The Trophy Child

January 16, 2017
Investigating the disappearance of 10-year-old Brontë Bloom plunges Det. Sgt. Joanne Aspinall into the emotional whirlpool of one seriously dysfunctional family—a family to which, she’s shocked to discover, she has an intimate connection—in Daly’s absorbing domestic thriller, her fourth novel set in the Lake District (after 2015’s The Mistake I Made). The detective encounters immediate pushback from Brontë’s proudly self-proclaimed “tiger mom” Karen, who’s quick to lambaste just about every member of her household, particularly her sensitive but troubled teen stepdaughter, Verity, and her henpecked physician husband, Noel, who left Verity’s now-MS-stricken mother for her. Then a second Bloom goes missing, and Joanne has to face the possibility that her undisclosed relationship might have seriously compromised her professional judgment. Though a little Karen goes quite a long way, more sympathetic characters, such as Joanne and Verity, plus some unexpected plot twists and sly commentary on the bourgeois milieu, will keep readers turning the pages. Agent: Jane Gregory, Gregory & Company (U.K.).

January 15, 2017
When someone murders a notorious "tiger mother," an intrepid detective with a secret must investigate the plethora of suspects in Daly's (The Mistake I Made, 2015, etc.) domestic mystery.Karen Bloom is proud of the fact that she pushes her daughter, Bronte, to excel in all aspects of life. So what if Bronte's demanding schedule rarely leaves time for family dinner and has even led to her developing numbness in her hands? Karen can't help but compare her perfect 10-year-old daughter to her teenage stepdaughter, Verity, who was recently discovered in possession of drugs and now must attend counseling sessions. Or to her older son, Ewan, who spends most of his time smoking pot. She even uses Bronte to distract herself from her disappointing husband, Noel. When Bronte goes missing one afternoon, Karen is hysterical. She's rude to the detective in charge of the case, DS Joanne Aspinall, and even makes an offensive comment to the press about how her missing child is different from "those impoverished families" who are known to murder their own. Although Bronte returns unhurt and refuses to admit where she was, there is incredible public backlash against Karen's comments, so when she is found murdered several weeks later, the list of suspects is long. Distracted by a past encounter with and ongoing attraction to Noel, Joanne must find and capture the killer as well as determine the truth of Bronte's experience. There is not a lot of complexity to the novel or to the characters; it's pretty clear from the beginning that the whole family will operate much more effectively and happily without Karen. Still, there is enough of a mystery to entertain. Fluffy enough to read in one sitting; ruthless enough to suggest that some people deserve what they get.

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December 15, 2016
Meet Karen Bloom, a fictional version of Amy Chua. This tiger mom lives in suburban England and controls the life of her daughter with clockwork precision. Her son, stepdaughter, and hapless doctor husband are powerless to intervene, as Karen is just too overbearing. Her world starts to come apart, though, after her daughter goes on an almost-forbidden trip outside the house without Mummy. Into the maelstrom that is the Blooms' lives steps the very determined Detective Sergeant Joanne Aspinall, who is tasked with figuring out two crimes involving the family while working to bring a new colleague into the fold. Dr. Bloom's ill-advised decisions create a clandestine connection between his family and DS Aspinall, adding a seamy undercurrent to a tale of secrecy, control, and the depths of motherly love. Daly sometimes veers into clunky metafictional territory when she imparts a detail to the reader in the manner of an actor speaking to the camera, but, overall, this is an enjoyable, well-written tale whose ending readers will not see coming.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)

October 15, 2016

Tiger mother Karen Bloom might have the sharpest claws ever, but her brilliant daughter Bronte wants to leave home, stepdaughter Verity is turning nasty, and Karen's son from a previous relationship is sunk into drugs. Then real tragedy strikes. From the Gold Dagger short-listed Daly.

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from January 1, 2017

Karen Bloom has a second chance at motherhood, and this time she's determined to get it right. Her first child, Ewan, is a slacker living above the garage playing video games with no apparent ambition to do anything else. On the other hand, daughter Bronte has talent, and Karen is going to make sure it's nurtured. Every single inclination, however slight, will be exploited to its maximum efficiency. Dance and music lessons, math tutorials, even reading exercises by Karen in the car between shuttling to other lessons--nothing is spared in the effort to mold her into the perfect child. So when Bronte disappears one afternoon while in the care of her stepsister, Verity, Karen's world is completely shattered. As detectives work to find out what happened, more secrets come to light and everyone is a suspect. VERDICT Daly, a master of psychological thrillers (Just What Kind of Mother Are You?), has written another gem. Thriller and suspense lovers will delight in this fast-paced novel with its twists and turns. [See Prepub Alert, 9/26/16; library marketing.]--Cynthia Price, Francis Marion Univ. Lib., Florence, SC

Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2017

Karen Bloom has a second chance at motherhood, and this time she's determined to get it right. Her first child, Ewan, is a slacker living above the garage playing video games with no apparent ambition to do anything else. On the other hand, daughter Bronte has talent, and Karen is going to make sure it's nurtured. Every single inclination, however slight, will be exploited to its maximum efficiency. Dance and music lessons, math tutorials, even reading exercises by Karen in the car between shuttling to other lessons--nothing is spared in the effort to mold her into the perfect child. So when Bronte disappears one afternoon while in the care of her stepsister, Verity, Karen's world is completely shattered. As detectives work to find out what happened, more secrets come to light and everyone is a suspect. VERDICT Daly, a master of psychological thrillers (Just What Kind of Mother Are You?), has written another gem. Thriller and suspense lovers will delight in this fast-paced novel with its twists and turns. [See Prepub Alert, 9/26/16; library marketing.]--Cynthia Price, Francis Marion Univ. Lib., Florence, SC

Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.