sisters, Leila and Yasmin. Leila is married, and separated from her husband, Will, and Yasmin is married to Andrew. Yasmin and Andrew have a 3 year old son, Max. The sisters are very close, and literally live round the corner from each other. Leila raised Yasmin herself from a young age after their mum passed away. Yasmin and Andrew often call on Leila to help out with childcare for their son, and Leila happily obliges to help out when she can. One hot and sunny day, tragedy strikes, and no ones life is the same again.

This story was really well written, and really clever. We go through the story, then the court case, and then the aftermath, and it’s great to see all angles. We also read from each characters perspectives, which is great to fill in any gaps. This was definitely a slow burn, but really built to the explosive secrets revealed at the end. I liked the characters, and especially the women who were really vulnerable, had tough upbringings, but were also strong and brave. I’ve read all this authors work, and the stories get better and better, and I enjoy the court process and going through that process and the emotions with the characters. The author really makes her work come to life and it’s easy to picture in the minds eye. An excellent read, and I can’t wait for the next book to come out!!

Leila Syed loves her 3 year old nephew Max so when she's asked to drop him off at nursery as a favour little did she think she would soon be facing criminal charges .

.The story follows the life of Leila and her sister Yasmin who Leila has raised since their mum died when she was 11
Leila is a successful business woman and Yasmin is a little jealous of Leila's but Yasmin actually has what Leila wants

The book goes through emotions and a tragedy that tears them apart but Leila and Yasmin despite their differences love each other and Leila will do anything to make Yasmin happy.

I don't want to spoil the story for you as there are some really good twists to the story so all I will say is I really enjoyed this book it was a real page turner towards the end and well worth a read

Thank you to Netgalley & HG publishing for giving me the opportunity to read this book

It should be an ordinary day for Leila Syed when her brother-in-law rings asking why his son, who she was bringing to nursery, hasn’t arrived hours later. Leila doesn’t understand his confusion, until she realises that she forgot to drop Max off at nursery – and when she runs into the carpark, the ordinary day turns into the worst possible nightmare. What follows is a trial the likes of which I’ve never read in a novel. Family turns against family, tearing long-time and long-appreciated relationships apart as the reader doesn’t know what to believe or whose side on which to place themselves. As the case develops, it’s clear that there’s more to what’s going on than meets the eye… and the ending! Oh my, be ready for it. This is Kia’s third novel and I am continually impressed with how she deftly handles important social issues.

Wow! Hard hitting, shocking, very traumatic to read this gripping book which I ready very quickly because I was so engrossed.
All the way through reading I felt as if something was not right with the storyline and sure enough new events became even more complicated to accept but one could see how they unfolded and became totally horrific in their outcome. I was left very troubled by this read.

This is a gripping, expertly constructed story about one of the worst things imaginable. Even though my discomfort grew with almost every sentence, I couldn't put it down, and finished it in one sitting. The characters are well-crafted and plot progresses at a good pace. I hated the subject-matter - but the book is excellent!

I have thoroughly enjoyed Kia Abdullah's two Zara Kaleel books, so I was excited to read Next of Kin. A standalone domestic exploration of family relationships in the wake of the tragic death of a child on the hottest day of the year, this book delicately explores sibling relationships, parenting, the criminal justice system, and culpability in the wake of a tragedy.
The centre of this book revolves around sisters Leila and Yasmin, as Yasmin's child Max passed away in Leila's car, forgotten in a hotbox on the hottest day of the year. Leila and Yasmin really are the heart of this story, their relationship put under the microscope as the legal system comes into the fray in the wake of the death of this child. Every aspect of Leila's life is thrown into focus as she grapples with the central question of whether she is culpable for the death of this child. Leila and Yasmin's fractured childhood is thrown into the ring as well, and Leila's turbulent relationship with her estranged husband also takes on new strains.
This is a complex, layered, and nuanced story which explores several relationships and uses a variety of characters to explore the multi-faceted reverberations which ripple out from the death of Max. The book progresses relatively slowly, but it doesn't feel like it drags, and the impact of the death does create shockwaves through Leila and Yasmin's marriages and relationships.
The ending of this book is quite a change of pace, slamming into the reader with deep impact, which I'm not sure how I felt about. It's not out of pace with Kia Abdullah's other books, so it wasn't a huge shock, but it does partially feel like it wasn't quite justified by the preceding narrative. Nonetheless, a thoughtful and extremely interesting novel, with sympathetic characters in a situation that's probably every parent's worst nightmare.

Not just another accident or was it or was it something else but what? Leila is married to Will. They have a nice house and Leila has her own very successful business. Yasmin is married to Andrew and they have a baby son Max. All so innocent or not. Right from the start there is an undercurrent of something but what? Definitely a five star book,

A book about a child's death is always going to be upsetting and I must admit I struggled with the first few chapters of this as Leila Syed realises, with horror, that she has forgotten to drop her 3-year-old nephew Max at nursery and he has been in the back of her car, on the hottest day of the year, for several hours. But gradually the story settles into a well-crafted courtroom drama as Leila tries to defend herself from a charge of manslaughter while admitting her full remorse and trying to rebuild a relationship with her devastated sister. In the background is DS Shepherd, determined to prove that Leila was criminally negligent rather than a victim of a tragic lapse of memory - but can he possible be right?
Flawed and imperfect but devastated by tragedy, the characters hold our attention, and the tightly woven plot offers surprises to keep our attention focussed through an often harrowing storyline.
I'm pleased that I stuck with this one as my horror at the needless tragedy gave way to my huge desire to know what exactly happened, and what would happen next. A truly engrossing read.

Next of Kin is an excellent thriller with numerous twists and turns that keep you guessing until the very end.

The author, Kia Abdullah, has yet again created some very well drawn characters that you both love and hate throughout the book as the story unfolds and just when you think you have got everything sorted she throws in another curveball that messes up your thinking

Highly recommended