Published 27th February 2025 by Headline.
From the cover of the book:
It's every parent's worst nightmare. But there's no waking up from this . . .On board a cruise ship in the Mediterranean, Kimberly wakes to discover that her two-year-old son Robert has vanished from the cabin overnight. She and her husband Jason vow to do whatever it takes to bring Robert home.
But he is never found.
Forty years later, their therapist daughter Lily welcomes a new client into her home. Zach has a shocking theory about what happened to her brother Robert years before.
If Zach is to be believed, someone out there knows what happened on that ship. And they would do anything to stop the truth getting out.
But secrets always find a way to reveal themselves . . .
***********
July, 1983. A family holiday aboard the cruise ship The Carousel turns into a nightmare when Kimberley wakes to find her husband Jason and baby daughter Lily sleeping peacefully alongside her in their cabin, but no sign of her two-year-old son Robert. When the ship docks in Barcelona, the Spanish police can offer no explanation to his disappearance.
July, 2023. Forty years have passed without news of Robert. Kimberly and Jason's marriage lies in tatters, a casualty of the tragedy and Jason's obsession with finding out what happened to their son. Lily, now a therapist, and married with her own young son, longs for answers that will bring peace to them all. When a new patient called Zach walks through her door, he has a shocking theory about what happened all those years ago, and why someone was so desperate to keep the truth a secret...
The story unfolds in three compelling timelines, swapping between Kimberley's version of events in 1983, Lily's quest for the truth in the present (with the help of Zach), and the narrative of someone called Sally from the 1960s onwards. The threads weave together, each with their own mysteries to be solved in parallel as the story plays out, and Harrington does a fabulous job keeping you guessing with nicely wrought suspense, and lashings of misdirection - not least when it comes to who Sally is, and how she relates to Robert's disappearance.
Intriguingly, given that the premise of this book lies in a crime (the abduction), so much of this story is character-led, which I very much enjoyed. Harrington writes well about the relationships between her characters, layering powerful themes about families, parenthood, unresolved trauma, and the legacy of disturbed childhoods by echoing them throughout the story. Lily's part really set me thinking about the impact of such a case on the family as a whole, particularly when there are siblings whose needs get overshadowed in the messy wake of unimaginable loss, guilt and suspicion. The relationship that develops between Lily and Zach is especially touching, and there is a sold emotional kick to the twists and turns that play out in the final part of the book because of it.
I thoroughly enjoyed the way this story comes together, pulling you into the lives of this family, and keeping you turning the pages until all the threads unravel. My first Carmel Harrington, but definitely not my last!
The Stolen Child is available to buy now in hardcover, ebook and audio formats.
Thank you to Headline for sending me a proof of this book in return for an honest review, and for inviting me to join this blog tour.
About the author:
Her novel, The Lighthouse Secret, was an instant Irish Times Bestseller and was described by The Sunday Times, as a ‘page-turner, with wonderfully descriptive language.’ Carmel’s debut was a multi-award-winning novel, and several books have been shortlisted for an Irish Book Award. She is a regular on Irish TV screens and radio, and has been a guest speaker at Literary events in Ireland, UK and USA. She was also Chair of Wexford Literary Festival for three years.
Carmel’s emotional and gripping storytelling, with relatable characters, twisting plots and evocative locations, has captured the hearts of readers worldwide. Her novels, including The Girl From Donegal, A Mother’s Heart and The Moon Over Kilmore Quay have been Irish Times, Sunday Times, USA Today and Amazon bestsellers.
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