A young boy abducted in 1983 aboard a Cruise Ship. 30yrs later his sister, through her work, meets a stranger claiming to be him. This story is told across three timelines - the events of 1983, the events of today and finally a back story about two women who meet in an orphanage as children in 1960's London. Brilliantly written and interwoven with excellent plotting, I read this in one sitting! Definitely recommended.

A page turner with a great twist.
Kimberly and Jason`s son disappears whilst they are on a cruise and docked in Spain.
They later divorce but never stop looking for him even when divorced Jason has yearly up to date photos printed and sent to the media, whilst Lily their daughter is being ignored and brought up by her grandfather, forty years later Lily is now a counsellor and one of her patients comes into her office and says he`s her brother as he recognised his picture on the TV.
The plot thickens and family secrets come out, great characters and I couldn't put it down.
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC and I give my honest review.

So cleverly plotted that I fell for every red herring and was still taken surprise by the ending!
I really liked the chunks of Kimberleys past that put her childhood and experiences into context alongside the desperation to find her child and the range of characters is excellent and leaves vyou suspicious of everyone- perfect for the genre!

Wow! What a brilliant, brilliant plot!

Kimberly Murphy is desperately searching for her son, Robert, who was abducted as a toddler, 40 years ago.

In the past, we learn of Sally and Elsie, best friends who grew up in an orphanage together, trying to find their path in life.

When Kimberly’s daughter, Lily, is approached by her American client, Zach, claiming to be her long lost brother, the Murphy family are thrown into turmoil… and hope!

I loved both stories, especially Sally’s and the character development was fabulous; I felt completely immersed into these character’s lives. I couldn’t see how the two stories would link, so I just enjoyed the ride, until they came crashing together and my jaw hit the floor!

5 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Carmel Harrington and Headline for an ARC in return for an honest review.

The Stolen Child
Carmel Harrington
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

By far the best book I have read so far in 2025! If you do one thing this week you need to get those book - out this Thursday!!

Robert was abducted from a cruise ship in 1983 - his Dad has been searching for years whilst Lily has grown up without her big brother.

We delve into Sally and Elsie’s unbreakable
Bond ….. I love how this story comes together.

This book is emotional and thrilling. And 💯 un-put-down able. Go order now!

Thank you to @netgalley @netgalleyuk for allowing me to read and review

A child disappears from on board a cruise ship.
His parents and sister live a nightmare for forty years when he supposedly walks back into their lives.
But is it him?
When the truth is revealed many lives will be changed forever.

This book is a roller coaster from start to finish and what an ending. Loved it.

I enjoyed this book but I didn’t love it. The multiple timelines were a little difficult to follow, and this was more of a family drama than a thriller. Some parts seemed to drag on and get nowhere and I found myself speed reading to get to the end. It was just an OK read for me, but nothing particularly thrilling. The writing was good, and I would like to read another book by this author. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the early copy.

Wow! An absolutely amazing book by Carmel Harrington. I was gripped from the start and hadn't guessed what was happening until all was revealed. Loved it

This is a story about love. Maternal love, love for parents, love for your friends, and romantic love. It is about the lengths we will go to protect those we love, and the measures we will take to ensure that they are safe. This book is about the decisions we make, the secrets that we are forced to keep, and the consequences that we have to live with. This is a tale about childhood trauma, domestic violence, and sisters in everything but blood..Read it! (and keep the faith)

Spanning 3 different timelines and various characters this book is intriguing and captivating. I wanted to keep reading this book and not put it down so I managed to read it in 2 days.
I have never read from this author before but I would read others based on how much I enjoyed this book.

A truly great read. A father searches for forty years for his son, Robert, who went missing on a cruise shop when he was just two. A mother who never got over her loss and a daughter, Lily, who grew up in the shadow of her missing brother. Over the years there has been sightings and contact all leading to dead ends. When a guy called Zach contacts Lily claiming to be her missing brother they start an investigation together. The likenesses are uncanny.
Is he her missing brother?
This is an edge of the seat read, brilliant characters, cleverly written and a page turner with twists and turns you do not see coming. A compelling psychological experience.

Two year old Robert disappears from his cabin aboard the Carousel cruise ship and is never found. 40 years later Robert’s sister Lily is working as a psychotherapist when a man called Zach walks in who’s past possibly echos that of Robert’s. What really happened to Robert?

This was my first book by this author so I wasn’t sure what to expect but I was generally pleasantly surprised. The book started strongly and I was interested to see where it would go. I enjoyed the writing style and felt that there was a lot of depth, with different time frames building up the story. I ended up enjoying some time frames more than others but understand their importance in developing the characters and ending.

I found the characters intriguing, although I didn’t necessarily connect with them for some reason and I also I found the story repetitive and slow paced at times, while playing out more as a drama than a thriller. I found the story quite predictable and didn’t get any major shock moments, while finding parts far fetched. Saying that, apart from these niggles, I did find the general proportion of this story captivating and emotional and would certainly say that this is a solid family drama. 3.5 stars. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy in return for an honest review.

Captivating from the prologue with intriguing characters and a complex plot. The story is told over a triple timeline and from three different POVs which takes a bit of concentration but is well worth the effort.
In 1983 Kimberley and Jason wake up in their cabin aboard a cruise ship to discover their two year old son Robert has disappeared. With their younger daughter Lily the couple and extended family and friends searched for Robert intensely but he was never found. The strain of the situation split the family.
In 2023 a man named Zach turns up in Lily's psychotherapy practice claiming to be her missing brother.
Alongside these timelines we are sent back to 1963 where Sally is 5 years old and living in Sunshine House Orphanage. Sally is befriended by an older child, Elsie, who looks out for her and they become great friends.
The final part of the book brings together all the different parts to explain what truly happened. Whilst I did guess the twist based on the very early clues it did not spoil my enjoyment of this emotional, domestic suspense novel.
I am grateful to to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this highly recommended book.

Incredible! I was utterly gripped by this story, told across two timelines and three women’s perspectives. A story of friendship, family, love and betrayal, it was so cleverly plotted and I felt the emotions of the characters. The twist at the end was one of the best I’ve read in a very long time - a must read.

Thanks to Headline Books and Netgalley for the ARC of this book.

Great story from a new author to me. Having the three storylines is unusual but worked well. Characters were all described so well and I must admit I didn't see the twist coming until it happened which shows the author's writing skills to me.

Lovely strong women characters with great relationships.

Will certainly read more from this author,

I thoroughly enjoyed this book & found it difficult to put down. While I did predict the twist, it didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the story. I especially loved Sally & Elsie’s friendship throughout their childhood into adulthood & I thought the dual timeline worked really well the plot.
This was my first read from this author & it certainly won’t be my last!

I received both an eARC and an audiobook for review. However, I had to DNF the audio at 15% due to distracting mouth noises from the narrator.

I'd never read or even heard of the author but the title and description sounded right up my street so I was pleased to have the opportunity to read this as an ARC.
The story is told in 3 separate timelines. When the child, Robert, is taken, years later when Robert is found and a seemingly separate story about Sally, a child who goes to an orphanage.
I enjoyed the story to begin with especially Sally's story. I was intrigued to know how all the stories linked. By halfway through it became very obvious where the story was going and the big twist wasn't a surprise to me. I didn't enjoy the second half of the book particularly. I started to speed read to get to the end and was happy when the book ended. It was a good enough read but not great and I probably won't read this author again.

Having never read anything by Carmel Harrington I did not know what to expect. The event and the shockwaves after are something that no one wants to experience but clues at the start drop hints of the "twist". An enjoyable read but for me no real shock at the end.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

What an amazing ride this was. In my mind it should win the book of the year award for complexity, intrigue and writing. I spent most of the time trying to connect all 3 time periods and to see how the characters were developing, which led me to guessing all the way as to what had happened and who had stolen the boy. I loved the final chapters when it was all explaind and in particular the final ending which mad me smile.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for an ARC of The Stolen Child.

Carmel Harrington is a new author for me and I will immediately be seeking out other books she has written!

I cannot put into words how much I loved this book! Just wow! Couldn’t put it down. So glad it’s half term so I had time to just sit and read!

I spent most of the book trying to work out how Sally fit into the picture, and did not see the twist coming until it was more or less on top of me. Loved the portrayal of strong women, some of whom had a tough start to life, but fought through it to build a future for themselves.

I’d give it more than 5 stars if I could, if you only read one book this year, make it this one. A absolute winner for me!