Give this one all the stars!!! 🌟 Have you ever stumbled upon a book that after the first chapter you know it’s going to be a page turner? Thats exactly how I felt about The Birthday Party. It was full of suspense, mystery, and so many twists. The twists never stopped coming. Dranfield gave you just enough information to think you had figured out whodunnit just to throw in a twist and open up a new possible suspect. Putting all the suspense and mystery aside, I also found the book to be heartbreaking. As a mother, I don’t even want to imagine one of my children going missing. This subject matter is extremely sensitive and It touched me to the core.

This is the first book I read by Dranfield but it certainly won’t be the last.

You can get your hands on The Birthday Party on January 6, 2022.

Thank you NetGalley and @book for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Oh, what to say about The Birthday Party? I am really torn with my rating and what to say about it.
First of all, Wendy Dranfield is a favorite author of mine. She always keeps me on the edge of my seat whilst reading her books.
Secondly, please know some parts in the story are heartbreaking, dark and made me very sad.
There was just so much going on! I mean, anything and everything that could happen, happened. Some parts just seemed a bit far fetched.
The ending was totally unexpected to me.
To sum it up, The Birthday Party is a extremely suspenseful, highly emotional though somewhat confusing crime thriller..
Many thanks to NetGalley, Bookouture and Wendy Dranfield for the opportunity to read this ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

This is my first read of 2022 and what a fabulous way to start!

The book is really well written and is a psychological domestic thriller with twists and clever turns throughout the book.

Every parents nightmare is to find that their child has gone missing and when Charlie is nowhere to be found after being at her cousins lavish birthday party the worst becomes a reality.

As a warning this book contains several potential triggers. Child abduction, attempted murder, sexual exploitation and adultery being just a few. The plot and storylines are really well handled and I would suggest that this may lend itself to more mature and less sensitive readers.

Alfred reading this in one sitting I feel it would make a great tv series which could be binge watched and I could imagine the characters so well from the descriptions that I can almost picture it now.

Highly recommended and thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Birthday Party by Wendy Dranfield
Published: January 7, 2022
Bookouture
Pages: 376
Genre: Crime Thriller
KKECReads Rating: 5/5
I received a copy of this novel for free, and I leave my review voluntarily.

Wendy Dranfield is a former coroner's assistant turned crime writer who lives with her husband and three rescue cats.
Her first novel (The Girl Who Died, 2015) was longlisted for the Mslexia Novel Competition. Since then, she has written two crime series – the latest follows Detective Madison Harper as she tries to reclaim her life after spending six years in prison for a murder she didn’t commit. Books 4 and 5 in this series will be published in 2022.

“If only we could rewind time, you know?”

Kathy has lived an outward life of privilege. But her personal life has been anything but. With her mother insistent on always presenting the perfect exterior, secrets were typical in the Hamilton family. When Kathy’s five-year-old daughter goes missing from a daily birthday party, the last thing anyone expects is the past to come forward. But now, it’s a race against time to find Charlie and figure out what secrets should stay buried and which to confess.

Holy buckets. This was an emotional journey from page one. And I loved every second. Not since I discovered Kiersten Modglin has an author completely gripped me and kept me guessing, only to have, I am utterly wrong in the end.

I loved and hated the characters. But I think that was intentional. Everyone is written so that they all have something to lose. Which means they are all suspicious.

Kathy is the epitome of perseverance. The things she has been through, which she has had to keep buried deep inside of her, are unfathomable. She is a survivor, a fighter, a damn good mother, and a strong woman.

Mitch is a putz. He tries to fit into a world he can’t, and he is very concerned with appearances. But he is also all too human and susceptible to making grievous mistakes.

Fay is the very definition of an anxious teenager who knows things aren’t okay at home but can’t prove anything. She is emotional, bold but also very considerate and compassionate. She’s also angry and doesn’t know how to process her feelings.

Chase is the perfect guy from the wrong side of the tracks. He is everything opposite Kathy. Blue-collar family, broken home, just not good enough. So naturally, when he and Kathy develop feelings as teenagers, Kathy’s mother will stop at nothing to make Chase disappear. And when money is no object, and you have connections- anything is possible.

Megan is a badass. Her life hasn’t always been easy, and she’s struggled with addiction. She’s made some bad choices, but she’s young and trying to figure things out. I loved her unapologetic attitude and ability just to be herself, no matter what. She had the stronger character arc, in my opinion.

Sweet Charlie was both one of the leading characters and a minor character. She was adorable, innocent, sweet, sassy, and full of life. Children can bring light into the lives of their loved ones, and it was described so beautifully that this was Charlie.

There were so many twists in this novel that I seriously have whiplash. This is my first novel by Wendy Dranfield, but it will not be my last. This was written in such a clever way, with surprises that launched out of nowhere, details that were in the moment small but ended up being huge, and an ability to bring so many emotions together.

This is one hell of a novel, and I am so glad I ended 2021 and started 2022 with this one. Whew. The emotional rollercoaster is real. There will be anger, hurt, tears, and lots of screaming. Read with caution because you will not be able to put this one down!

Another brilliant book from Wendy Dranfield.
This is a standalone and is a great read.
Kathy drops her daughter off at a Birthday party and with her brother in law and sister in law in charge, she heads off.
Megan is due to pick Charlie up but doesn’t turn up and when Kathy and Mitch realise how late it is, they fear the worse.
The Police start their investigation but it’s clear the family are hiding things, so it takes a while to get to the truth.
With Chase in charge of the investigation he’s determined to find out what happened to Charlie and his past connection to Kathy soon comes to light.
This is a gripping thriller with family well and truly at its heart.
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

This was my first book by Wendy Dranfield and with it being a crime thriller it isn’t a genre I usually read but I did enjoy it.

Kathy has always felt the weight of the Hamilton name which has so much history and is so well known in the small town of Maple Falls that her and her husband Mitch live in. So, when their 5-year-old daughter, Charlie, vanishes from a family party the whole town comes together to help look for her and support the Hamilton family. But as the police start investigating Charlie’s disappearance long buried secrets start to come to the surface and it seems everyone has something to hide. Everything that everyone thought they knew about each other is about to be seriously challenged!

I did enjoy this story but at times it was quite dark. I really enjoyed the 1993 throw backs, and which definitely helped the story. I loved the depiction of the creek, it sounded amazing! I have to admit I definitely fell for almost all the red herrings and did not see the twist coming at the end.

I did enjoy this book however time crime thrillers aren’t really my genre; I prefer happy ever after endings as crime thrillers are a little too dark for me. However, anyone that enjoys crime thrillers would enjoy this book and I would wholeheartedly recommend it for those fans.

Thank you to Netgalley, Wendy Dranfield and Bookouture for my advanced reading copy. Due out 7th January 2021.

Synopsis:
Kathy thinks her daughter Charlie is safe at her brother-in-law's kids' birthday party. She's been looking forward to it for months, after all. But Charlie never arrives home, and there's no trace of the babysitter, either. Suddenly, everyone's a suspect: Why is her sister-in-law reacting so coldly? And why did her husband change shirts on that day?

My opinion:
OH MY GOD, this was SO dark! I didn't think a book about a birthday party can be so disturbing, but this one absolutely was, and I definitely enjoyed it. If anything concerning children triggers you, better stay away from this book. For me, it was pretty tough to read at some parts because of this, but it was a gripping thriller I could not put down, after all. I couldn't stand any of the characters, but this only added to the tense atmosphere and the feeling that you cannot trust anyone.

Parts of this book reminded me of:
- The Housewarming by S. E. Lynes

This was my first book by Wendy Dranfield.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this exceptional book

this author does it again by writing a book that captures your attention and leaves you hanging so that you have to finish it in one go and you have to hope you have the strength to withstand all the shocks that you are going to go through whilst reading this book...omg its that good... and i really wanted to put an f in the omg bit then....

little charlie is so excited about going to the birthday party as there is going to be a pony there, kathy her mom drops her there and megan the babysitter is due to pick her up

but charlie never makes it home....and megan hasnt appeared either

the complex storyline keeps you hanging on every page as you dont want to miss any clue or miss any of what is about to be disclosed...and boy the shocks keep happening on each page and chapter that you read...

fair to say this book is will give you nightmares for years to come...brilliantly written and there are characters that you will love and characters that you come to hate...

cant wait for wendy dranfield next book...she writes the most amazing jaw dropping books ever

A domestic thriller which is darker than expected. A missing child who has vanished without a trace leaving no clues. A cast of characters to suspect but no-one with any real reason to take a child. As the story goes on big secrets emerge. An ending I did not guess. A good read.

I haven't read one of Wendy's books before, but I thoroughly enjoyed this one.

The story begins with little Charlotte, 'Charlie' for short, going missing during a family birthday party. How could she simply vanish under everyone's noses? Will she be found? And is a member of her family responsible?

Tautly written with strong, dynamic characters and twists and turns that you don't see coming, it reminded me somewhat of Cara Hunter's Close to Home, another excellent book, in the way it combined police procedural elements with dark family secrets and long buried lies.

I did find some parts rather far fetched, but other than that, I thoroughly enjoyed this suspenseful, emotional thriller and would recommend it. I will look out for Wendy's next book.

Thanks to publishers Bookouture and Net Galley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

It's been too long since a book demanded that I stay up all night and read it in one sitting. For some reason, am drawn to books about missing children (maybe I'm sick??), and this was one of the best. It had several twists that I had already figured out, but that didn't stop me from enjoying it. After Charlie disappears from her cousins' birthday party, many family secrets gradually come to light.

Mild language and grammatical errors that the proofreader missed

The very promising plot line for this book is soon completely spoiled by the absolutely ridiculous way the parents behave despite their little girl going missing. Add to that the unbelievable way the police investigator Chase ( who incidentally is just about the only likeable character)speaks to the father without any sensitivity whatsoever not to mention the dozens of silly twists and turns in the book.

A huge fan of the author’s Detective Madison Harper series, I was intrigued to see what this stand alone would be like and I wasn’t disappointed.
A brilliant twisty turny read. Lots of flawed characters with their own agenda’s which prove devastating for those that get in their way. Never was a villain so well hidden, you didn’t give them a second thought when first introduced to them!

Wow! Did this book ever put my heart through the wringer. As a mother this book embodied my worst nightmare. This book had one of the most unique plots I’ve encountered. It was heart wrenching and not what I expected to happen. Full of suspense and plot twists. You will be chilled to the bone, heart sick and angry throughout. What a well written, well done story. When no one seems to be honest you have no idea what is going to happen next.

What great read that was. A stand-alone police procedural/psychological thriller with twists and turns that had me doubting everyone. Well written and well thought out storyline with some really great characters.

Briefly, Kathy and Mitch Hamilton are going through a bad patch in their marriage. Their eldest daughter is seeing a psychiatrist and the only one seemingly unaffected by the atmosphere is their youngest daughter Charlie. After dropping Charlie at a party, and arranging for her babysitter Megan to collect her, Kathy is distraught when Charlie doesn’t come home. Her first boyfriend Chase Cooper is now a detective and he is assigned the case. Can he find Charlie alive and return her to her parents?

The book tells a tale of hidden secrets and dreadful truths, many of which are long buried but still not forgotten. Kathy’s mother is the Hamilton family matriarch and she rules with a rod of steel; a woman who seems to have no love for anything other than money, status and the perception of others. Her treatment of her daughter is totally lacking in any emotional connection. I found this an unputdownable read with an ending I didn’t see coming. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Loved this domestic thriller. Great cast of characters that kept me invested in the story. Lots of twists and turns. Highly recommend
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book

How many parents drop their child off at a birthday party, say goodbye and walk away? When Kathy Hamilton drops off little Charlotte at her sister-in-law's house for her nephews' birthday party she doesn't have a care in the world. After all, this is family. And there are a lot of adults around.

Later when her teenage daughter arrives home, Kathy and her husband Mitch look at one another and ask where is Charlie? They are not altogether worried, as the babysitter Megan Carter was supposed to pick up Charlie and drop her off at home. So, where is Megan? And, yes, where is Charlie?

More than one jaw-droping twist kept me riveted to this intense story by Wendy Dranfield. In short, Charlie is nowhere to be found and just about anyone could be responsible. In fact, the police are trained to look at the family first. Could Kathy or Mitch have had anything to do with Charlie's disappearance?

Then there is Fay, Kathy and Mitch's sensitive teenaged daughter who is struggling with eating disorders and who is also in counseling. How will Fay fare if Charlie isn't found safe and sound? Also, the perfect family of four just not be like it seems. In fact, Charlie's disappearance indeed prove that their strong foundation of family was definitely not as secure as it appeared. Hidden secrets are slowly revealed as the search for Charlie gains traction.

What an amazing story, one that was sad, intriguing and heartwarming, all in one. Hard to imagine that this book could take so many turns and still left me with just a bit of hope for the characters.

Many thanks to and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

Just finished this book in two days and I have to say..Whoa, what the heck did I just read?? My head is spinning! This is craziest crime thriller I’ve ever read! The Birthday Party is suspenseful, dark, and packed with emotion.
Hidden secrets are revealed in order to find 5-year-old Charlie Hamilton, who has gone missing from a family birthday party. No secret is too small in this book! There are also so many dark twists that most readers will not see coming. About halfway through the book, my eyes could barley believe what I was reading. To be able to intertwine characters based on their secrets is tough. I really enjoyed all of the characters and how they all played fairly significant roles in each other’s lives.
I must add that even though this book is a crime thriller, there are some heartbreaking parts in it.
Very well written and this dark story had me intrigued from the very first chapter!
Highly recommend!

I will be taking part in Bookouture’s book tour on January 12 and will post my review for the tour on that date to my Instagram @thrillersandcoffee.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

An addictive page-turner about a mother dropping her daughter off at a birthday party, only for her to never be seen again. When Kathy realizes that her daughter, Charlie, is missing, she’s shocked. She believed she left Charlie in good hands at her nephews’ birthday party, but nobody seems to remember anything amiss. So where could Charlie have gone? Or who could have taken her? Kathy tries to get ahold of the babysitter, but to no avail. Her husband said he was working all afternoon, but then why does she notice him in a completely different outfit than he left the house wearing? Something isn’t right here and soon everyone’s secrets will be revealed during the search for Charlie…

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this book! It is easily one of my favorites this year. Twists and turns galore with connections to the past that you don’t see coming. Wendy Dranfield did an outstanding job of keeping more surprises coming until the very end!

A huge thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture, and Wendy Dranfield for allowing me the opportunity to read this advanced reading copy! This ARC was in exchange for my honest review.

Another book by Wendy Dranfield that delivers what I've come to expect from her.

Kathy leaves 5 year old Charlie at a birthday party at her in-laws house. Charlie was to be picked up by her babysitter but never arrives home. Where is Charlie? and for that matter where is the babysitter?
Lots of twists and turns in this one. Maybe a little unrealistic at times, but it is a story after all, not real life.

So far I have loved every book written by Dranfiled and will be on the look out for the next one.

Many thanks to netgalley and Bookouture for the arc.