With three children under three years old and a husband, Jake, who is never around because he’s just been promoted to deputy head at the local comprehensive school, Sarah Barratt is struggling. Their three month old, Max, has neonatal diabetes and constantly cries and Sarah is at the end of her tether and concerned about the future.

After a rather fractious and upsetting lunch with Lisa, her friend and former work colleague, Sarah heads to the nearby nature reserve with a screaming baby Max to feed him and zone out for a bit. She has her headphones on with music playing loudly and ends up getting distracted and Max is abducted.

Meanwhile, the rather unconventional Star family are celebrating the arrival of their new baby boy, who they name Blaze. They live in Nomad, a vintage showman’s van, and travel around the country visiting various campsites and farmers’ fields but they don’t consider themselves to be typical travellers, referring to themselves as special, and stay away from the Normals. The Star family consists of mum Jenna and stepdad Gaz plus Willow (nearly 16), Tiger (10) and Moon (5). The children don’t go to school, instead learning lots of different practical skills, and they live a hippy-type lifestyle with no access to TV, radio or internet and no phones.

Told from the viewpoints of Sarah, Jake, Jenna and Willow, we learn more about the two families as the shocking story unfolds in this gripping and fascinating read! Poor Sarah is vilified by everyone – her rather useless husband, Jake, his parents, the local police and people nationwide (online trolls) condemn her for her actions and carelessness and accuse the poor woman of all kinds of terrible things. She’s supported by family liaison officer, PC Leila Hassan, but struggles to hold it all together as days pass with no news of her baby son, who is in danger of becoming critically ill without his diabetic medication.

I really enjoyed this tense and unusual novel – the premise and characters were different from the norm and the rather dark story was cleverly plotted, well paced and very entertaining. The book has lots of relevant and emotional themes and I found the Star family’s traveller-type lifestyle particularly interesting. All the main protagonists were intriguing and they developed well as the novel progressed and I couldn’t wait to find out how everything would be resolved, racing through the book in two days, desperately hoping Max was going to be found in time!

I felt a range of emotions as poor Sarah was attacked from all quarters and hounded by the press and I was shocked by the disturbing and twisted behaviour of Jenna, who talks about freedom but is actually so controlling of everyone. Willow was amazing, so brave and wise beyond her years. She’s growing up and starting to question everything more, particularly her upbringing and her mum’s rather erratic decisions and behaviour. Jake’s actions left a lot to be desired and he was so unsupportive of Sarah and really weak at times! Other characters like Joan and Zack were lovely too and played important roles in the story.

The various locations were well described and I was excited to discover that the novel is partially set in Thetford Forest in Norfolk as I’m from near there originally and it’s unusual to find the town mentioned!

Overall, this was a brilliant read and I found it engaging and very tense at times. I wasn’t expecting some of the twists and turns and there were some shocking revelations, which had me gasping in horror and surprise! I was really hoping that all the pieces of the jigsaw were going to fall into place in this desperate race against time.

The Wrong Child is written by two authors and it was fascinating to learn how their process works. They are part of an Orion Crime Writers’ Room project that’s led by M.J. Arlidge, who is working in collaboration with Julia Crouch, Steph Broadribb, Lisa Hall, Alex Khan and Andy Maslen. M.J. Arlidge came up with the ideas for the five standalone novels but each author works with him to hone the plot, characters and style and they then write their story with input, guidance and feedback from Arlidge at each stage of the process. It sounds like a fascinating concept and I’m looking forward to reading the other four books.

I haven’t read any books by either of the authors before but will definitely be checking out their backlists now!

Another book by M.J.Arlidge, together with another author, Julia Crouch, from the minds at Orion Publishing Group, is called The Wrong Child. I received a copy from Orion Publishing Group via Netgalley.

Three-month-old Max was abducted when his mother Sarah only took her eyes off him for a second. Her husband, Jake, blames her. While there is devastation in this family, another family is happy to welcome a new baby into their family, baby Ronnie. However, cracks in the new family begin to appear as the story of how he ended up with the family doesn't add up. What is the truth about her family? And how far will they go to hide their deadly secret?

Just like all M.J. Arlidge books so far, I enjoyed this one as well! This book is a pefect collaboration between two authors who managed to write a gripping, heartbreaking, and exciting story. The characters are described in such a way that you either love them or dislike them. The pace of the book is great as you're never bored and always on edge of what'll happen next. I absolutely can't wait to read the next book in this collaboration series!

5/5⭐️

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

Sarah is mum to 3 and absolutely exhausted. Her youngest son, Max, also has neonatal diabetes, and requires constant monitoring and care. Sarah's husband, Jake, is acting head teacher of a school, and is also in a rut in his life. Sarah takes baby Max for a walk and he is taken. On the other side of the story is couple, Jenna and Gaz, and their children, who are travellers. They move from site to site regularly. Jenna then returns one day with a new child, Blaze, who she rescued from Meadow, who is unable to be parent sufficiently, so Jenna helps by raising her children. And then the two couples and their stories collide with explosive consequences.

This story was absolutely enthralling. I am a huge fan of the authors, so was excited to read this offering. The story is unique, and really well written. The characters are brilliantly written, and it was great having two strong female leads. I loved the connection between the characters, and how the story developed throughout. Fast paced, page turning, and gritty.

This book is well written with authentic characters. Fast paced from the start it keeps going at break neck speed. A thrilling and engaging story that will instil fear in all parents.

I’ve read all of MJ Arlidges books and was excited to see this new release and it doesn’t disappoint!

I’ve not read anything by Julia Crouch before but will definitely be looking up her other books now.

A fast paced read, well written characters - some likeable and some really not!

#TheWrongChild #NetGalley
A fun read.
When 3-month-old Max is abducted, his parents are plunged into their worst nightmare. Devastated mum Sarah only took her eyes off him for a second, but that doesn't stop her guilt. Even husband Jake can't hide his anger that their little boy went missing on her watch. By contrast there are smiles and celebration at a caravan park in Lincolnshire, as baby Blaze is introduced to the Star family. Jenna and Gary are delighted with the new addition to their family. He is their fourth child and a real object of delight to their eldest - fifteen-year-old Willow - who once again will raise the child. But trouble is brewing for the Star family. Willow is concerned by the desperate online appeals from Sarah and Jake, baby Max has neonatal diabetes and without regular treatment will die. As baby "Blaze" becomes seriously ill, Willow makes a shocking discovery. What is the truth about her family? And how far will they go to hide their deadly secret?
It was really good.
Thanks to NetGalley and Orion Publishing Group for giving me an advance copy.

When two brilliant authors get together to co-write a book, it can go one of two ways. Either their egos get in the way of a successful collaboration, or they spark off each other to produce something electric. Happily, the latter is the case with this riveting thriller by MJ Arlidge and Julia Crouch, whose writing is so seamless, it’s impossible to spot the joins.

Revolving around the abduction of 3-month-old baby Max, and touching on issues such as post-natal depression, coercive control, alternative lifestyles, and child abuse, The Wrong Child is a complex, multilayered story that cleverly balances plot and character to deliver a tense, propulsive read.

The narrative switches back and forth between two parallel strands — that of the police investigation and frantic parents Sarah and Jake; and that of the nomadic Starr family, who live a seemingly idyllic life completely off grid.

With baby Sam suffering from neonatal diabetes and dependent on daily medication, the search to find him is a heart-stopping race against time.

Between them, Arlidge and Crouch have created a compelling cast of characters. Some to cheer on and others to loathe.

I empathized hugely with Sarah in her desperate and confused mental state and applauded her resilience, guts and determination. Jake, I despised for being unforgivably judgmental, egotistic and weak, while the misogynistic officers leading the investigation weren’t much better. Equally hard to stomach was the media’s vilification of Sarah as at best a bad mother, at worst a murderer.

But it was the controlling, narcissistic behaviour of unhinged earth mother Jenna Starr that sent this spinning into full-on dark and sinister mode.

The closing chapters are explosive, a blur of nerve-jangling, heart-pounding action. Exactly the way I love a book like this to finish. It couldn’t have been more perfect.

I've read and enjoyed previous novels by each of these authors so was excited to read a book co-written by them and I'm so happy to say that I loved this one. The novel predominantly follows two women - Jenna who is a traveller with three children who never stay in one place very long; and Sarah who recently gave birth to her third child and she is really struggling to cope. One day her baby is taken and what follows is a really thrilling read with suspicion thrown on Sarah. Meanwhile the new baby in Jenna's family is sickly and they don't know how to treat him without conventional medicine. My favourite character in this book is Jenna's teenage daughter Willow - she was great and I was rooting for her to be ok throughout the novel. This book is dark at times but it's also a novel about family dynamics and alongside the darker stuff there is the beautiful bond between siblings. I very much enjoyed this one and hope there's more to come from this writing duo!

Arlidge does it again!!! Finished it in one sitting.....I couldn't put it down, what a story, so well put together.

I have read all of M J Alridge's books. But Julia Crouch is a new author to me. I always find author collaborations fascinating. I wonder how they work together to get the story written. They've pulled it off effortlessly here anyway.

💭 This story really messes with your emotions and feelings towards people. The authors have nailed it that one minute you can really hate a character, and the next, you find something out and you feel sorry for them again.

💭 It has a slow build-up, where we get to learn about the characters and their back stories. I found Jenna's story fascinating as she was going against the grain of society. But Willow was a stand-out character, too.

💭 a well thought out story. A slow build up to a pacier ending. A cast of characters that you will love or hate.

The Wrong Child MJ Arlidge Julia Crouch

Loved it! No idea how two authors can collaborate on a book, but it really worked here. As a big fan of the Helen Grace series, I knew was in for a great read. As horrible and spiteful as Jenna is, I very much enjoyed her as a character. She was so well written, you could easily picture her in your mind as you read.
I enjoyed the tempo of this book, and can highly recommend it.

I am a fan of M.J. Arlidge and have read a number of his books and enjoyed them all; I have only listened to one of Julia Crouch's books but I liked that also so it seemed a no-brainer to read something that they have both collaborated on and I wasn't disappointed.

This is a tense and twisty thriller that had me hooked from the start. It contains a mix of hard-hitting themes including child abduction, postnatal depression, neglect, drug use and violence. This may sound a bit heavy and bleak however, the authors have done such a good job, that it doesn't come across as such.

This book had everything that I like in a thriller - human interest, strong female characters, varied pace, loads of tension and an engaging and riveting plot; in summary, this book is an excellent mix of emotion and suspense and one that I would recommend to anyone looking for a gripping, thought-provoking read.

Thank you to the authors, The Orion Publishing Group and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of this book.

OOOOH, when I heard that MJ Arlidge has a new collaborative project with some of the best thriller writers around I knew I had to get involved and read them. It is my ABSOLUTE pleasure and honour to be arranging the blogtours for the “Crime Writers’ Room” and kick off the first book in this project which features another of my favourite authors HRH Julia Crouch (Queen of Domestic Noir).

I haven’t read many collaborative books so I don’t know how it works but I do know that I adore both writers and was intrigued to see what they could come up with together, after all two twisted heads are definitely better than one.

The Wrong Child starts by introducing the reader to Jenna Star. She’s a young and beautiful, free spirited traveller who lives with her 3 children, Willow, Tiger and Moon and her boyfriend Gaz moving from site to site in their caravan Nomad, never staying too long. Her children are the most important things in her life and she’s now ready for another baby to complete her family.

We then meet Sarah. She’s recently had her third child and is now a very harassed and stressed mother of 3 under 3. Her husband is the Deputy Head of a local school and despite promising to help out more at home, she’s almost at breaking point. To make matters worse, baby Max has recently been diagnosed with Neonatal diabetes and spends almost all day and night crying.

When baby Max gets abducted in the park whilst Sarah is distracted, everyone’s world is turned upside down. Both parents react very differently to the abduction. Sarah is understandably distraught, but her husband can’t help but blame her plus the police also suspect her of harming her baby.

I’m going to be honest here, after the first 2 chapters I really wasn’t sure about the storyline or the characters, but slowly the plot begins to unravel and the characters start to show their true colours and within a few more chapters I was absolutely hooked.

Each chapter of the book follows a different character so we gradually find out more about who they are and what part they play.

With two strong female main characters both determined to keep their family together at any cost, the tension and pace ensures the reader can’t put the book down.

The Wrong Child really is a rollercoaster of a ride. It’s absolutely full of twists and turns, characters you love and characters you will despise and I 100% recommend this to everyone who enjoys thrillers.

I am a fan of M J Arlidge but have never read anything by Julia Crouch - and am always intrigued by author collaborations and how they work - so leapt at the opportunity to read The Wrong Child. And what a page-turner it proved to be!

Sarah and Jake experience every parent’s worst nightmare when their three month old son Max is abducted - made even worse by the fact that has recently been diagnosed as diabetic and requires medication. Meanwhile nomads Jenna and Gary Star welcome baby Blaze into their family. They may lead an unconventional life - but have they got more to hide?

This is a tale of two very different mothers - Sarah who comes under intense scrutiny as suspicion falls on her and for whom you feel enormous sympathy, and the shockingly manipulative Jenna - as well as Jenna’s oldest child Willow, who has to endure so much and yet proves herself to be wise beyond her years.

This is something of a slow-burner with characters developed and scenes set before the tension really begins to build and the race to find Max intensifies and the pieces begin to come together, but I was engrossed from the start, willing things to end well. It is a book that can’t help to make you feel as you go through the whole gamut of emotions, and one I would recommend.

My thanks to Tracy Fenton of Compulsive Readers for the invite to the tour and to the publisher for the ecopy to review via Netgalley. The Wrong Child is published by Orion in ebook, audio and paperback formats (30 May 2024).

Having read and enjoyed previous books by each author, this collaboration was one that I couldn’t say no to and I wasn’t disappointed. However their joint writing process works, it seems very successful and I forgot that I was reading two authors so seamless was the flow. With characters that I felt sympathy for but also despised, this was a story of drama and emotion.

When Sarah took her eyes off her three month baby Max, every parent’s worst nightmare happened. Someone was watching and they didn’t hesitate to take their chance. I’m not a parent but it should have been clear to Sarah’s family how much she was struggling with a new baby and two other young children. Her husband Jake was as much use as a chocolate teapot, his own interests taking priority.

The vilification of Sarah in the media made for uncomfortable reading because we see this toxicity all the time. There are few boundaries the press will not cross to get their story and clicks. Add in the investigating detectives who decided that their only suspect was Sarah and she was on her own whilst dealing with her own feelings of heartbreak and guilt. Even her own husband offered no support.

The Star family dynamics would become clear but the head of the family Jenna, seemed a disturbed individual and the one person that I really rooted for here was Willow. As the eldest child, she was left to look after everyone, including a new baby, whilst Jenna and her latest boyfriend went off to do their ‘job’ – their income stream seemed decidedly dodgy. Although she came from a normal suburban background Jenna was very much anti-establishment. She made sure the family was constantly moving around, living off grid in their caravan Nomad and not allowing phones or any form of media that might influence. Despite her assertions that she wanted her children to have freedom, she was able to exercise complete control and manipulation of her family.

Whilst the book initially had a slower pace as it introduced the characters and the build up, the pace and tension increased as lives began to unravel and behaviours became more erratic. With baby Blaze needing regular medication to keep him alive there was a race to find him in time.

I enjoyed this thrilling story with its powerful emotive plot and diverse characters. There were well drawn main and supporting players and Willow was one that stood out for me. In spite of Jenna’s parenting – or rather the lack of it, she was an intelligent, caring and brave young girl who just wanted love and a normal life.

Baby Max is missing and his mother has suddenly become the most hated woman in the UK media because they believe she killed him .
Max is a sickly baby , Sarah his mum feels overwhelmed looking after Max and his two siblings.
Jake her husband promised to be there for her and offer his support but sadly that was lacking .
Sarah can’t bear to hear Max crying anymore so relaxes by listening to music by the river and seriously contemplating harming herself .
On returning home she realises Max is missing and a doll has been put in his place .
This is when the nightmare begins.
The book deals with child illness, post natal depression, child abduction, infidelity and psychopathy so it’s not the lightest of reads , but it kept me turning the pages late into the night .
The writing style makes it easy to read and the story moves at a fair pace .
A different and gripping read.
Thanks to NetGalley and Orion Publishing Group.

I adore Arlidge's books and I was excited to see what this book would be like, that has been co-authored with Julia Crouch. I was not disappointed, we follow Sarah and Jake in their desperate search for their baby, Max who has been abducted. Parallel to this we follow Jenna and her children; Willow, Moon, Tiger and Blaze but all is not as it seems.
I did think the plot was obvious and there were no surprises however the plot also felt right and shocks and twists were not needed. The plot is fast paced and the authors really capture the sense of a race against time. I devoured this quickly as I wanted to know the outcome.
The authors have also captured the emotions of the characters perfectly. I felt everything they were feeling and this felt like a very special read.
If you are fans of Arlidge or even thrillers, then this is a must read.
Thank you to NetGalley and Orion for an advance copy.

I have previously enjoyed work by both authors, so I was really looking forward to this collaboration.

The characters within this story are so so complex, I loved getting to know them, I was constantly changing my mind over who was my favourite but I think Willow came out on the top. Such a stronger character, I loved the bond with her brothers and how she realises how things are not adding up in the life she knows. Jake on the other hand arrogant, deceitful, horrible and was such a wet wipe, so I naturally disliked him 🤣

The plot fascinated me, seeing sides from the mothers, Joan and the police as they figured it out. I really hope that there will be a follow up, I mean Jenna! We all need to see what she gets up to next! She really seems that she lands on her feet what ever happens.

This needs to be on your TBR.

First off...is there going to be a second book? Because I need it. I have so many questions! Is Joan hiding something? She’s acting shady, and I need to know more. And what about Jenna? Will she find a way out of her situation? She always seems to find loopholes.
Sarah, a mother of three, is really struggling. With three kids under the age of three and a baby with a serious illness, it’s hard for her to keep it together. And with no help from her husband, Paul, she’s spiraling into darkness. One day, to get some peace of mind, she takes baby Max for a walk, and then he disappears. Everyone, including Paul, thinks she did something to Max, so Sarah has to find out what really happened.
Then there’s Jenna, bringing home her fourth child, Blaze. She and her family live as nomads, away from society, supposedly to give them the freedom to live by their own rules. But it seems more like Jenna’s rules. Jenna is such an unlikable character—I wanted to slap her. She’s manipulative and narcissistic, and you really don’t want to be on her bad side.
I had the best time reading this book. I couldn’t put it down and highly recommend it. However, there are some triggering themes, so please check the content warnings.

Having read all of MJ Arlidge books I was keen to read this one, even though I hadn’t read anything by Julia Crouch before.

I just found it to be a good read. The story started off well, but i felt it dragged a bit towards the end and became a bit predictable. The characters were interesting though and I enjoyed seeing places near where I live mentioned in the book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this ebook in exchange for my honest review.