First off I want to thank the author and Netgalley for letting me read this book for free in exchange for my honest review.

The story was over all good but it could have been way shorter and still told the same story. I found that there was some things that really didn't need to be in there and characters that didn't need to be in here at all. There were scenes that had no point to the story at all. I also was able to figure out the who done it right away but there was a twist I didn't see coming and that elevated my 2 star to a 3 star. Over all the story was good. As she was looking for her daughter things just seemed to go from bad to worse with every decision she made. Overall I would recommend.

After an horrific event, Dr. Kelly takes her teenage daughter, Lauren, and moves to a secluded Scottish island. Kelly is the only doctor on this island. She’s determined to start over and make a good life for her and her daughter. Things don’t always turn out as planned.

Her daughter is kidnapped forcing Kelly to do things she never thought possible. She is only focused on one thing - getting her daughter back safely.

This is true edge-of-your-seating reading right from the beginning. I was hooked from the first page. It’s a roller coaster of emotions with twists and turns along the way. You could feel Kelly’s fear as the story progresses.

The author has a great talent for keeping the suspense going. Just when you think you’ve figured it all out, you find out you didn’t. There are so many shocking turn of events right up to the very last page.

It’s the first book I’ve read by this author, but it definitely won’t be the last.







FTC Disclosure: I voluntarily reviewed a free Advance Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Family Doctor by J M Dalgliesh.
This was a good read. I did find it slow to start of with. I wasn't sure how I felt about the characters. I didn't not like them but I didn't have any favourites. Although the mastermind behind the kidnapping i really didn't like. I was trying to guess who it was. I was certainly surprised by the double twist. I certainly didn't see that coming. I did like the ending.

It took me a few chapters to find myself fully immersed into the plot, but from then on it was a full on, fast paced romp to the end.

Branching across several timelines and narrated primarily from the POV of main character Dr Kelly, Dalgliesh delights with a twisty, suspense strewn thriller that will leave you questioning your own integrity and moral compass.

The characters are cleverly crafted, so clever in that I didn't have any inkling of what awaited me in the penultimate chapters and who was the killer.

The Family Doctor is a nail bitingly good, pulse pounding psychological thriller.

Thoroughly enjoyed it!

Overall this book was pretty good, I liked the main characters and wanted to know what was going to happen, It seems like it dragged a bit in the middle though, I started to get bored. Still would recommend though.

As with other J M Dalgliesh books that I have read I felt drawn in to this one immediately, it was so intense all the way through.

I loved the last book by this author so much that it made my top reads of 2024 so I was desperate to read his new offering! But although I did enjoy Family Doctor it wasn’t as gripping and I found the storyline rather pointless and not as well done as a book I read previously with a similar plot. Saying that, this is still a decent read and I was happy to see it through to the end but it’s not a favourite.

Kelly is the only doctor on the Isle of Jura. The community relies on her to make them well. But someone wants Kelly to do the exact opposite – to kill one of her patients in exchange for her daughter’s life.

I was totally intrigued to know what happened two years ago to force Kelly into relocating the hundred plus miles to the Isle of Jura from Edinburgh. I got snippets along the way but the juicy stuff was missing … until the end that is!!

Some might draw a similarity with Jack Jordan’s Do No Harm. Yes there is that moral dilemma of whose life should be saved but that’s where the similarity ends for me. Dalgliesh’s story takes on a whole different direction for the who and why and the actions Kelly takes. Family Doctor is an entirely different beast but equally as intense and addictive.

Playing detective was hard with this read – I couldn’t fathom the whole at all, I got half way to the why. In hindsight, the clues were there, I just didn’t pick up on them – I won’t be signing up for the police anytime soon! Dalgliesh has written another tense thriller taking ordinary people and putting them in an unthinkable and uncomfortable position. A recommended read if you enjoy a psych-thriller where you can play detective!

You must follow three simple rules...that is the premise of The Family Doctor. Kelly is separated from her husband after a tragic incident that tore their family apart. Living on an island with her teenage daughter, Lauren, Kelly thought she left her past behind her... until she receives a string of messages from her daughter's phone saying that someone has kidnapped Lauren. In order to spare her life, Kelly must kill one of her patients. She has 72 hours.

Every parent's worst nightmare, and it begs the question, whose life is worth saving? As a parent, one would do anything for their child. But how do you choose whose life is worth more than another's? This pulse pounding story follows Kelly as she deals with this dilemma in a race to save her daughter.

The story was definitely gripping and I found myself on edge, trying to figure out what Kelly was going to do, who she would ultimately choose for her daughter's life, and who was ultimately behind this. However I do feel like the book was a little difficult to read. I think it was the language and I'm not used to it. I had to re read some of the dialogue because the way they spoke to each other was not something I was used to reading. Plus I didn't really care for the characters. There were parts of the story that dragged on just a bit for me and I found myself wanting to just get on with it. And then there were very interesting, pulse pounding parts. I found the end to take a while to get to the point but when it did it all came together nicely. It was good, just wasn't my absolute favorite book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. #netgalley #familydoctor #bookouture

This relatively quick read psychological thriller was entertaining and definitely a book that I raced through to find out the truth. I love a thriller with short chapters as they motivate me to keep going and I struggle to find a pause point which tends to make for a tension filled read.

I have to admit, I was pretty certain who our suspect was from pretty early on and it turns out that I was right. I think that more could have been done to throw me off the scent, however it didn't impact my enjoyment of the story. There were a couple of extra twists thrown in however that I didn't foresee and took me by surprise. I loved the setting for this book; the island gave the book an eerie vibe and confirmed for me that it's not somewhere that I would like to live.

There were no real stand out characters for me personally. I didn't particularly like any of them, but I didn't dislike any of them either. I think I would have liked a bit more back story about Kelly as I think she was quite a troubled woman before any of these horrors took over her life. That would have enriched her character a bit more for me and I think would have helped sway my feelings towards her.

Overall, I had a good time with this book. I raced through it and found it difficult to put down. A great quick read that I'd recommend if you want to be entertained without having to think too much.

This is a great fast paced thriller! The pacing is good. Kelly and Lauren are entertaining characters and I was invested in how their story would end. I liked the writing style because it drew me in and kept my interest. I would recommend this! Special Thank You to JM Dalgliesh, Bookouture and NetGalley for allowing me to read a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

Oooh, I was just in the mood for something a little fast paced and gripping and this was just what the doctor ordered. 😉

I was hooked right from the very beginning with a nail biting start and there were plenty of twists and turns along the way to keep me guessing what was going to happen next. It gets beneath the surface of those questions that are uncomfortable to answer when faced with unimaginable situations. It also begs the question of who really is the monster of this story? And are things quite as clear cut as they seem?

A very enjoyable psychological thriller set in a small Scottish community where hidden secrets can be deadly.

This started off a little slow, but once things came together I was hooked. The suspense kept me turning pages, and even though I guessed who was behind it, it was still an enjoyable read.

Kelly is a doctor who has to make a decision between killing a patient or losing her daughter. The setting is the Isle of Jura in the Hebrides. The book starts off slowly, building up to a climax that I did not see coming. The descriptions of the characters are well drawn and I was completely drawn into the story about half way through. There was no way
I wasnt going to finish this book because I needed to know who was behind the ultimatum. I enjoyed the book immensely and would recommend to anyone. With thanks to the author, Netgalley, and Bookouture for the opportunity to read this book.

Three can not suspend my sense of disbelief enough stars for this new thriller from J.M. Dalgleish. It was a quick read and there were some thrilling scenes that would lend themselves to an on-screen hit.

Here's what kept me reading:
1) Finding out who was behind the text messages that Doctor Kelly was receiving about her kidnapped daughter.
2) The need to discover what happened to this family in Edinburgh that was seismic enough to splinter and scatter. Kelly is now practicing on the small island of Jura. Quite a switch!
3) I wanted to see Lauren was okay. She seemed to be caught up in the choices of others and is trying to make a new start at university.

What I didn't like:
1) The storytelling style for the past was a bit haphazard.
2) Some very violent scenes got a bit too dark for me.
3) It was a small island and sparsely populated, yet the hotel was fully booked?

Apparently this author is not a good fit for me, but if you liked The Chain, this might also interest you. Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for a DRC in exchange for an honest review. Happy Publication Day!

Wow...I was just left reeling by that twisty conclusion. Someone has taken the good doctor's daughter, and all she has to do is kill a patient to have her returned. Or is it really that simple? Who is behind all this? Many plausible suspects surround Dr. Kelly, but the answer comes in unexpected places. The small Scottish island setting with country folks provides the backdrop for this twisted thriller. Kelly has more gumption in her than at first glance, for sure. I thought it plodded along fairly well, but with no real surprises...until that ending! We could be set up for a sequel...and I'm here for it!
Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC. All opinions are mine.

January 2nd 2025: HAPPY PUBLICATION DAY!

The Family Doctor by J.M. Dalgliesh is the first book I've read/listened to by the author and after finishing this, I immediately added other novels from the author to my TBR list!

The premise of this book was as thrilling as I hoped it would be. In the novel, Dr. Kelly’s peaceful life on a quiet Scottish island is turned upside down when her daughter, Lauren, is kidnapped. She’s faced with a harrowing ultimatum: kill one of her patients within three days, or Lauren dies. The impossible moral dilemma built intense tension while the unpredictable twists kept me on edge, wondering just how far one would go to save their child.

Again, this is the first book I've read/listened to by J.M. Dalgliesh and I am excited to read more from him! This was a solid four star read meaning I absolutely believe fellow thriller fans will greatly enjoy this!

Thank you NetGalley, J.M. Dalgliesh, Bookouture, and Bookouture Audio for approving my request to read/listen to this ARC in exchange for a review

OMG people! What a horrifyingly twisted book! For the most part this was a fast paced, fist clenching, page turner. I never guessed the ending! If you appreciate well thought out mysteries, I believe you will devour this one as quickly as I did.

Domestic thriller set on remote Scottish island.

Kelly has escaped a checkered past by coming to the island and setting up a small clinic there. She and her teen daughter, Lauren, are making the best of things. On a day when Lauren is meant to be heading off island for an important interview, Kelly gets a message from Lauren’s phone. The directions and rules are clear. Kelly must kill one of her patients or whomever has kidnapped Lauren will instead kill her.

This was fast paced even as it stretched credulity. As Kelly richochets from being terrified to determined, she has no idea whom to trust and definitely no clue about the person who has taken her daughter. Except Kelly knows this villain must have information about events in Kelly’s past. They want to hurt her in the worst way a mother can experience.

The characters were predictable and I had figured out the twists early on. The writing style was good but overly wordy in places when action would have sufficed. I was able to listen to the audiobook while also following along in the e-book ARC provided by the publisher. The narrator did an excellent job of bringing appropriate dramatic flair to the story and that enhanced my enjoyment of the book.

Doctor Kelly and her teenage daughter Lauren live on a remote Scottish island, having moved from Edinburgh after an incident happened in their home. When Louise is kidnapped, Kelly is told the only way she will get her daughter back alive is if she kills one of her patients. Can Kelly sacrifice someone to save her child?

This was a real slow burn for me. It seemed to go on forever, and it was a little repetitive at time. However, it was a great read, filled with plenty of twists. I didn't figure out who was behind everything at any point.