I really enjoy a good thriller. I love mysteries, but I think of novels of suspense slightly differently--like a mystery story but with a little added spice since often there is that edge of your seat, must find out what happens next, turn the pages furiously element to the story that a mystery may not quite have in the same way. Mysteries might be slightly more cerebral. They might be a slow burner of a puzzle to be worked out over time (though sometimes quickly, too). But there is a fine line (to my way of thinking) between the two.
I will almost always try a mystery someone recommends or be more apt to pick up a mystery that just 'sounds good', but for some reason I am feeling a bit jaded when it comes to thrillers or novels of suspense. I'm sorry, I know I harp on this far too much lately, but there is just a sameyness sometimes to books that fall into this category. Why is it the covers all look the same? And the stories all feel the same. And the blurbs on the cover all read the same--you know, the inevitable comparisons. 'If you liked . . . (and we all know which books are the standard) "X" you will love this'. I might very well love it, but I am always looking for the book that does its own thing, thank you very much. I realize that authors usually have little control over these elements of book design and promotion, but I cannot tell you how many books I have picked up and then set down for these reasons.
So, Fiona Barton's The Child. I read a library copy that was returned overdue because I had to finish and couldn't bear the idea of returning the book on time and getting back in line only to lose the thread (as the line at the library is so long) and I simply had to find out what happened. Getting the superficialities out of the way first. I love the cover (and notice that not a single comparison is at least on the jacket front), which is simple and a little mysterious. There is no 'girl' in the title (though there are several in the story) and no running person shown with their back to us and their face turned slightly to the side. It has a somber tone yet the colors are not dark. It is inviting in a fresh and subtle way.
I really enjoyed this story which is a nice mix of mystery and suspense with several very strong women protagonists (most over a 'certain age', which I also like), several not entirely likable people, yet still with an element of sympathy to their personalities and of course the requisite smarmy bad guys who maybe aren't exactly who you think they are initially. The body of a baby is found buried under a huge urn during the excavation and removal of a building that is being torn down. It's pure chance really that such small remains were discovered and considering the age of the building they might well have been there for a very very long time.
There is a nice vagueness to the story at first as the reader tries to make sense of the story. We know the mystery (which to begin with may or may not be a proper murder mystery), but as the story is narrated by three different women (with a few other threads popping up occasionally as well), it takes a little time to understand their relationship to each other and how they might possibly cross paths.
The strongest thread is that of Kate Waters a journalist who senses a story in this discovery. It might simply be a good human interest story, but she has enough years behind her and experience to know how to work the story and flesh it out. Actually the deeper she digs the more she realizes that there are more secrets buried with the baby than she first realized. Kate has grown children, a husband who supports her but an independent spirit, which I really liked and appreciated. She is paired with a junior reporter (is that what they're called?)--a young man new to the journalism business and it was amusing to see the 'clash' of generations, though the two worked well in tandem.
The other two main threads are narrated by Angela, a mother whose baby was stolen from the hospital just after she was born and Emma, a younger woman (and sometimes her mother), who has had issues with depression and difficulties with her family. What is their connection with the remains of the baby? It does take a bit of effort to get the ball rolling and the characters sorted, but the puzzling out of the details is part of the enjoyment of the story, and once things become more clear the ball begins to roll ever more quickly.
Fiona Barton has worked as a journalist and it is apparent in the way she tells this story. I could imagine (and would quite like it) Kate Waters showing up in another book. The story has some nice twists and turns that you may or may not see coming. I had sussed out the solution three quarters of the way through but it was fun watching the characters put it all together. The author has written another book, The Widow, and it sounds as though she is working on a new book (enviably from her home in the south-west of France). If you are looking for a good thriller this summer, The Child is a winner.