Title: Next of Kin

Author: Kia Abdullah

Genre: Legal Thriller/Suspense

Publisher: HQ

Publication Date: 2nd September 2021

Rating: 4/5

Cover:

Summary:

ON AN ORDINARY WORKING DAY…

Leila Syed receives a call that cleaves her life in two. Her brother-in-law’s voice is filled with panic. His son’s nursery has called to ask where little Max is.

YOUR WORST NIGHTMARE…

Leila was supposed to drop Max off that morning. But she forgot.

Racing to the carpark, she grasps the horror of what she has done.

IS ABOUT TO COME TRUE…

What follows is an explosive, high-profile trial that will tear the family apart. But as the case progresses it becomes clear there’s more to this incident than meets the eye…

A gripping, brave and tense courtroom drama, Next of Kin will keep you on the edge of your seat until the final, heart-stopping page.

Review:

I always enjoy Kia Abdullah’s thrillers, which are never quite what they first appear and without fail come with at least one or two major twists. Next of Kin certainly delivers in that regard. It is a tense courtroom drama mixed with the story of a devastating family fracture. I found it totally gripping throughout and emotionally intense from start to finish. It is a story about family relationships, motherhood, guilt, perception and culpability. The characters are flawed and layered in a way that makes their struggles feel immediate . I must confess that I think there was perhaps one twist too many by the end but I still found it a propulsive and well crafted thriller with no easy answers to some twisted and emotional moral questions.

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I received a copy of the book via Netgalley. My review is entirely my own honest opinion.