A delicious thriller for a reader to sink their teeth into on a cold winter’s night, The Replacement centres on Ruby and her sister, Joanna. The book starts as Ruby claims a seemingly abandoned child as her own. Soon after, police detective Joanna is called to investigate the attempted murder of Ruby’s neighbour. Elements of folk lore and mythology are woven into the story, adding a unique twist to a familiar genre.

My thanks to NetGalley and publisher HQ for the electronic copy.

This is a really well-written, creepy and twisty psychological thriller. In mid-December three things happen:
In Cleethorpes a woman buries her clothes in the sand on the beach and walks naked into the sea; a toddler called Leonie is found apparently abandoned on the seafront, and Gregor Franks is found miles away in Sheffield in his bath in his penthouse flat.

DS Jo Harper and PC Steve Atkinson are called to the flat only to discover that the victim is not dead despite a blow to his head. Jo convinces her DI that this is attempted murder and the investigation begins. Gregor's penthouse flat is on the New Park estate but Jo's thoughts turn to her daughter Ruby who has a small top floor flat in the opposite block; Jo hasn't been able to get hold of her for weeks.

Meanwhile in Cleethorpes, a desperate mother finds Leonie in the hands of the police and social services - only this is Ruby, and she gives her name as Constance, and convincing the authorities that nothing is wrong they let her take the child and go.

Who walked into the sea unable to resist the call of the seals to take her back home? Will Ruby, with the help of her friend Sam, be able to keep a promise she's made to keep Leonie safe? But someone is behind them all the way.

The narrative takes the reader back to August where the paths of Ruby, Gregor and Constance cross, gradually unfolding the circumstances leading to a perilous situation in Scotland. Can Jo and her team get there in time?

There are chilling twists in this tale as well as a dramatic and emotional ending.

Loved it!

Having read a book by this author before, I was fully expecting the little sprinkle of folklore and mystery that would weave its way through the story. On this occasion, this took the shape of selkies.

What appeared to be a straight forward case featuring an abandoned child rapidly became a much deeper and more in depth story. I couldn't help but feel simultaneously sorry for and annoyed by the social worker who should have made a few teensy enquiries rather than just letting it go.

Then there is the police element and the entangled web around DS Harper as she begins to suspect exactly who it is that she is pursuing.

Overall this is a sweet yet dark tale with some huge characters in it and many many layers!

I received a copy of this e-arc in exchange for an honest review thanks to NetGalley and HQ Stories.

I wasn’t completely enthralled by this book. It took me a couple of weeks to get through it because it didn’t grip me enough.

From what I understand, there are elements of folklore which I didn’t really understand the relevance of.

After I got half way through it, I started to find it quite interesting and slightly creepy. However the ending was quite rushed. I felt like there should’ve been more to it.

A very clever storyline which both enthralled and yet bemused me. Once I read the theory of the book at the end it all became apparent to me and enhanced my enjoyment.

There is a lot happening in this story.

Folklore fantasies, psychopathic killers and family struggles. Although each story line was great in isolation, and perhaps could have worked well in a few combinations, to me there was just a bit much for a single novel.

Melanie Golding has done a great job with the characterizations. I really enjoyed all the characters, and in particular loved the relationship between the Harper’s.

Thanks NetGalley and HQ for a Review Copy

I loved this dark twisted thriller about a young girl who after finding out some truths about her life distances herself from her family and finds a connection with a man she doesn’t even know. As she is pulled further into his life and meets his partner and child things take a very dark turn and some myths and folk law could end up being more believable than anyone realised.

I started The Replacement doing a lot of eyerolling and finding it hard to get into while the scenes were all set but I am so glad that I persevered. The story, whilst horrific also has a beautiful folklore element which is not ususally my style but I found very interesting.

The less pleasant elements had me feeling quite fearful and wanting to check te ending to find the outcome, luckily this is not so easy to do on a Kindle so I just ploughed on.

A very unique story on so many levels that is still haunting me days after finishing it.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for my copy.

A young child is left on her own in Cleethorpes, her mother Constance Douglas is missing but Ruby Harper is her Replacement. An overflowing bath leaks into the apartment below with a body in it which proves to be that of Gregor Franks. The apartment shows signs that a child lives there. DS Joanna Harper investigates. The story is told from multiple points of view but principally Ruby and Joanna.

This is such a good read as it’s an original blend of the folklore of the Selkie with that of a police mystery and it’s compelling reading to see how it connects. I love the folklore element and the author takes us to Barra in the Outer Hebrides, what a treat for a lover of the islands like myself!! There’s a fantastic atmosphere created at times, it’s very creepy and chilling with moments of fear, suspense and tension which then veers towards the mythical and mystical. This is a very well written novel with the plot threads interweaving well, taking us on plot conundrums with multiple twists and turns and questioning what is true and what is false. There is some very powerful imagery at times, some of which is quite dark. I thoroughly enjoy the motherhood theme that permeates throughout and which poses the question of just how far you would go for the love of a child.
Overall, this is an intriguing and riveting read which is very hard to put down, it’s multilayered and just that bit different which I really appreciate.
4+
With thanks to NetGalley and especially to HQ for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

I do wish there were half stars. This novel is by no means a 3, but it falls just short of 4.

I chose this because I remembered enjoying Melanie Golding's debut, Little Darlings, a couple of years ago. And The Replacement follows a similar theme of intrigue in folklore, and also revives the character of DS Jo Harper.

My conclusion is also similar (though I found LD a smidgen better). A little hard to get into, what I'd call a slow burner for the first third of the novel, but enough to keep you interested. Once you are invested, though a little long, there is no way you could abandon the mystery of the Selkies, nor desert the enigma of Gregor. And it is satisfying to learn more of the back story of Harper, I hope a character to follow in future Golding novels.

You will have to employ suspension of disbelief in some aspects, but what is a good story if it doesn't take you on a journey of mystery and intrigue, if you're partial to thrillers.

I think my only slight disappointment is for all the effort and time put into setting the story which made it quite long, the conclusion felt a little rushed, and I wonder maybe could have been expanded somewhat. But despite this minor aberration, a satisfying read that I would recommend.

And I shall definitely be looking out for Ms Golding's next adventure.

This is my second Melanie Golding book, hot on the heels of 'Little Darlings'. There are similarities between the two stories - both involve parent/child relationships and both involve elements of the mystical which could be confused with some form of mental illness.

In 'The Replacement' we meet four main characters: Constance, Ruby. Gregor and (back again) DS Jo Harper. The story starts with an abandoned toddler outside a seafront shop. The police and Social Services are telephoned and a hunt for the mother begins, when Ruby arrives and claims the child as her own. On being interviewed she gives her name as Constance. Allowed to leave with the child, Ruby promptly disappears - but where has she gone, and why has she taken the child with her....

Miles away, a man's body is discovered in a bath of water. Seriously injured, but not yet dead, the man is identified as Gregor Franks and taken to hospital. With no clues as to what happened to him, or who could have done it, DS Harper is struggling for leads...concerned about the crimes close proximity to her daughter Ruby's flat....

Golding again draws on folktales to lead the narrative of this story. Selkies are her beings of choice this time and we learn that Constance is a Selkie....or at least believes herself to be one. Through flashback chapters that slowly build the timeline forward we learn that Gregor lives with Constance and their daughter. Upon meeting Ruby by chance one day they strike up a friendship. Soon, Ruby is visiting his flat and helping to care for Constance and her little girl, Leonie. Constance is quiet, introverted and just a little bit odd - which Gregor tells Ruby is down to a mental illness she has as a result of being in cult who believe themselves to be seal people that can take the form of seals if they choose to.

I only gave this story a three because I just didn't understand the legends of the Selkies - this is not revealed or explained until the end of the book in the author's notes section, so I spent most of the story thinking "What the hell???" The relationship between parents and children is explored and you are left wondering just how far someone would go for their children. At the same time, I found that the crimes of 'Gregor' were a stretch too far to be believable and that contributed to awarding just 3 stars.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I read the authors first book Little darlings published back in 2019 so was really excited to learn there was a new book coming out, again with old folklore forming the basis of the story as with Little Darlings. What I also noticed was the same woman police detective is investigating in this story namely Jo Harper as she did in the previous book. Not being a great fan of police investigative plots I pointed out in my last review how I grew to quite like Detective Harper and how it would be good to read more of her back story. Well you certainly get to do that in this book, though there is never any reference made to the previous book and it is a completely stand alone novel.

The story is told both in the present and going back several months, moving back and forth between these two time periods in order to explain what is going on now and gradual revelations of what led to the situation as it stands in the present.

It’s difficult to say much more about the plot or even the characters because I just think that would spoil things for potential readers. Suffice to say, I thought the whole story along with the twists and revelations made this a very tense read. There were times when I didn’t want to turn the page, dreading what might happen next. You become very invested in the characters, hoping that things will turn out OK. You read with bated breath at times.

It was thrilling, it was eery in places, it was quite sad at times. The ending is very suspenseful and completely unexpected. Then there’s the epilogue which finished off the book so poignantly, followed by some background to what gave the author her outline idea for the book. (Don’t read it though until you’ve finished the book.)

It’s a fantastic book which I thoroughly enjoyed. I thought it was even more chilling than Little Darlings, though this was more to do with other aspects of the plot rather than the folklore side. Definitely top of my list of best books read this year.

*Review to be posted to blog on publication date and to Good Reads today*

I went into this thinking it was just another domestic noir, which is my passion but its actually a lot more than that. Being Scottish then I loved the element of scottish folklore that was woven into the tale making it more of a mystical type rather than a "yes the chances of this every happening to you are a billion to one but you never know......" type that is relatable. You do need to take it with an open kind but its a really nice take on some older tales but with a modern spin I guess

Following the success of Little Darlings, Melanie Golding brings us another psychological thriller that again includes a little folklore, this time involving selkies.

A little girl ( Leonie ) is found outside a seaside corner shop, on a cold winter’s evening. The Social Services are called, and arrive around the same time as a young woman who is claiming to be Leonie’s mother. Meanwhile, not too far away, DS Joanna Harper is called to the home of Gregor Franks, found in his bath with serious injuries, and close to death. How the two cases are connected is what DS Harper has to establish. However, the case will bring about a conflict of interest for Harper, a fact she chooses not to share with her team.

The storyline places great emphasis on mother/ child relationships - what would you do for your child, how far would you go? An unusual plot, interesting characters, and some heart stopping moments made this a great follow up to Little Darlings.

A unique and gripping story that kept me wondering from the very first page. I devoured this and loved every second. Full of atmosphere and beautiful writing and I highly recommend.

This didn't speak to me at all, I am very surprised considering how much I loved Little Darlings. There are folklore elements woven throughout but even for someone like me living in Scotland and very familiar with these myths the story was tenuous at best. I am personally also not a fan of fiction supervillains- he's a genius, a master of disguise, all angles covered even against impossible odds! No, he's just a man. The I noted some passages where the author kind of desperately jotted down exposition to fill these glaring holes in plot but even in an already fantastical story it was just several bridges too far for any credible believability.

My thanks to Melanie Golding, HQ and Net Galley for the ARC of THE REPLACEMENT.
The author incorporates folklore and folk tales into her stories and weaves them in amongst modern tales which give each a mystical setting. I thought the characters were well thought out and would have liked to have read more about Jo whose character I thought could be developed. The title was cleverly thought out, Was THE REPLACEMENT Ruby, or Jo's mother? Recommended.

I found this an unusual story, mainly a psychological thriller with some folk tale extras.
I found it a little slow at the beginning and it was difficult to get into the story. As it developed, it became more compelling. The second half of the book moves quickly along with some scary passages adding to the action, although I wasn't really engaged with the main character. While acknowledging her struggles with her own mental health, I found her separation from her family rather odd compared with her complete involvement with the couple she befriended!
I enjoyed it, particularly the second half of the book.

Thank you for allowing me early access to this book to review it.

I really enjoyed everything about this book and am not exaggerating when I say it was unputdownable!

A thrilling story with hidden depths. I loved the focus on the mother/daughter relationships all whilst not knowing what was going to happen next. The twists will keep you guessing

I enjoyed the multiple perspectives and found all characters were well developed and interesting, especially enjoying the contrast between the many woman characters.

In this, her latest work, Melanie Golding reprises the ‘missing child’ theme that also dominated her previous novel ‘Little Darlings’. Whereas the other book featured newborn twins, the child that goes missing on this occasion is a little girl, who is quickly reunited with her grateful mother. This leaves investigating police officer DS Harper free to investigate a much more brutal crime, with the male victim, severely injured, discovered floating in a river. But could the two events me connected?
I enjoyed this thriller as the folkloristic elements threaded into the story made it a little different from other novels in the thriller genre. It will be interesting to see what other readers think! Thank you to NetGalley and to the publishers for letting me have a free ARC in return for this honest and unbiased review.