The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! đ
sci_mom's review against another edition
4.0
I was torn on whether to give this book 3 or 4 stars. I decided to go with 4 because I really like it until about the last 25%. The ending was abrupt and too neatly packaged. I won't do any spoilers, but it bothered me that the detective didn't keep unraveling the thread and find the twist herself. She was too sharp to not catch that bit. Also, that epilogue...too far. It was unnecessary. Otherwise, though, I did really enjoy the book and would read other stories by this author.
kbranfield's review
4.0
4.5 stars
The dysfunctional Bloom family takes center stage in Paula Daly's latest release, The Trophy Child, a gripping investigation into the disappearance of ten year old Bronte.
Following Bronte's disappearance on an outing with her sixteen year old stepsister, Verity, "tiger mom" Karen quickly alienates her family, the police and the public with her withering accusations and rude comments. Ignoring the woman as best as she can, Detective Sergeant Joanne Aspinall and her newly assigned partner Detective Sergeant Oliver Black continue their search for clues to Bronte's whereabouts. Joanne has no doubt that Verity's account of the day her little sister went missing is truthful but she cannot discount the teenager's recent troubles with her stepmother. Joanne is also keeping her personal connection to the girl's father, Noel, a secret from her boss and her partner. When Bronte eventually returns home unharmed and with a somewhat vague account of her whereabouts, the investigation reaches a dead end. However, Joanne and Oliver are soon back at the Bloom's when another person from the house goes missing. This investigation has a very different outcome than the previous one and Joanne has to take a hard look at everyone in the Bloom household, including Noel, Verity, Karen's son Ewan and Ewan's friend Dale. Will Joanne and Oliver uncover the truth about who is responsible for this latest disappearance?
Based on their outward appearance, the Bloom family seem to have everything going for them. Patriarch Noel is a successful GP with a lucrative practice whose second marriage to Karen seems to be happy. But beneath the surface, there is a high degree of dysfunction and no shortage of misery within the family. Noel drinks a little too much and works long hours, rarely interacting with his wife or children. Verity has recently gotten herself into a situation that involves weekly drug tests and counseling. Ewan is a slacker with little ambition and a fairly impressive pot habit. Bronte's schedule is so full of activities and tutors that the poor girl has no time just to be a child. Karen is an overbearing, ambitious and pushy mother who makes everyone's lives miserable. Everyone feels a great deal of sympathy for Bronte and they search tirelessly for her when she goes missing.
Following the second disappearance of someone from the Bloom home, Noel immediately contacts Joanne for assistance which raises a few eyebrows including Oliver's. The two detective sergeants are soon searching for clues but they are soon at a dead end. With very little evidence to go on, their investigation raises more questions than answers, but neither of them are quite ready to give up. While Joanne decides to take a second look at the circumstances of Bronte's disappearance, Oliver broadens his search and uncovers a vital clue that takes the case in a very shocking direction.
The Trophy Child is a riveting police procedural that fans of the genre do not want to miss. Paula Daly has chosen a disturbing parenting trend to focus on and with Karen Bloom, she has created a detestable character whose ambitions for her child border on abuse. The rest of the characters are realistically drawn with both positive and negative traits that are easy to relate to. The disappearances and subsequent investigations are compelling with plenty of red herrings and plot twists that will keep readers guessing right up until the novel's somewhat dramatic conclusion. An absolutely spellbinding mystery that is fast-paced and quite interesting. Highly recommend.
The dysfunctional Bloom family takes center stage in Paula Daly's latest release, The Trophy Child, a gripping investigation into the disappearance of ten year old Bronte.
Following Bronte's disappearance on an outing with her sixteen year old stepsister, Verity, "tiger mom" Karen quickly alienates her family, the police and the public with her withering accusations and rude comments. Ignoring the woman as best as she can, Detective Sergeant Joanne Aspinall and her newly assigned partner Detective Sergeant Oliver Black continue their search for clues to Bronte's whereabouts. Joanne has no doubt that Verity's account of the day her little sister went missing is truthful but she cannot discount the teenager's recent troubles with her stepmother. Joanne is also keeping her personal connection to the girl's father, Noel, a secret from her boss and her partner. When Bronte eventually returns home unharmed and with a somewhat vague account of her whereabouts, the investigation reaches a dead end. However, Joanne and Oliver are soon back at the Bloom's when another person from the house goes missing. This investigation has a very different outcome than the previous one and Joanne has to take a hard look at everyone in the Bloom household, including Noel, Verity, Karen's son Ewan and Ewan's friend Dale. Will Joanne and Oliver uncover the truth about who is responsible for this latest disappearance?
Based on their outward appearance, the Bloom family seem to have everything going for them. Patriarch Noel is a successful GP with a lucrative practice whose second marriage to Karen seems to be happy. But beneath the surface, there is a high degree of dysfunction and no shortage of misery within the family. Noel drinks a little too much and works long hours, rarely interacting with his wife or children. Verity has recently gotten herself into a situation that involves weekly drug tests and counseling. Ewan is a slacker with little ambition and a fairly impressive pot habit. Bronte's schedule is so full of activities and tutors that the poor girl has no time just to be a child. Karen is an overbearing, ambitious and pushy mother who makes everyone's lives miserable. Everyone feels a great deal of sympathy for Bronte and they search tirelessly for her when she goes missing.
Following the second disappearance of someone from the Bloom home, Noel immediately contacts Joanne for assistance which raises a few eyebrows including Oliver's. The two detective sergeants are soon searching for clues but they are soon at a dead end. With very little evidence to go on, their investigation raises more questions than answers, but neither of them are quite ready to give up. While Joanne decides to take a second look at the circumstances of Bronte's disappearance, Oliver broadens his search and uncovers a vital clue that takes the case in a very shocking direction.
The Trophy Child is a riveting police procedural that fans of the genre do not want to miss. Paula Daly has chosen a disturbing parenting trend to focus on and with Karen Bloom, she has created a detestable character whose ambitions for her child border on abuse. The rest of the characters are realistically drawn with both positive and negative traits that are easy to relate to. The disappearances and subsequent investigations are compelling with plenty of red herrings and plot twists that will keep readers guessing right up until the novel's somewhat dramatic conclusion. An absolutely spellbinding mystery that is fast-paced and quite interesting. Highly recommend.
yuyuv's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism
chrissireads's review against another edition
4.0
I absolutely loved Paula Dalyâs writing as you might tell from my reviews of her previous books. Sheâs definitely one of my auto-buy authors. I immediately purchase a copy of her books! I thoroughly enjoyed The Trophy Child.
It centres around a family with one hell of a pushy mother. Bronte is just ten and has a schedule of music lessons and extra curricular activities alongside extra homework set by her mother. Karen wants the best for her child, but sheâs pushing Bronte far too hard. However, the relationship between Bronte and her mother isnât the only relationship with cracks within the Bloom household. Noel Bloom is a successful doctor, but heâs drinking a lot and avoiding his home life with Karen. Noel had cheated on his first wife Jennifer when Karen became pregnant with Bronte. Jennifer is in a nursing home due to her MS. Their daughter, Verity, has to live with her Dad and Karen. Also in the Bloom household, is Ewan, a child from Karenâs previous relationship. He appears to be amounting to nothing, which results in Bronte being used as âthe trophy child.â Complex, youâd have to agree. The cracks are really starting to appear in the family and with an attack, disappearances and something much worse⊠the family really do fall to pieces, but who is to blame?
Paula Daly is a genius at creating characters. I canât say that one was badly written within this story. I disliked Karen right from the start. I canât stand pushy mothers and Karen really takes things to the extreme. I loved the characters of Verity and Bronte and enjoyed reading about their connection despite the difficulties that are going on in the household.
I adore when characters return from a previous book. It makes me feel entirely connected to the story. It feels like a community created by the author. I love that feeling of familiarity. Joanne Aspinall, a police officer from Just What Kind Of Mother Are You? appears in this story, determined to find out just whatâs going on with the Bloom household. It was lovely to read more from her point of view.
Paula Daly is still one of my favourite writers. Her writing style is incredibly engaging. I couldnât stop turning the pages. As I mentioned, sheâs wonderful at creating such complex characters and her story lines are so well crafted. I highly recommend reading Paula Daly if you havenât already.
It centres around a family with one hell of a pushy mother. Bronte is just ten and has a schedule of music lessons and extra curricular activities alongside extra homework set by her mother. Karen wants the best for her child, but sheâs pushing Bronte far too hard. However, the relationship between Bronte and her mother isnât the only relationship with cracks within the Bloom household. Noel Bloom is a successful doctor, but heâs drinking a lot and avoiding his home life with Karen. Noel had cheated on his first wife Jennifer when Karen became pregnant with Bronte. Jennifer is in a nursing home due to her MS. Their daughter, Verity, has to live with her Dad and Karen. Also in the Bloom household, is Ewan, a child from Karenâs previous relationship. He appears to be amounting to nothing, which results in Bronte being used as âthe trophy child.â Complex, youâd have to agree. The cracks are really starting to appear in the family and with an attack, disappearances and something much worse⊠the family really do fall to pieces, but who is to blame?
Paula Daly is a genius at creating characters. I canât say that one was badly written within this story. I disliked Karen right from the start. I canât stand pushy mothers and Karen really takes things to the extreme. I loved the characters of Verity and Bronte and enjoyed reading about their connection despite the difficulties that are going on in the household.
I adore when characters return from a previous book. It makes me feel entirely connected to the story. It feels like a community created by the author. I love that feeling of familiarity. Joanne Aspinall, a police officer from Just What Kind Of Mother Are You? appears in this story, determined to find out just whatâs going on with the Bloom household. It was lovely to read more from her point of view.
Paula Daly is still one of my favourite writers. Her writing style is incredibly engaging. I couldnât stop turning the pages. As I mentioned, sheâs wonderful at creating such complex characters and her story lines are so well crafted. I highly recommend reading Paula Daly if you havenât already.
kirsty147's review against another edition
3.0
Trophy Child sounded like an interesting diversion from the usual simpering, tedious domestic suspense in which the female protagonist always calls their husband "darling".
Sadly, it didn't quite live up to expectations for me. I found the characters rather 2D and the whole novel felt like a draft.
Sadly, it didn't quite live up to expectations for me. I found the characters rather 2D and the whole novel felt like a draft.
taydaliese's review against another edition
3.0
Meh. I in general liked the premise and the characters because they had flaws and a sense of depth, but the ending was predictable, I do like the red herrings though. I also maybe just didn't pay attention enough, but I hate it when books use characters once or twice then expect you to remember who they are as pretty minor characters. I appreciate callbacks as a villain, but they barely ever mention the son and his weird friend but used them at weird times, I felt.
An okay read, especially for someone who hasn't read a million mysteries before, but I didn't think it was anything spectacular.
An okay read, especially for someone who hasn't read a million mysteries before, but I didn't think it was anything spectacular.
nessaf's review against another edition
4.0
I read this book in a day because I wanted to see what happened and it was a quick read. There were a few too many odd coincidences and in some ways, the ending was a bit too neat and tidy but I enjoyed the different character views (would have been nice to get BrontĂ©âs view too) and I liked the character of the oldest daughter.
karenchase's review against another edition
5.0
It's always a little bittersweet finishing a book, especially a good one. And this is my first five-star read of the year. I wish I could remember where I heard about it it, but I suppose it doesn't matter. I can't say much about the intricate plot without spoiling it, so pardon the vague description that follows. The titular character is Bronte Bloom, the 10 year old daughter of a tiger mom, and the girl bears the enormous weight of her mother's expectations on her shoulders with increasing difficulty. One day, she just disappears, and the family (tiger mother, frustrated but impotent doctor father, father's daughter from a previous relationship, mother's son from same) starts to unravel. Throughout the story the narrative perspective shifts between various key characters, including the detective who is assigned to investigate Bronte's disappearance, and the transitions are very smooth, almost not noticeable, which is very hard to pull off. Eventually the disappearance leads into a murder investigation, and although the author drops several broad hints about the identity and motive of the killer, and I was pretty sure I had it pegged, it turned out I was wrong, and the conclusion comes a bit out of left field. It is this skillful weaving of the narrative, the distinct and well developed characters and the impulsively readable prose that allow me to give this one the full five stars.
meloches's review
5.0
The Trophy Child, the newest release by Paula Daly, was not your typical mystery story. Part police procedural, part psychological drama and part suspense, I devoured this one in the course of a few sittings.
Karen, a âsuper mumâ, likes to push her children. But how far is too far? With an extracurricular activity around every corner and Karenâs family falling apart, she hones in on youngest daughter Bronte. By the time, DI Joanne Aspinall becomes involved with the family, they are in shambles: their oldest daughter is dealing with her own issues and things appear to be heading to a breaking point. But Karen would know when to stop pushingâŠwouldnât she?
When the novel opens, things are very unclear. We know something bad must have happened, but are unaware of what the actual incidents were. Daly does an amazing job at providing just enough to pull you in but enough intrigue to keep you consistently guessing.
The characterization in this novel is divine. Daly does a splendid job at creating characters at opposite ends of the spectrum and juxtaposing them in such a way to create a slew of emotions. I hated Karen. I loved Verity. I was suspicious of Noel but admired Joanne. These ups and downs had me feeling like I was going through intense mood swings; I was angry, I was upset, I was elated, I was shocked. Daly took me on quite the ride.
Twists and turns around every corner, this one was impossible to predict! Daly uses a plethora of red herrings and had me thinking all sorts of things throughout my reading. She also does not follow any traditional plot structure or story mapping; instead, she combines multiple story arcs and character backgrounds and weaves them all together to create a completely original story. I was so impressed. Each section of the novel felt completely different.
My first experience with a Paula Daly novel and it wonât be my last! I loved it. 5/5 stars from me.
Karen, a âsuper mumâ, likes to push her children. But how far is too far? With an extracurricular activity around every corner and Karenâs family falling apart, she hones in on youngest daughter Bronte. By the time, DI Joanne Aspinall becomes involved with the family, they are in shambles: their oldest daughter is dealing with her own issues and things appear to be heading to a breaking point. But Karen would know when to stop pushingâŠwouldnât she?
When the novel opens, things are very unclear. We know something bad must have happened, but are unaware of what the actual incidents were. Daly does an amazing job at providing just enough to pull you in but enough intrigue to keep you consistently guessing.
The characterization in this novel is divine. Daly does a splendid job at creating characters at opposite ends of the spectrum and juxtaposing them in such a way to create a slew of emotions. I hated Karen. I loved Verity. I was suspicious of Noel but admired Joanne. These ups and downs had me feeling like I was going through intense mood swings; I was angry, I was upset, I was elated, I was shocked. Daly took me on quite the ride.
Twists and turns around every corner, this one was impossible to predict! Daly uses a plethora of red herrings and had me thinking all sorts of things throughout my reading. She also does not follow any traditional plot structure or story mapping; instead, she combines multiple story arcs and character backgrounds and weaves them all together to create a completely original story. I was so impressed. Each section of the novel felt completely different.
My first experience with a Paula Daly novel and it wonât be my last! I loved it. 5/5 stars from me.
ncrabb's review against another edition
5.0
Verity Bloom is a high-school girl with a more uncertain future than usual. She impulsively attempted to strangle her tiger mother nagging stepmom one day, and the action nearly got her removed from the expensive private school her physician dad was paying for. Now Verity must submit to a drug test weekly and must endure counseling from a local therapist if she is to stay in the school.
Noel and Karen Bloom are on their second marriage. In addition to Verity, who is Noel's daughter by a first marriage, Karen has a son, Ewan, also from her first marriage. The two jointly are the parents of 10-year-old Bronte. Fearful that she will fail as a mother with Bronte as she did with Ewan, Karen has so structured the child's life as to turn it into a regimented hell. While Bronte doesn't complain, the stress of all that tiger mother over-structuring manifests itself in a disabling hand condition that means she can't easily grip things.
On a rare afternoon when Bronte doesn't have something to do, she and Verity go to a nearby park. Verity leaves the little girl alone long enough to visit a nearby care facility and help her disabled biological mother smoke a joint. By the time she comes back to the park, Bronte is gone.
Joanne Aspinall is a detective sergeant who caught the case to figure out what happened to Bronte. When she arrives at the house, she realizes that the man she slept with after a few drinks at a bar six days earlier is Noel Bloom. I've rarely encountered characters in a book that brought out such an immediate visceral dislike in me. So professionally written are these characters that I frequently had to remind myself that they are fictional. Karen Bloom literally ties my guts in knots. Part of that is because of Emma Fenney's beyond-remarkable narration. You almost get the impression that somewhere at some point in her life, Fenney knew someone a lot like Karen Bloom. I hope not for her sake. But that's how well she narrates this. If you have the choice, and if you're not averse to audiobooks, you should seriously consider the audio version of this just for the sake of the narration. I think I would have had real difficulty were I the recording engineer trying to keep Fenney's levels consistent. She really gets into the Karen Bloom part--right down to the almost-screaming stuff.
While the police are questioning a friend of Ewan's, a young man with a learning disability who is frequently at the house, the door opens and Bronte strides in, refusing to tell anyone about her disappearance.
Then another member of the family goes missing, and things get decidedly fascinating from there. If you love those onion-layered thrillers that peel back the truth as you go, this book will entrance you. Daly crafts characters amazingly well, and thereâs no way youâre going to see that ending. And if you do, you should take a hard look at getting your clairvoyance license.
Noel and Karen Bloom are on their second marriage. In addition to Verity, who is Noel's daughter by a first marriage, Karen has a son, Ewan, also from her first marriage. The two jointly are the parents of 10-year-old Bronte. Fearful that she will fail as a mother with Bronte as she did with Ewan, Karen has so structured the child's life as to turn it into a regimented hell. While Bronte doesn't complain, the stress of all that tiger mother over-structuring manifests itself in a disabling hand condition that means she can't easily grip things.
On a rare afternoon when Bronte doesn't have something to do, she and Verity go to a nearby park. Verity leaves the little girl alone long enough to visit a nearby care facility and help her disabled biological mother smoke a joint. By the time she comes back to the park, Bronte is gone.
Joanne Aspinall is a detective sergeant who caught the case to figure out what happened to Bronte. When she arrives at the house, she realizes that the man she slept with after a few drinks at a bar six days earlier is Noel Bloom. I've rarely encountered characters in a book that brought out such an immediate visceral dislike in me. So professionally written are these characters that I frequently had to remind myself that they are fictional. Karen Bloom literally ties my guts in knots. Part of that is because of Emma Fenney's beyond-remarkable narration. You almost get the impression that somewhere at some point in her life, Fenney knew someone a lot like Karen Bloom. I hope not for her sake. But that's how well she narrates this. If you have the choice, and if you're not averse to audiobooks, you should seriously consider the audio version of this just for the sake of the narration. I think I would have had real difficulty were I the recording engineer trying to keep Fenney's levels consistent. She really gets into the Karen Bloom part--right down to the almost-screaming stuff.
While the police are questioning a friend of Ewan's, a young man with a learning disability who is frequently at the house, the door opens and Bronte strides in, refusing to tell anyone about her disappearance.
Then another member of the family goes missing, and things get decidedly fascinating from there. If you love those onion-layered thrillers that peel back the truth as you go, this book will entrance you. Daly crafts characters amazingly well, and thereâs no way youâre going to see that ending. And if you do, you should take a hard look at getting your clairvoyance license.