THE WRONG CHILD

A propulsive thriller that has it all: families torn apart, a ticking clock and a complex and dynamic antagonist – all told through the prism of a woman’s fierce bond with her child, whatever the circumstance.

When Sarah’s 3-month-old baby, Max, is abducted, she and her husband, Jake, are plunged into their worst nightmare.

Sarah only took her eyes off him for a second, but that doesn’t stop her guilt. And Jake can’t hide his anger that their little boy went missing on her watch.

The police soon descend on Sarah’s home, starting a nationwide hunt for Max and his kidnapper. And it’s not long before Sarah realises that she is their prime suspect.

By contrast there are smiles and celebrations at a new-age caravan site in Lincolnshire, as baby Blaze is introduced to the Star family.

The enigmatic and beautiful Jenna and her partner 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 have to step up and look after her new baby brother herself.

But trouble is brewing for the Star family…Willow is concerned by the desperate online appeals from Sarah and Jake; 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?

Julia Crouch is the author of ten internationally published Domestic Noir novels: Cuckoo, Every Vow You Break, Tarnished, The Long Fall, Her Husband’s Lover, The New Mother, The Daughters, The Perfect Date, The Surprise Party and The Wrong Child. She has also written eleven plays and is developing a screenplay. She teaches for UEA, Faber Academy and the National Centre for Writing, and mentors writers trying to start, finish or polish a novel. Once a committed pantser, she is now an avid plotter.

M.J. Arlidge has worked in television for the last twenty years, specialising in high-end drama production, including prime-time crime serials Silent Witness, Torn, The Little House and, most recently, the hit ITV show Innocent. In 2015 his audiobook exclusive Six Degrees of Assassination was a number-one bestseller. His debut thriller, Eeny Meeny, was the UK’s bestselling crime debut of 2014 and has been followed by ten more DI Helen Grace thrillers – all Sunday Times bestsellers.