The Forgotten Child

A Riley Thomas Mystery, Book 1

By: Melissa Erin Jackson

Narrated by: Victoria Villarreal, David Clifford Turner

Length: 11 hrs and 42 mins

Publisher's Summary

Now with new narrators!

Ever since Riley Thomas, reluctant medium extraordinaire, accidentally released a malevolent spirit from a Ouija board when she was 13, she’s taken a hard pass on scary movies, haunted houses, and cemeteries. Twelve years later, when her best friend pressures her into spending a paranormal investigation weekend at the infamous Jordanville Ranch - former home of deceased serial killer Orin Jacobs - Riley’s still not ready to accept the fact that she can communicate with ghosts. 

Shortly after their arrival at the ranch, the spirit of a little boy contacts Riley, a child who went missing - and was never found - in 1973. In order to put the young boy’s spirit to rest, she has to come to grips with her ability. But how can she solve a mystery that happened a decade before she was born? Especially when someone who knows Orin’s secrets wants to keep the truth buried...no matter the cost.

This paranormal suspense will appeal to fans of Wendy Wang, Cheryl Bradshaw, and Heather Graham. Grab your copy today to join Riley on a twisty path toward answers in a decades-old cold case.  

©2018 Melissa Erin Jackson (P)2019 Melissa Erin Jackson

An intriguing paranormal thriller!

This was an intriguing paranormal thriller!
It was exceptionally compelling and drew me in from the first chapter. The story has a creepy vibe to it and was very well written.
The narrators did a great job un bringing this story to life.

I will absolutely 100% be reading the next book!

The Forgotten Child by Melissa Erin Jackson is a paranormal mystery. I honestly did not realize how wrapped up in this story I had become until my phone alarm went off and scared me senseless. I literally screamed in my own home! Mysterious ✅ Creepy ✅ Scary ✅

Synopsis:
Riley is an unwilling medium. It has only caused her heartache and pain. Thus far, she has successfully kept it a secret from her current group of friends. Then, they plan a weekend retreat at a haunted ranch. No matter what she tries, she can’t get out of it. Surely, it isn’t really haunted. Right?

Things start getting creepy when Riley realizes that she is seeing people that no one else can see. She can’t even flirt with the most handsome bachelor at the camp without seeing ghosts. Things go wild from there!

After a traumatic weekend, Riley is relieved when she finally heads home, but she doesn’t go home alone. Pete comes with her. He is a little boy who has been trapped as a ghost since 1973. Can she solve his murder and find his body so that he can finally be free? Without knowing where to begin, Riley starts down a precarious path that leads to … some seriously scary reading!

Story Review:
I will absolutely 100% be reading the next book in this series! I loved this book and was thrilled to discover that the next book comes out in May 2021. The audio version will be available in the summer of 2021.

If you want to find flaws with The Forgotten Child, you can find them as with any other book. Mr. Perfect is a little too perfect. The pacing slows down a tad too much here and there. I would still highly recommend this book to another reader.

Some of the “possession” scenes are intense and definitely adult only. Check out the sensitivity warnings below if that concerns you.

I hate scary movies, and I didn’t even know that I liked scary books. I foresee some new reading material in my future!

Narration Review:
The narrators are amazing! Victoria Villarreal and David Clifford Turner bring this story to life with an air of mystery and suspense. I loved them and would listen to them again without hesitation. I am stunned that this is David Clifford Turner’s first book narration. Way to knock it out of the park!

Reading Recommendation:
If you liked this book, you should check out Ruckman Road by Robert Stevens.

Sensitivity Warnings:
The Forgotten Child is an adult book that deals with adult themes. It contains sex, rape, and murder. Through her paranormal connection, Riley experiences the violence perpetrated on the murder victims in this book. It is intense. Readers be warned.

Source:
I received a free copy of The Forgotten Child at my request in exchange for an honest review.

Just wow!

This book blew me away. It was scary and creepy and yet I found myself laughing and loving the love story throughout. I loved the characters. I was very surprised with this one and I’m looking forward to reading more!

I loved this book

I liked the charcters, some parts were laugh out loud funny, and the creep factor was perfect for my taste. There was no over the top sex, stomach churning violence, and the paranormal falls within my personal range of believable. I really enjoy this author.

Excellent

Well worth a listen!!! Great characters, great storyline. You’ll probably stay up all night listening just like I did. I highly recommend.

Loved this book!

This book was so good and so well done! Can’t wait till the next part of the series is released on audible!!

The Forgotten Child

Excellent read! This was a goosebump inducing book. Riley does NOT want to go to a murder house that her friend has signed her up for.She does anyway and meets a child ghost that no one found a corpse for when the murders were discovered.I am looking forward to book 2. Victoria Vilarreal and David Clifford Turner were fine narrators.I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.'

A great story

I loved this story. The idea of talking with spirits is creepy but Pete was different. He sure put Riley through a lot of turmoil. Riley & her boyfriend, along with some other friends did a great thing helping Pete. The author did a greeccat job of creating believable & lovable characters. The story kept me turning the pages anxiously waiting to see what happened. I will be reading more from this author. I highly reccomend this book.

Wish 10 stars was an option!

Absolute love!! This story was down right scary at times and I had to stop listening and regroup myself. The character of ORIN...creepy scary. The story is just fantastic! I loved Pete, and Riley, Michael and Jade. I NEED these people in my life! I'm gonna need this to be a series! Narration was perfect and I loved that there was male AND female voices...Give this a listen. You won't regret it!

Riley Sees Dead People!

Riley Thomas reluctantly gets pressured into going with her friends for a fun weekend visit to a ranch home of a deceased serial killer. The ranch had been turned into a tourist spot for amateur paranormal investigators due to a popular TV reality show. Riley’s friends are all excited about spending a weekend together hearing spooky ghost stories and getting away from the real world of marriage and kids. But Riley has a secret, she can actually see and communicate with ghosts. On the drive to the ranch Riley tries to convince herself that maybe the ranch is all just a fake publicity stunt to make money but as soon as they arrive, she finds out it is all too real. Ripley’s encounter with the ghost of a young boy leads her on an investigation to find answers about his death which puts her into the crosshairs of a killer. If you enjoy ghost/paranormal stories you will really enjoy this audiobook. Narration by Victoria Villarreal and David Clifford Turner is excellent. I hope the author continues the Riley Thomas storyline… I’m looking forward to her next book.

This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.

I'm looking forward to reading more of this series

I'm a fan of the Edgehill Witch series by Melissa, so thought I'd try this series. I have to say it's more mature than the Edgehill series but the story is just as well written and the narrator is a favourite of mine.

Couldn't put it down

i don't know why I haven't listened to this book sooner, I've had this book for a while now in my library but hadn't gotten into it, but I am happy that I have now.

The book is really good, it engages you from the begging and wraps you up into the unfolding mistery, you will find yourself trying to make sense of everything and put together all the evidence to hopefully find out what comes next.

Riley is such a great character and I loved her and her amazing group of friends. I also enjoyed that great relationship she starts with Michael, they're so cute together, and me being a romance reader it's great to find a bit of a romance in every book.


As for the narration, it was fantastic, I loved Victoria Villareal she's a fantastic narrator, bringing this story to life, she has great different voices for every character male and female and it's so good.
And the contribution of David Clifford was just the best, it really enhanced the experience of the story and it was done really great.

Great story

My fist experience with Melissa Erin Jackson's storytelling was a pleasure. I love the characters, especially the ghost boy who follows her, begging for help. Coupled with great narration, this is sure to become a favorite author.

Loved it.

I really enjoyed listening to this story. It was something a bit different and I couldn't wait to see how it all ended, but at the same time not wanting it to end. Well written and well narrated. I will be looking out for more books by this author.

Great

I loved the dual narration of Victoria Villarreal and David Clifford Turner.

Heads don't listen to this late at night..


This book captured my interest right away and I couldn't stop listening. The serial killer and paranormal elements of the novel are scary .Great characters, plotline was great

A great surprise!

very good surprise.
Excellent narrator
Excellent story
couldn't stop reading / listening
I do recommend this book for those who believe we don't just die... there's something more after this chapter

Phenomenal start to (hopefully) a new series

This is the first book in what I hope will become a series. Riley Thomas is a reluctant medium who had hidden her talents ever since she released a malevelant spirit when she was thirteen. Twelve years later she is persuaded to go on a paranormal investigation weekend at an infamous ranch which was once the home of a deceased serial killer. What could possibly go wrong!

I love supernatural mysteries, but they often leave me disappointed. This was quite the opposite and I loved it from start to finish. This isn't a horror novel, but it's certainly creepy.

Riley is a great character, very likeable and I couldn't help rooting for her. I also loved the character of the Forgotten Child, Pete, though my heart broke for him.

I did find the romance aspect of the book a bit cheesy, but that was such a small part that it didn't affect my enjoyment.

Excellent narration too by Victoria Villarreal and David Clifford Turner made this an excellent listen.

Captivating paranormal crime story

A fantastic story with relatable characters and a cleverly crafted plot which keeps the listeners attention throughout. The writing is beautiful and the pacing perfect. A great performance from the narrators really brought this story to life. Looking forward to more in this series. Highly recommend.

Great read

I loved it. Mix with crime and paranormal. The writer kept me in suspense throughout the story, which meant I just couldn't stop listening to it. Very good choice with narrators. Worth listening to.

Brilliant!!!

I can honestly say that from the start, this book captivated me and the story was so riveting,scary, sad in places and the heroine Riley, I wanted to be on her journey with her as she came into her own as a Medium. It was beautifully narrated and I cannot wait for the next book to follow Riley's journey into whatever happens next!