Thursday 26 August 2021

Daughter by Kate McLaughlin

Scarlet’s life is pretty average. Overly protective mom. Great friends. Cute boy she’s interested in. And a father she’s never known – until she does.

When the FBI show up at Scarlet’s door, she is shocked to learn her father is infamous serial killer Jeffrey Robert Lake. And now, he’s dying and will only give the names and locations of his remaining victims to the one person, the daughter he hasn’t seen since she was a baby.

Scarlet’s mother has tried to protect her from Lake’s horrifying legacy, but there’s no way they can escape the media firestorm that erupts when they come out of hiding. Or the people who blame Scarlet for her father’s choices. When trying to do the right thing puts her life in danger, Scarlet is faced with a choice – go back into hiding or make the world see her as more than a monster’s daughter.

Kate McLaughlin’s Daughter is a novel about trying right deadly choices that were never yours to begin with.

Although I enjoyed this read, I feel like there could have been a lot more to it.

Jeffrey is creepy, there's no doubt about it, and maybe more so because he isn't remotely sorry. He did what he did and he's cool with it. However, we only see him as an almost dead guy in a bed in a prison, so he's not very scary. Plus, I felt that the story gave more weight to Kate's budding romance with her bodyguard's son than her interactions with her father.

None of this means I didn't enjoy it, because I did, very much. Kate has a talent for this kind of read, where it's as much about what and how our main character is feeling as it is about the plot. There are some very complex emotions on display here, and Kate shows them beautifully without resorting to 'she felt x'. It's all very natural and honest. (Also I loved the Criminal Minds shout out! I had great fun imagining what Hotch or Reid would be saying as the story went on.)

This is a really good book that I enjoyed very much, and I'll be watching for more from Kate.


Daughter publishes on the 8th March, 2022. I received a free copy and am giving an honest review.

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