Book Review - The Daughter by Michelle Frances

Whilst not a typical twisty/turny psychological thriller I would definitely recommend this the third novel from author (and TV producer) Michelle Frances.

First published in the UK: August 2019

Getting pregnant as a teenager was never part of Kate's plan, but when it happens she's determined to do right by her daughter, showing her the love she never had as a child. Life as a single mother is hard, sometimes impossible, but it only brings Kate and Becky closer together. By the time Becky is making her own way in the world as a tenacious trainee journalist, Kate couldn't be prouder.

But when the unthinkable happens, Kate's life is changed forever. Desperately trying to understand, Kate stumbles across a story Becky was researching.

Is it possible that this cruel twist of fate wasn't an accident? The Daughter is a gripping, powerful story of a mother's courage and devotion, by the number one bestselling author of The Girlfriend.

My review
Overall I enjoyed this book even though it wasn't quite what I was expecting. 

The reason I love this genre is the chilling twists and turns, the gripping suspense and the mind-boggling race to try (often unsuccessfully) to work it all out before the main character. I've not read any of Michelle Frances' other books but this one certainly wasn't like that - in fact for a psychological thriller it was quite predictable. It also bore more than a passing similarity to the Erin Brockovich story - a similarity which was even referenced by the main character.

That said it was really well written and the characters were expertly developed and brought to life throughout the book. So, despite the small negatives I really liked this book because I absolutely loved the main character Kate and became totally invested in her story and fate. Kate is the ultimate underdog - an intelligent and passionate woman full of self doubt following a teenage pregnancy which saw the direction of her life change to focus solely on her daughter and her needs at the expense of all else. 

This was also written in one of my favourite styles where the chapters alternate - in this case between the current day, pre 'the accident' and the past. The past was largely irrelevant to the story but seeing as I fell in love with Kate I guess it was probably a large part of that.

So whilst not a typical psychological thriller I would definitely recommend it and would like to try another from this author.

Visit author Michelle Frances' website to find out more at michellefrancesbooks.com.