Surely a scenario which all mothers dread, the abduction of a child is the focus of this first novel by Eva Holland which won the 2014 Good Housekeeping novel competition.  It’s an intriguing and emotional read, telling the story of Rosalind as she struggles to cope with the imminent release from prison of her teenage daughter’s abductor.  Flashbacks to the time of the abduction six years earlier are skillfully interwoven with her current life and the reader soon becomes aware that both situations are far more complicated than they initially seem.  Eva Holland is spot on with her characterisation and successfully maintains tension throughout.  There are one or two annoyances (is so much snow realistic in Milton Keynes in late November/early December and in any case is it really necessary for the plot to work?) but they do not detract from the fact that this is a good story worth the read.

The Daughter’s Secret by Eva Holland is published in paperback and as an eBook.