I love a good thriller and this story held my attention from the very beginning. I found myself not wanting to put the book down, desperate to find out what happened to the little brother.

Dr. Caryn Peeke has not been to her childhood home in almost 20 years. When she was 10 her little brother, Lloyd, the 6, disappeared from the playground at their school where she was supposed to be watching him, He just vanished and shortly after she was sent away to her paternal grandmother's home, never to hear from her parents again. With the 20th anniversary of her brother's disappearance looming, she suddenly receives two notes from someone in the village she is from, Moryd-oer. Both notes written her native, although forgotten, Welsh. After some struggling, she was able to decipher them. They read: Come home. Its time you learned the truth; and I know where your brother is. Caryn believes the notes may be from her parents. Little does she know the horror she about to discover as she returns to the now foreign home, she once lived in.

The book is told in a third person perspective with flashback scenes written in as Caryn starts to unlock long forgotten and tucked away memories. We also get a perspective from someone named "the watcher" and I guarantee you'll never see coming who it is. I really enjoyed the Welsh writing thrown in. I have a long-time love of that part of the world. I felt the characters were believable and had great backgrounds. This story will definitely have you on the edge of your seat. If you love a good mystery thriller you will not want to miss out on this one! I received this book free from NetGalley for an honest review.

Lloyd goes missing after school. The parents blame Caryn and never want to see her again as she was suppose to be watching her brother.

Now, 20 years later Caryn gets a mysterious note telling her to come home as someone knows where Lloyd is.

I love all the mystery of not knowing what happened and how the all the facts come out in the end. She builds such a gripping story that engages you from the beginning and holds you until the end.

After 20 years Caryn returns to her hometown hoping to solve the mystery of her 5 year old brother's disappearance. Its been 20 years with so many questions still unanswered. What she discovers will shock the town to its core.

I really enjoyed this book, especially how the author used a "flashback" approach for Caryn to uncover her missing memories. It gave a really good sense into the mystery surrounding the plot and the outcome. "The Watcher" brought that thriller aspect and you really don't know who it is until the end. Really glad for the kindle dictionary to look up some of the Welsh words!

The writing was great with clear descriptions and flowed well. All the characters had a strong story of their own and was very well thought out. The ending of this book was quiet shocking, not what I would have expected at all.

This is a well deserved 5 star read!

Thank you Netgalley and Boldwood Books Publishers for the opportunity to read and review this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was a great thriller. It did take me a bit to get into initially, but eventually it really picked up! It was also quite sad, reading about Lloyd going missing etc.

I wasn’t able to guess the “who dun it” which made it that much more enjoyable.

All in all, I would recommend this book!

This mystery kept me interested all the way to the end. I tried to guess who had taken the little boy.
The story evolves around a ten year old Caryn and her young brother Lloyd who has a learning disability. Caryn's mother suffers from a lot of migraines, so it is Caryn's responsibility to keep him occupied. On this particular day, Caryn takes Lloyd to the park. He is happily playing on the roundabout. When Caryn steps away for a few minutes to say goodbye to her friend, her worst fear has happened - Lloyd is gone. She rushes home hoping that Lloyd is there. From that day Caryn is banished from the house. Forward 20 years - Caryn has moved on and suddenly gets a note from someone telling her to return to Wales as the writer of the notes says they know where Lloyd is. Caryn returns, but is met with hostility from the locals and her parents are still very distant. Then she stumbles upon a horrifying sight and that leads her further into trying to find her brother.
I thank the author, publisher and Netgalley for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Wow! A suspenseful, twisty stand-alone thriller. Karen is a GP who has been receiving anonymous notes about the disappearance of her little brother. When she was ten, she was left in charge of keeping her six-year-old brother with Aspberger's out of the house while her parents were preparing for her mother's 50th birthday. She and her friend Dylan take him to the playground. She left her brother alone for a short period while walking her friend Dylan out and detouring to pick up the birthday card she made for her mother and left at school. When she returns her brother is missing! Her parents blame her and send her off to live with her grandmother. She never returns home as she then goes on to boarding school. Faced with these menacing notes, she decides to return home to her Welsh village. The villagers remember her and don't exactly welcome her with open arms. Even her old friend Dylan is acting strangely. Who is responsible for her brother's disappearance, and what is going on now? The twists were surprising but not outlandish.

Thank you so much for allowing me to read and review your titles. I really not the opportunity!

I do appreciate it and continue to review books that I get the chance to read.
Thanks again!

Lloyd has aspergers and is six years old. Most of the time he is kept an eye on by his older sister Caryn, herself only ten. One day under her care in the playground Lloyd vanishes. Twenty years later, Caryn is now a medical doctor, her grandmother having funded her education as her parents practically disowned her after Lloyds disappearence. She has received a couple of anonymous notes about Lloyd and feels that it is time to return to the small Welsh village she left at sixteen and never looked back on other than in her nightmares. On arrival there are people who remember not only her but what happened and are quick to point the finger of blame. When Caryn receives another note whilst there things take a turn for the worse.
I really enjoyed this as it's a very different “ child goes missing” read in a good way. It's a thriller and a mystery and very quickly drew me in- just as I like it. Caryn is very likeable and a practical sensible person which comes across very well and there is a great tension in many places which gives that air of mystery. An ending I didn't quite see coming (I had suspicions- they were wrong!) and one that easily kept me between the pages. A highly enjoyable, gripping read.
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In My Little Brother by Diane Saxton, we meet 10 year old Karen Peak she is on the playground Hein her school with her best friend Dylan and little brother Lloyd. She is excited because today is her moms 50th birthday and her dad is going to buy a cake. Dylan isn’t so excited, today starts school Break and Karen Will be leaving to go to the beach with her family. Wanting to spend every moment with her he asked her to walk him to the corner, she is hesitant as she doesn’t want to leave her little autistic brother Lloyd alone. Because she too likes Dylan she goes… After all it’ll just be for a moment.
This moment will change their lives in so many ways Lloyd will go missing, Karen will be sent away and when she comes back as an adult it will only get strange it from there. Who are these people standing in the rain staring at her on her way in? Why do the people in the bar look at her as if she killed someone and once you see is Dylan again she wonders if she can trust him?
This book was so good! When I started reading it I just wanted to stay under my covers and finish it. I really should’ve saved it for the weekend. This book has twist multiplied it is so good and OMG I never guessed who the perpetrator was. I loved it and highly recommend it! I receive this book from NETGALLY And the publisher but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any errors as I am blind and dictate my review but all opinions are definitely my own. This was an awesome awesome book!

This is a bok which I really, really enjoyed reading. It was super intense, dark and twisty. Difficult to review without spoiling it but let's say it had me on the edge of my seat. Very quick read, nice narrative and dialogue!

I love Diane Saxon's writing, you know what you ar getting with her but... are you ready for it?

A solid page turner.

In 2001, siblings Caryn Peeke and her little brother Lloyd are playing on the playground at Moryd-oer Primary School. Soon after, Lloyd goes missing.

Caryn was only ten at the time but her parents blamed her for Lloyds disappearance. She was sent to live with her grandmother and never had contact with them again.

Twenty years have passed. Now Caryn is a physician in another city. She has started receiving notes form someone claiming to know where her brother is and to come back home. Caryn arrives back to town and soon her brothers body is discovered. Who is responsible for his death? Caryn may be in danger if she stays in town.

This is my first book by this author. I was impressed with the story. I would recommend it for a good read.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I received an advance readers copy in exchange for an honest review

This book was dark. This book was grim. It involves the murder of an autistic child and general heartlessness. I enjoyed it but at the same time it was a relief for it to be over and to get away from this village. 3.5 rounded up

Review -
I have a very personal attachment to this book, during lockdown i attended a virtual book launch for Diane Saxon's book 'The Ex' during the launch Diane revealled that some lucky attendees would have the oppoutunity to pick a name for a character and another would pick two random objects for her to sneak into her next book. I said to myself 'if i get to pick a characters name i would use my mum's name 'Caryn' as she has never been able to buy things with her name on as it is so rare, the poor woman spent the first half of her life spelling out her name whenever she made a appointment etc and then when she married my dad her surname changed from Thomas to Peeke and for the last 34 years she has had to spell out her first and last name evry time someone asked for her name' lo and behold i won the chance to name a character and true to my word (all be it to myself) i chose Caryn. And as fate would have it my sister won the chance to pick two random objects, she chose darts as her husband plays darts and false teeth which is one of our memories of our great grandmother - she would keep them in a glass in her flurousent pink bathroom and as children we found it hilairious.


You can imagine my excitment whn Diane Saxon informed her readers of the book title and release date and that a Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) was available on Netgallly. I was exstatic when my request to read it was approved.

Now you know my life story i will progress to the review, Diane Saxon is a sensational author and in her latest book will have you on the edge of your seat questioning everything. My Little brother is gripping, tear jerking, nerve racking and exciting read. The scenery is descirbed with immense detail that you will be transported to the rainy valleys of Wales, and the characters are so diverse and strong, Saxn flawlessly included Welsh diaect and accets which contributed to the characters authenticity. Diane Saxon is a natural born story-teller and this is reflected in all of her books. Reading My Little Brother reminded me of watching episodes of Johnathan Creek and Poiriot in the sense that anything could happen, it is far from predictable you will not be able to put it down. If you enjoy a good 'who done it' then this book is for you.

I liked the title, description, and cover of this book, and wanted so much to enjoy it, however, it did not hold my attention beyond the first chapter. It was far too slow moving for me, and not compelling enough to even skim-read until the end, so I did not finish. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I was only ten years old and I was playing on the playground with my brother
He suddenly went missing and I got the blame
He’s been missing 19 years and some one wants the back
I had an ARC

I enjoyed reading this book, although a word of warning, it is not for those of a nervous disposition. Being Welsh, I loved the setting, and the inclusion of the Welsh language in places. The main character was believable, and likable, and the story was good. and kept me guessing. It was a good read, and kept me entertained.

Another gripping read from one of my favourite authors. A stand alone that i devoured in one sitting. Packed to the rafters with tension and suspense. Full of misdirection and so many shocks and surprises. This book had everything i expect from this author and so much more with an explosive ending. A very happy reader.
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for giving an honest review.

This book really hit me in the feels as I have some children in my family with special needs and so I found this really emotive and very believable. It was well written with a compelling storyline and well developed characters. It was a dark and chilling read that was twisty and unpredictable.

The unimaginable happened, Caryn was 10 years old and she was looking after her 6 year old brother who had Aspergers, she loved him dearly but she sometimes wished that he didn't have to be with her all the time, especially after school. They were in the playground near school and Caryn left him for a few minutes to walk to the gate with her friend Dylan. She suddenly realised that she had left her mam's birthday card in her desk, she ran as fast as she could and soon retrieved the card. While in the school she saw something that she didn't understand but something she would block out of her mind for the next 20 years. When she eventually got back to the playground her brother was gone and Caryn's life would never be the same again. Her mam and dad blamed her for her brothers disappearance, she was sent to live with her grandmother and eventually packed off to boarding school. The story fast forwards 20 years, Caryn is a successful doctor and she has never been back home. This is where the story gets very thrilling and tense and I found it really hard to put down. Brilliant 5* plus read

I love this authors books we have waited patiently for a new one and does not disappoint s. Caryn has a young brother with special needs Lloyd. she has always got to look after him she only ten years old. her mum is never well. the day of her mum s birthday she has been told to keep Lloyd out longer so she and her best friend Dylan to the park Lloyd is on the roundabout Dylan and Caryn on the swing s .she walks with Dylan to the gate its not far fog has descend s on the park and she cant find Lloyd. Caryn gets the blame for her brother missing and is sent to her grandmother she is only ten years old. twenty years later Caryn gets a letter telling her to come back home to Moryd-Oer. not saying no more but its a page turner and so creepy i went in the park today dog walking and i was creeped out from just finishing this book. very twisty and very addictive i so recommend