Review: Shoeless Child by J.A.Schneider

Shoeless Child by J.A. Schneider
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Kerri Blasco and her partner Alex Brand return in a emotionally charged story of murder,lies,secrets and manipulation that had me hooked in from the very first sentence.

Five year old Charlie Sparkes witnesses his mum and her best friend being shot by a masked intruder.Hysterical the young boy bolts into the cold November night to try and get help,only to fall into more trauma.

Miraculously Charlie's mum is still alive and both she and Charlie are taken to the hospital.Unfortunately the shocking events of that night have left Charlie traumatized,mute and refusing to eat or drink.

The only person he seems to connect with is Kerri but will she be able to break through the barriers that he had put up to protect himself and get him to reveal who the killer is before it is too late.The killer has shot two more innocent people,Kerri and the team keep hitting one brick wall after another.Meanwhile somewhere in the city,the killer is planning to silence the one living eye witness.....permanently.

This is a fast paced,realistically plotted,gripping thriller,packed full of twists,red herrings,numerous suspects and loads of suspense.Charlie was a adorable character and I spent the whole book with a heightened sense of anxiety and worry about his safety.Fortunately the author didn't go down the predictable route when it came to the final shocking reveal and confrontation.The motive behind the murders was unpredictable and totally unexpected although now I think about it there was a few tiny clues scattered througout the book that should have made me stop and think.I was pleased that Kerri was more like the character from the first two books in the series.I found her constant whinging and moaning in Watching You very frustrating and uncharacteristic.

Although this is the forth book in the series,it can be read and enjoyed as a stand alone although as with all book series it is best to read them in order.


Many thanks to Joyce Schneider for a arc of this book in exchange for a honest review.