Give Me the Child

By: Mel McGrath

Narrated by: Adjoa Andoh

Length: 9 hrs and 51 mins

Publisher's Summary

Imagine your doorbell rings in the middle of the night.

You open the door to the police.

With them is your husband's eleven-year-old love child. A daughter you never knew he had.

Her mother has been found dead in their south London flat.

She has nowhere else to go.

Would you take her in?

Compulsive, dark and devastating, Give Me the Child is a uniquely skilful thriller with an unforgettable twist.

©2017 Mel McGrath (P)2017 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic Reviews

"Gripping and moving." (Erin Kelly)

"Dark, clever, terrifying." (Paula Hawkins, author of The Girl on the Train)

"You won't want to eat, sleep or blink." (Tammy Cohen)

Give Me the Child will give you a heck of a read!

I was thrown over, under, around and through by this book, surely a 'sleeper hit' that, in my opinion, knocks down the competition among some big-name new releases this summer.

Cat Lupo, forensic psychiatrist and leading researcher of childhood psychopathic disorders, has a problem on her hands. The police have shown up at her door in the middle of the night, accompanied by an 11 year old child named Ruby Winter. Ruby's mother has died in a freak accident, and Cat's husband Tom's name is on the girl's birth certificate. Suddenly, Cat and Tom are adding a second daughter to their family, a half-sister to their sweet and sheltered daughter Freya, who is also 11. But 'happy families' this is not. Things start to go missing from the house; Freya starts withdrawing and acting secretive and not in a healthy way forming a friendship with Ruby; the girl is horrendously rude to Cat, who can barely hide her own dislike; and Tom is getting more and more defensive about Ruby, and Cat starts to wonder what is going on behind the thin veneer of her seemingly happy marriage. Cat had an episode of psychosis herself when pregnant with Freya, which quickly resolved when she had the baby and no harm befell anyone. But the stigma follows her around like a phantom, and when Cat questions Ruby's behavior, it's Cat whose mental state gets scrutinized- and now Cat isn't sure if she can trust those she loves the most. Add in some serious work stress, and you are in for a roller coaster ride!

This book is very well written, intuitive and intelligent. The author describes Cat's own feelings as well as the children she deals with who have various forms of mental illness and disorders with sensitivity and insight. These parts of the story were very interesting and shed light on a subject that I was not familiar with- that is, severe personality disorders in young children. The dichotomy between Cat at home and Dr. Lupo at work was quite well done also. We see her struggle to balance the weight of the personal crisis in her family with the stress of workplace politics especially for an institute relying on grant money, and the upper crust of society who holds the pursestrings.

Cat will stop at nothing to protect her daughter Freya. Readers will love her spirit and her absolute focus on fighting for what is most important. Added to this is a host of great supporting characters, who each lend a hand to help her get to the ugly but necessary truth at the heart of Ruby's story.
This is truly a great read- I enjoyed it so much I couldn't put it down, and finished it on a roll in one weekend. Highly recommended!

9 of 9 people found this review helpful

Fabulous!

Would you listen to Give Me the Child again? Why?

Forgive me for not writing a review in question and answer form. (It's one of the reasons I rarely submit written reviews of Audible.com books. Note to Audible: please change this!) Anyway, Give Me the Child is a heart-stopper of a book. Narration is SUPERB. I fully recommend it. I could barely stop listening to it. I rely on my audio books to keep me company during long drives to and from work each day. This book was so gripping that I hated to arrive at my destination, to have to leave it until it was time to go home again. The writing is beautiful, and the narrator does a magnificent job. Of course, I've given it five stars for every aspect.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

slow start but enjoyed it in the end.

At times I felt frustrated with the main character. almost stopped ready twice but had to know what happened.

Took awhile but I enjoyed it

The beginning and ending were great. The middle dragged just a little. I really enjoyed this book. The price was even better. You won't regret it. 😀😀

Disappointment

This book had pretty good reviews but I was disappointed in the book. I thought it was boring and predictable.

gripped

okay, gripped in parts, an eye opener on deceipt and betrail, family comes first always

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Twisted tale of family secrets

Loved this story but be careful if you are listening and driving. Some parts made me want to thump my steering wheel they got me so frustrated - in a good way. Great story and characters who both intrigue and repel. I really felt for the central character tee and felt my blood boil on her behalf. I knew there was a reason I avoid kids ... Great narration really brought the audio book to life and I sailed through it in around a day.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

I enjoyed it

Narration was brilliant and the accents were great, although I do not know if they were accurate but, who cares they executed very well. Slightly predictable but still a good overall read.

Disappointed

I felt this book was so unrealistic yet still predictable. It's the first time I've had to speed down a narrator and that the book was way too long than it needed to be with the ending being tied up quite quickly in comparison. An interesting premise for a story but not 'meaty' or exciting.

Fabulous

I normally listen to at least 2-4 books a week and I would rate this as one of the best. Adjoa Andoh is a fabulous narrator really making you connect with me characters. Highly recommend

Gripping and great narration

This is the first book I've listened to with this narrator - Adjoa Andoh - and I thought she was superb. I would definitely listen to other stories she is telling.

The book itself is really gripping although I did guess one of the twists towards the end but really enjoyed it from start to finish. The narration really was excellent especially in places where the lead character was experiencing fear and anxiousness and you could hear it in the narration so well.

Definitely one to add to your list.