I’m a huge fan of M J Arlidge and was a little wary reading this as a joint effort with another author but I had nothing to fear. Fast paced and full of the usual twists and turns. Highly recommend

I'm normally a big M.J Arlidge fan but unfortunately this one wasn't for me. It's quite slow to get going and I just really struggled to get into it. The rest of the reviews look great though so I'd still give it a go if you like the sort of thrillers where you know who the bad guy is but not how it will be solved.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. Happy days 2 of my favourite authors. This was a fast paced page turner thriller. Would recommend to other readers.

I’m a massive fan of M. J. Arlidge but haven’t read anything by Julia Crouch before. I struggled to get into this and found the characters a bit annoying. This wasn’t for me.

Thank you Orion Publishing and Netgalley for another brilliant read.
I really enjoyed this book, ok it was child kidnapping but the storyline was so different
I’ve read all of MJ Arlidge’s books and this certainly didn’t disappoint,
Highly recommended and I need more please

Well what an absolutely amazing start this new series of books! M.J.Arlidge has teamed up with some very familiar crime writers and the first in the series is The Wrong Child cowritten with Julia Crouch. And it is so good!!

Sarah is a mum of three children under the age of 3 (and I know from personal experience just how utterly exhausting that can be even with help!) but Sarah’s husband Jake really isn’t stepping up to the role of supportive spouse. After a disastrous meal out with an old friend, Sarah walks home full of regrets about her life and a momentary lapse of attention takes a tragic turn when baby Max is taken.

It is obvious early on that Sarah is struggling with postnatal depression due to an unexpected pregnancy that wasn’t planned and the fact that baby Max has neonatal diabetes. She misses her old life and struggles with a constantly unsettled baby. Her husband Jake works in education (enough said really!!!) and isn’t as supportive as he promised he would be. So the guilt that arrives when Max is taken sets in very quickly.

We are also-unusually-introduced to the woman who takes Max and follow her as she plans her “fourth child”. It was hard to decide which pov I found more disturbing to be honest and I thought it was very clever for the authors to show all their cards so early on in the storyline as the feeling of menace then hit me harder than expected. But it was the Star children who made this book for me especially the character of Willow who was expertly crafted and developed from start to finish.

A strong start to this series and I’m very excited for the next book now!

This was a very thrilling read overall. As we see Sarah and Jake's world change and then we are brought into the world with Jenna, Gary and Willow as we see a completely different way of life. I was hooked by this book right away.

This was a fast paced gripping thriller which I really enjoyed. I loved the characters the crime was shocking well written and interesting kept me engrossed I couldn’t put it down !

This was such a tense read which had me gripped throughout. It had me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. It was such a mix of emotions all the way through. I haven’t read much from either of these authors but wow I really enjoyed this so will definitely be reading more from them. I loved the writing style which helped build up the suspense. Highly recommended thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my advanced copy.

The Wrong Child is a tense, emotive thriller by M.J. Arlidge and Julia Crouch. The novel opens with every parent’s worst nightmare, when three-month-old, Max, is kidnapped while out with his mother, Sarah. What makes this all the more distressing for his parents is that Max is ill and needs his medication, without it, he’ll die. But we can also see that his mother, Sarah, has been suffering from post-natal depression and when Max disappears, her husband is quick to blame her.

The characters emotions in this novel come through really strongly. We can see the distress Sarah is under in the first few pages before Max disappears, and this made me really feel for her. It is clear to see Sarah’s struggle with post-natal depression and it was so frustrating to see, that there were people around her, who couldn’t understand what she was going through.

The tension dramatically increases as we get to hear from the point of view of the kidnapper who has taken Sarah’s baby, who has now been named Blaze. He is being welcomed into the Star family who live in a caravan park. We can begin to see what a disturbed individual the person who has taken Max is, as M.J. Arlidge and Julia Crouch begin to explore the inner workings of their mind and what is driving them. But the appeals for information on missing Max from the police don’t go unnoticed by the Star family and they soon begin to get suspicious.
The scenes told from the children’s point of view were really tense and towards the end of the novel their fear comes through on the page, as they begin to realise what has happened to them. It is clear to see the horrific acts this woman has committed during her time, it isn’t just Sarah’s baby she’s abducted, and she is still determined to push on with the plan she has, despite the risk. It was such a tense and a satisfying finale that really chilled me.

Both M.J. Arlidge and Julia Crouch are two of the best writers in the crime fiction genre and The Wrong Child is a hugely addictive book that had me gripped from the first page.

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. In contrast, baby Blaze is introduced to the Star family. Jenna and Gary are delighted with the new addition to their family. But what is the truth about the Star family? And how far will they go to hide their deadly secret?

This had such an interesting and unique plot, however the middle of the book did seem to drag a little and it felt like some reveals took too long to happen as one in particular doesn't happen until the 80% mark. Despite how much suspense and tension I should have felt given the gravity of the situation, I didn't feel any which was a shame as it had potential. The more that I read on, the more that I was able to predict what was going to happen but I didn't really mind this as the plot had only two ways that it could realistically go.

Moving onto the characters, I found them quite an interesting bunch. I definitely liked some of the characters more than others, such as Willow, Gaz, Sarah, Zack and Miriam. There was a lot of characters and normally I struggle with this but because of how distinctive each of them were, I didn't have a problem with keeping up with who was who. I really liked how some of the characters' flaws were included to make them more multi-faceted. One thing that I didn't like was how for a lot of the book, the two detectives were referred to by their weight, for example "thin detective" or "fat detective", which felt a bit weird to reduce people's identities to their weight and made it confusing for when they are eventually referred to by their names.

I really liked the writing style - it was great at setting the atmosphere and I could visualise everything that was happening. However, I do wish that certain aspects were explored more especially as there is a important topic that is touched upon, that I think would have benefitted from more exploration as it felt like it was just used as an explanation, but not brought up again. I do think that ending was concluded a little too fast, which made the things being delivered on a platter, not hit as much as they probably should have. Overall, I did really enjoy this book and its plot as there were times where I stayed up later than I should have just so I could read on to see how the book was going to be resolved.

⚠️ CWs: drug and alcohol use, toxic relationship, cursing, fatphobia, derogatory language, suicidal ideation, child neglect and cruelty, sex, gaslighting, gun use, murder, child abduction, fire/fire injury, animal cruelty, attempted murder, post-natal depression, ethnic slur against Romani people, sexual assault, mentions miscarriages, infertility, death, child loss, domestic abuse, cheating, physical assault, suicide attempt, self harm ⚠️

Thank you NetGalley and publisher Orion for the opportunity to read this book early, in exchange for a honest review.

Firstly thank you to NetGalley, the authors and Orion publishing for the opportunity to read this in exchange for a completely honest and unbiased review.

I’m a major fan of M J Arlidge and the DI Helen Grace series so there was no doubt when I spotted this that I would request it. I’m always cautious with two authors - what if it’s no good - what if they don’t work well together. I started this and it was “ok”, nothing out of this world and a bit of a slow burner but I could feel it building. Just over halfway it hit. The story increased in pace, depth and emotion and I was hooked. I couldn’t stop reading it to find out what happened next. The tempo increased, and as the plot unfolded, the skill of the writers was evident. Sarah and her martial arts was slightly bizarre but the rest of it was captivating! My final comment - what happens to Jenna couldn’t have happened to a better person. Vile!

Definitely worth picking up and reading.

I’d like to thank Orion Publishing Group and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The Wrong Child’ written by M J Arlidge & Julia Crouch in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Following the birth of baby Max three months ago, Sarah has been struggling to cope with three children under the age of three. When she returns home after taking Max out in his buggy she’s shocked to find he’s missing and there’s a doll in his place. Sarah’s husband Jake thinks she’s killed him and the police are treating her as a suspect. She’s been told that Max has neo-natal diabetes and will die if he isn’t given his medicine but if the police don’t appear to be looking for him she’ll have to do it herself.

‘The Wrong Child’ is every mother’s nightmare, when a child is stolen and the mother is blamed for his disappearance. Although this thriller is different to those in the DI Helen Grace series that I’ve read previously by M J Arlidge, I’ve enjoyed reading this joint venture with Julia Crouch that’s still had the ability to hook me into the plot and keep reading. It’s well-written with suspense, drama, twists and turns and, mostly, likeable characters. It’s easy to read and I can recommend it.

I have read all of M J Arlidge books but none yet by Julia Couch so was interested to see how this collaboration would work I can defiantly say it works. This is a brilliantly crafted story that once I started reading I just had to finish. I loved the array of characters some of which you’ll sympathise with and others not so much. It was a real emotional roller coaster from start to finish, I highly recommend reading.
Now to go and find some books by Julia Crouch to add to my ever growing TBR pile.
Thank you #NetGalley for the ARC of The Wrong Child by #M J Arlidge and #Julia Crouch in return for my honest review.

I am a big fan of M J Arlidge so when I saw a new book collaborating with Julie Crouch I couldn’t wait to read it. This is my first introduction to Julia Crouch’s work.
Sarah is a mother of three children and finding it hard to juggle the three kids and a wife to Jake who thinks that it’s the wife job to look after the children while he goes out to work. He never helps with the kids and its Sarah is at the end of her tethyer. She decides to go out for a walk to a nearby lake. She takes her eyes of Max who hasn’t stopped crying for only one minute. Only to find out that Max has been abducted. But when she reports him missing the Police doesn’t believe her and thinks that she has dumped him in the lake and her own husband who is supposed to be on her side doesn’t believe her either and packs his bags and takes the other kids to his mothers.t
Sixteen-year-old Willow is introduced to Blaze the newest member of the Star family. She lives in a caravan called Nomad with her parents Jenna and stepdad Gaz and her two younger siblings. Willow will be looking after Blaze while her parents go on trip throughout the day. But she soon realises that Blaze is sick, but Jenna doesn’t seem to take any notice and thinks that he will climatize to his new way of life.
I knew I was going to be in for a good read because of reading the authors work previously and I wasn’t disappointed. This is not your typical child abduction story it is more than that. Instead of being heartfelt for a mother who lost her child it took a more sinister route, there was a lot of hatred for Sarah because the story we perceive in social media and not getting the full story. But also hatred for the delusional abductor in this story. I really enjoyed this collaboration and will be looking out for both the authors work in the future. 5 stars.

I have enjoyed all M J Arlidge previous books. This one was a bit of a different premise but I liked it nevertheless. Well written. Unusual characters and plenty of suspense to keep me gripped. I look forward to the next offering. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it.

Mum Sarah is distraught when her three-month-old son Max is taken and is overcome with guilt. Her husband Jake can’t hide his anger at the mum of three. Meanwhile in a life that seems set apart is the Star family, a group who do things their own way. But the eldest child is beginning to rebel against this picture perfect – if unusual life.

I’ve read a few of Arlidge’s books and they’ve never failed to disappoint and neither does this one! It grabbed me from the first page with its sympathetic, colourful characters and intriguing plot. I couldn’t put it down!

I am a big fan of MJ Arlidge - especially his Helen Grace books - having read and LOVED every book in his back catalogue. Julia Crouch is an author who, for some reason - probably too many books not enough time - hasn't been as prominent for me, although, after devouring this book, I am making waves to rectify this as soon as I can.
So... we start with a devastating blow for Sarah when her baby Max is taken from his pram when she was out for a walk. She had draped a muslin cloth over the opening to protect him from the elements, and had thought he had finally gone to sleep, after screaming his head off (his natural state), and obviously didn't want to disturb him, so has no idea when he was taken. Obviously fingers point to her... fractious baby, new mother, barely coping river walk. Even husband Jake does not wholly believe her.
Meanwhile... in a caravan park, baby "Ronnie" is being introduced to his new traveller family. Jenna and Gary already have three children and Ronnie will complete their family.
Problem is, as is laid bare in the TV appeal, baby Max is a sick child. He has neonatal diabetes and, without his treatment, could suffer horribly and then die. So it is more than just a race against time to get the child back, it becomes more of a life and death situation...
Oh my days, this book nearly broke me. It is so incredibly well written. With the two storylines - Sarah's search for the truth, and Jenna's determination to build and keep her family. Both strong women (although Sarah isn't initially convinced of her strength, and Jenna is a bit unlikable) and then if you also throw in Becky, Jenna's teenage daughter, who eventually realises some rather brutal truths, boy do you have one heck of a ride. With all the emotional roller-coaster feels and then some.
It's brutal and pulls no punches. You know what is happening all the way through, there is no secret to be had. It just how it all pans out that is to be discovered. We all know the truth, it's not a spoiler. But do you? Is there? Is that the whole truth? Have the authors kept something back... I'm not saying - other than I was gripped by this story all the way through. It took me captive right from the very first scene and held me tight throughout, spitting me out at the end an emotional wreck.
I do love a collaboration, especially when one of the authors is not as well known to me - fresh blood and all that. Although the down side is more books on my tbr... Like it's not already going to last me til I'm 150 and that's not including the ones I will keep adding along the way! But yeah, I'm definitely going to be looking Ms Crouch's back catalogue up. And also, wondering whether the two author have any future collabs in the pipeline. Oooo I do hope so!
In the mean time, there's a new Helen Grace coming out soon... Can't wait for that bad boy...
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

The Wrong Child is a great collaboration from M.J. Arlidge & Julia Crouch, and i did not want to put it down the story raced along and I really felt for Sarah, the emotions that she displayed from not bonding well with her child Max and his illness to the slow realisation that she wanted & needed him was well written, her anguish was plain to see & on the opposite side we had Jenna, a seemingly free spirit who had a great life in nature but her idyllic life holds secrets, the whole thing was well executed and I especially loved the ending.