*Blog Tour: The Lost Child by Emily Gunnis

*copy sent to me for review Today I'm on the Blog Tour for the fabulous The Lost child by Emily Gunnis. It really is a brilliant story which I highly recommend (I had the real pleasure of meeting Emily at a Headline roadshow a couple of years ago - plenty of fan girl moments!)

Discover the heartbreaking story of The Lost Child...

Rebecca Waterhouse is just thirteen when she witnesses her mother's death at the hand of her father in Seaview Cottage.

But what else did Rebecca see?

Years later, Rebecca's daughters Iris and Jessie know their mother will never speak of that terrible night. But when Jessie goes missing, with her gravely ill newborn, Iris realises the past may hold the key to her sister's disappearance.

With Jessie in trouble, Iris must unravel a twisting story of love and betrayal in her mother's family history.

Only then will Seaview Cottage give up its dark and tragic secret...

Emily Gunnis's mesmerising new novel is the perfect read for fans of Kate Morton, Lucy Clarke, Louise Douglas and Kathryn Hughes.

My thoughts?

The story starts in the fifties when we meet 13 year old Rebecca who is best pals with Harvey. Something unthinkable happens to her beloved mother, Harriet and she vows she'll make something of herself no matter what (Senior Paediatric Doctor). She gets on with her life after that fateful night but that niggle is constantly there that that night someone else was there, watching her... Fast forward to 2014 and Rebecca's estranged daughter, Jessie is due to give birth and is feeling deeply anxious. She wants to meet with her mother to find out about her past and why she might be feeling this way. Rebecca wants to help her but doesn't want to delve back into her past if she doesn't have to...

I loved how the stories of the past and present are so cleverly intertwined. We learn that Harriet, Rebecca's mother was a lady's maid to the gorgeous Cecilia and that her husband, who was broken after the terrible things he saw during the battles of WWII was unable to forget and lead a normal happy life. Iris, who is Rebecca's daughter with John (the love of her life) is a journalist and has issues of her own. Rebecca asks for her help when Jessie and the baby go missing and the race is on to find them before it's too late...

The book is un-put-downable and I never saw that twist coming! A must read.