Emma Grace Townsend. Five years old. Gray eyes. Brown hair. Missing since June.

Emma Townsend is lonely. Living with her cruel mother and clueless father, Emma retreats into her own world of quiet and solitude.

Sarah Walker. Successful entrepreneur. Broken-hearted. Abandoned by her mother. Kidnapper.

Sarah has never seen a girl so precious as the gray-eyed child in a crowded airport terminal—and when a second-chance encounter with Emma presents itself, Sarah takes her, far away from home. But if it’s to rescue a little girl from her damaging mother, is kidnapping wrong?

Amy Townsend. Unhappy wife. Unfit mother. Unsure she wants her daughter back.

Amy’s life is a string of disappointments, but her biggest issue is her inability to connect with her daughter. And now she’s gone without a trace.

As Sarah and Emma avoid the nationwide hunt, they form an unshakeable bond. But her real mother is at home, waiting for her to return—and the longer the search for Emma continues, Amy is forced to question if she really wants her back.

Emotionally powerful and wire-taut, Not Her Daughter raises the question of what it means to be a mother—and how far someone will go to keep a child safe.

Review:

Riveting, affecting, and unique!

Not Her Daughter is a thought-provoking, clever, tight thriller that highlights just how fine the line between criminal intent and morally acceptable behaviour can be when it comes to the protection of children.

The writing is taut and emotive. The characters are complex, troubled, and authentic. And the plot told from dual points of view and alternating timelines, before-and-after the kidnapping, builds subtly to create tension and suspense as it unravels piece-by-piece all the motivations, actions, personalities, and relationships within it.

Not Her Daughter at its core is a novel about family, relationships, secrets, parental abuse, abduction, and the lengths one will go to protect, care, and love a child. It’s expressive, absorbing, unnerving, and without a doubt an exceptional debut for Frey.

This novel is available now.

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