– SOON TO BE A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE –

*** A copy of this book was provided to me by #NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***  Book Available April  2019

When Lauren reports having a visit in the night from a sinister looking character who is carrying a basket of twins that she plans to replace Lauren’s twins with, the story is dismissed as ludicrous. Hospital staff, as well as her husband, think Lauren is just hormonal and exhausted after giving birth to twins.

Since the police can find nothing proving that this new Mama had any visitors, Lauren agrees that she is exhausted and maybe it didn’t really happen. However, in her heart, she can’t rule out that the visit in the night certainly felt like it occurred.

The only person who somewhat believes Lauren’s story is the investigator, but her ranking officers want the investigation to end since they feel it’s been looked at thoroughly.

Upon getting home from the hospital she is faced with a husband who needs his sleep so that he can work and support the family. He moves to another bedroom so the feeding of the twins all night won’t disturb him.

But because of Lauren’s fear that the experience in the hospital was real, she locks up the house and only gets to sleep in bits and segments. She doesn’t feel she can let the twins out of her sight.

In time, Lauren’s friends visit her at her home and bring gifts for the new babies, but one gift is most unusual. One that is somewhat disturbing.

At her friends’ urging, Lauren finally chances going out of the house and meeting them in a park. She vows to keep a good eye on her identical twin boys.

But will she be able to?

This story is framed in dark history and folklore.

My Thoughts

What Concerned Me: This book is a bit dark and foreboding. I’m not sure how I would have wanted it to end, but it didn’t feel totally satisfying to me.

What I Liked Most: This is a story that was hard to put down. The writing was excellent and flowed beautifully. Was it kind of creepy? Sure. When I read the tag: Horror, along with Mystery, and Thriller, I wondered how I’d missed that important word, since horror is absolutely the last type of book I’d choose to read. (But maybe I’m confusing that genre with horror movies that I see advertised. Anyway, nothing gory, and nobody carrying a chainsaw, to my great relief! Teehee.)

I’d rate the writing and interest level a 5, but the ending felt more like a 3 or 4.

Author: Melanie Golding

Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Pages: Hardcover 304

Here Are A Few Editorial Reviews Listed on Amazon

“Haunting . . . Fans of psychological thrillers will look forward to Golding’s next novel.”
―Publishers Weekly

“Chilling story, beautiful prose. Little Darlings is stunning.”
―Clare Mackintosh, New York Times bestselling author of I Let You Go

“Ingenious, chilling, and completely absorbing, Little Darlings is destined to be the hit of 2019. The scariest book I have read in many years.”
―A. J. Banner, bestselling author of The Good Neighbor

“Deep. Dark. Utterly addictive. I read this extraordinary book in one breathless gulp… Be warned―you can’t unread this story. It will haunt you.”
―Teresa Driscoll, author of I Am Watching You

“I love this book! Compelling from the first page to the very last, Golding took me by the hand and pulled me softly but persistently through mystery and myth… A masterfully-told story and a beautiful and nuanced work of art.”
―Susan Crawford, author of The Pocket Wife