The Other Child
The addictive thriller from the author of MAGPIE LANE
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3.4 • 18 Ratings
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- $2.99
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- $2.99
Publisher Description
'Taut, tense, and beautifully written' Clare Mackintosh
'Addictive' Sunday Times
Sometimes a lie feels kinder than the truth . . . but what happens when that lie becomes an avalanche of deceit?
When Tess is sent to photograph Greg, a high-profile paediatric surgeon, she sees something complex in him that she instantly connects with. Their relationship quickly deepens, but then Tess - already a single mother to nine-year-old Joe - finds out she's pregnant.
Greg, who never wanted to be a father, is then offered the job of a lifetime back in his hometown of Boston, USA. Within just a few months, they have married and moved to the States.
But life in an affluent Boston suburb is not as straightforward as Tess had hoped. Strange things keep happening in their rented home - Joe is unsettled, the next-door neighbours are clearly troubled, and Greg's work is all-consuming. As a fierce Boston winter closes in, and her baby's birth looms, Tess remains determined to make this new life work.
Then she makes a jaw-dropping discovery . . .
PRAISE FOR LUCY ATKINS
'Wonderfully skilled' Sarah Perry
'Sly, witty and gripping' Naomi Alderman
'Wholly beguiling' Mick Herron
'Highly intelligent' Sarah Vaughan
'Beguiling, brilliantly creepy' Claire Fuller
READRS LOVE THE OTHER CHILD
'Will hold your attention until the very last page!' 5* reader review
'Totally got lost in it' 5* reader review
'Atmospheric and suspenseful' 5* reader review
'A psychological thriller with scarily tense moments that had my heart in my throat' 5* reader review
'Read it cover to cover in two sittings' 5* reader review
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Suspicions cloud a new marriage in Atkins's gripping sophomore effort. Tess, an accomplished London photographer and the single mother of a nine-year-old son, Joe, meets Greg Gallo, a pediatric heart surgeon. After a whirlwind romance, they marry and relocate to Boston. When Tess becomes pregnant, she's thrilled, but Greg, who had made it clear that he didn't want children, is perturbed and uninterested in impending fatherhood. Tess begins to be troubled by Joe's difficulty in adjusting to his new locale and by an unfriendly neighbor who's obsessed with Greg. Signs suggest something is amiss, including ominous letters left on her doorstep, which Greg can't explain. Tess fears that Greg is withholding information about his past. Her concerns are amplified when another man, Alex Kingman, claims to know Greg, which he denies with visible discomfort. As Tess's suspicions and fear of Greg grow, she finds it necessary to investigate and discover whether Greg is really who he says he is. Atkins (The Missing One) keeps the suspense high to the startling conclusion.
Customer Reviews
Not so good
Disappointing. It could have been much better with a good editor. Things didn’t add up or resolve. Too many red herrings that went no where, ages and timing were off, something was mentioned then never materialized. It was distracting and made me remember I was reading fiction instead of being swept up in the story
Such a drag!
The characters didn’t even develop properly. A pretty superficial write up with tons of unanswered questions in the end. Not impressed at all.