Scan barcode
emmascr's review
4.0
This review was originally posted on Star Crossed Reviews I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.Thank you to bookouture for my copy of this book via Netgalley and for letting me take part in this tour. I really enjoyed the first book in this series so I knew I had to read this book. This can be read as a standalone like most detective series but you will get more from the surrounding story if you read the first book.
Detective Beck is back and this time he is investigating the death of a young girl and a missing baby girl. Beck is still dealing with a lot of ghosts but since the last book, he is trying to overcome them. I really like Detective Beck. He is smart, instinctive and determined.
Alongside Beck, we have Claire Sommers. Claire is another character that I like. She has a lot of potential and I think she will go far. I can't wait to see her develop.
Michael does an excellent job of weaving this story. I did not guess who the killer was at any point before it was revealed. There were lots of threads to the story that slowly came together I like Michael's writing style and the pace was good. There is a good amount of action and tension in this story.
This story was gripping and addictive and I can't wait to return to this series again.
Detective Beck is back and this time he is investigating the death of a young girl and a missing baby girl. Beck is still dealing with a lot of ghosts but since the last book, he is trying to overcome them. I really like Detective Beck. He is smart, instinctive and determined.
Alongside Beck, we have Claire Sommers. Claire is another character that I like. She has a lot of potential and I think she will go far. I can't wait to see her develop.
Michael does an excellent job of weaving this story. I did not guess who the killer was at any point before it was revealed. There were lots of threads to the story that slowly came together I like Michael's writing style and the pace was good. There is a good amount of action and tension in this story.
This story was gripping and addictive and I can't wait to return to this series again.
btpbookclub's review
4.0
The Child Before is book two in the Detective Finnegan Beck series. It reads perfectly fine as a standalone as I haven’t read book one, but I will be going back to it after reading this one.
The story is fast paced, dark, thrilling and gripping. Had me well and truelly hooked as they say. A real page turner that I devoured. The story is told through short chapters too which I prefer. I loved the work relationship between Claire and Beck, they make a great team. But does this current case relate to something from the past? Something unfinished? You’ll have to read it to find it. Brilliant. I really enjoyed it. A well deserved four stars from me. Highly recommend.
The story is fast paced, dark, thrilling and gripping. Had me well and truelly hooked as they say. A real page turner that I devoured. The story is told through short chapters too which I prefer. I loved the work relationship between Claire and Beck, they make a great team. But does this current case relate to something from the past? Something unfinished? You’ll have to read it to find it. Brilliant. I really enjoyed it. A well deserved four stars from me. Highly recommend.
annieb123's review
5.0
Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.
The Child Before is the second book in the Detective Finn Beck mystery series by Michael Scanlon. Released 5th June 2019 from Hatchette on their Bookouture imprint, it's 357 pages and available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats.
I've enjoyed this series immensely. It opens with abruptly with the horrific (off page) murder of a young mother and her baby's disappearance. The author has a masterful control of dramatic tension throughout and I wound up reading it in one setting. Mr. Scanlon's technical expertise as a writer is impressive but it's the flawed and real characters which are the beating heart of this book. I don't think I'd really enjoy working with Beck, he's a loose cannon, alcoholic, flawed, with a tendency toward violence that's just barely under control. The secondary characters, his colleagues, especially Claire (a gay married coworker having a lot of personal issues in this book), are sensitively rendered with compassion and nuance. Although it's the second book in the series, the author is expert enough to impart the necessary back-story without spoon feeding; it works well as a standalone.
The sense of place is palpable. When reading, I could hear the accents and see the places in my mind so clearly. I love well written mysteries which are steeped in their settings. This one resonates.
This is a gritty procedural/thriller and as such has rough language and mature themes. There are potentially triggering themes of domestic violence, infertility, suicide, substance abuse, child abduction, and obviously violent death. All of them are appropriately represented in context, not glorified. The denouement includes several disparate subplots and has a satisfying climax and resolution.
This book would make a superlative choice for a mystery/crime bookclub, summer read, etc. I would recommend it to fans of Michael Connelly, Val McDermid, Deborah Crombie, and that crew.
Beautifully written, this series has made it onto my auto-follow list. Can't wait to see what comes next.
Five stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
The Child Before is the second book in the Detective Finn Beck mystery series by Michael Scanlon. Released 5th June 2019 from Hatchette on their Bookouture imprint, it's 357 pages and available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats.
I've enjoyed this series immensely. It opens with abruptly with the horrific (off page) murder of a young mother and her baby's disappearance. The author has a masterful control of dramatic tension throughout and I wound up reading it in one setting. Mr. Scanlon's technical expertise as a writer is impressive but it's the flawed and real characters which are the beating heart of this book. I don't think I'd really enjoy working with Beck, he's a loose cannon, alcoholic, flawed, with a tendency toward violence that's just barely under control. The secondary characters, his colleagues, especially Claire (a gay married coworker having a lot of personal issues in this book), are sensitively rendered with compassion and nuance. Although it's the second book in the series, the author is expert enough to impart the necessary back-story without spoon feeding; it works well as a standalone.
The sense of place is palpable. When reading, I could hear the accents and see the places in my mind so clearly. I love well written mysteries which are steeped in their settings. This one resonates.
This is a gritty procedural/thriller and as such has rough language and mature themes. There are potentially triggering themes of domestic violence, infertility, suicide, substance abuse, child abduction, and obviously violent death. All of them are appropriately represented in context, not glorified. The denouement includes several disparate subplots and has a satisfying climax and resolution.
This book would make a superlative choice for a mystery/crime bookclub, summer read, etc. I would recommend it to fans of Michael Connelly, Val McDermid, Deborah Crombie, and that crew.
Beautifully written, this series has made it onto my auto-follow list. Can't wait to see what comes next.
Five stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
yvnn's review
3.0
Even though I love Beck as a character, this book was a bit messy. Not in the best way….
It’s all over the place with time jumps and such. Still a quite interesting mystery if you strip it down to its core. Hopefully the next one is better!
It’s all over the place with time jumps and such. Still a quite interesting mystery if you strip it down to its core. Hopefully the next one is better!
sarah_lo's review
2.0
I had such high hopes for this book, after reading the blurb I was so excited but i found I was left disappointed.
Based in a small town in Ireland and centred around DI Finnegan Beck as he tries to solve the case of a a missing child.
The book flips between present and past tense when another child went missing.
I really liked the character of Beck, he is flawed with a troubled past.
The content is descriptive and graphic and fits nicely with the small chapters breaking up the book.
I liked the concept of the main plot but there are too many sub plots, and it all entangles and becomes confusing.
I really wasn’t a fan of this, something that is evident by the 15 days of took me to read it.
Thank you to Netgalley for a advanced copy in exchange for a honest review.
2⭐️
Based in a small town in Ireland and centred around DI Finnegan Beck as he tries to solve the case of a a missing child.
The book flips between present and past tense when another child went missing.
I really liked the character of Beck, he is flawed with a troubled past.
The content is descriptive and graphic and fits nicely with the small chapters breaking up the book.
I liked the concept of the main plot but there are too many sub plots, and it all entangles and becomes confusing.
I really wasn’t a fan of this, something that is evident by the 15 days of took me to read it.
Thank you to Netgalley for a advanced copy in exchange for a honest review.
2⭐️
eiencafe's review
3.0
I would like to thank NetGalley and the author for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.
In Kelly’s Forge, a tiny abandoned Irish village, a cyclist finds the body of a young woman. The detective in charge of the case, Beck, from the neighboring town, sees a child seat in the woman’s car but no child. Has the child been kidnapped? Or was she killed like her mother? What happened to her?
The detective’s name sounds so strange to me, every time I read it I’m expecting a woman. I like the idea of the story, I like the fact that a little girl disappears, the fact that she is connected to an old case that has not been properly investigated and how they connect. I didn’t notice that this book was the second volume. Otherwise I wouldn’t have read it. Not because I didn’t like it, but simply because I read in chronological order. But I must say that I had no problem reading it even though it is very likely there are references to the first book that I did not fully understand.
I liked the story even though I don’t find it 5-star, but as I said, the case is interesting. And for the first time, I found a policeman from the UK or Ireland carrying a gun! And apparently they are not really used there because Beck’s boss explicitly says that it is not standard to carry the gun… I don’t understand them and why…
I like the style of the author, short and linear chapters. I like the beginning with a chapter in the present and one in the past. I would have liked this format to be in the whole book but I understand that it was impossible.
I don’t know if I’ll read anything more of this author, but only for the simple fact that there are too many authors out there that I want to read and this didn’t give me that “woosh” factor that makes me buy all the books in a series. But I recommend it anyway, it is a very smooth book that reads quickly (don’t look at my start and end dates, I haven’t read every day).
https://eiencafe.com/the-child-before/
https://eiencafe.com/it/the-child-before/
In Kelly’s Forge, a tiny abandoned Irish village, a cyclist finds the body of a young woman. The detective in charge of the case, Beck, from the neighboring town, sees a child seat in the woman’s car but no child. Has the child been kidnapped? Or was she killed like her mother? What happened to her?
The detective’s name sounds so strange to me, every time I read it I’m expecting a woman. I like the idea of the story, I like the fact that a little girl disappears, the fact that she is connected to an old case that has not been properly investigated and how they connect. I didn’t notice that this book was the second volume. Otherwise I wouldn’t have read it. Not because I didn’t like it, but simply because I read in chronological order. But I must say that I had no problem reading it even though it is very likely there are references to the first book that I did not fully understand.
I liked the story even though I don’t find it 5-star, but as I said, the case is interesting. And for the first time, I found a policeman from the UK or Ireland carrying a gun! And apparently they are not really used there because Beck’s boss explicitly says that it is not standard to carry the gun… I don’t understand them and why…
I like the style of the author, short and linear chapters. I like the beginning with a chapter in the present and one in the past. I would have liked this format to be in the whole book but I understand that it was impossible.
I don’t know if I’ll read anything more of this author, but only for the simple fact that there are too many authors out there that I want to read and this didn’t give me that “woosh” factor that makes me buy all the books in a series. But I recommend it anyway, it is a very smooth book that reads quickly (don’t look at my start and end dates, I haven’t read every day).
https://eiencafe.com/the-child-before/
https://eiencafe.com/it/the-child-before/
staceybink's review
4.0
This was an exciting story. The chapters are on the shorter side which is great if you are reading during a break or lunch. The story flips between the past and present and is easy to follow when it does. Claire and Beck are written well and are like able characters.
iowabookmama's review
3.0
The Child Before was my second ARC – thanks so much to Michael Scanlon and Bookouture for allowing me early access in exchange for an honest review!
Okay, so honestly speaking, this book was not my favorite thriller, BUT. And it’s a big but. AFTER finishing the book, I realized this is the second in Scanlon’s series featuring the main character, Detective Beck. And just like that, everything clicked for me. See, my biggest issue with the book throughout the story was the lack of real character depth. I struggled to connect with any of the characters, but especially Beck. Beck is an alcoholic, prone to bursts of violence, and seemed to bring a lot of baggage from his past. But the whole time I was reading, I kept thinking, what is his past??? I felt like his story just didn’t get flushed out enough for me to connect with him.
I’m honestly happy to report that this lack of connection was reader-error. Scanlon’s first book, Where She Lies, looks like it goes into all the questions I had throughout The Child Before. Originally, I didn’t think I would read anything else by this author. Now, I really want to read Where She Lies. Because character development issues aside, this story was intriguing. It is definitely more of a detective thriller, rather than psychological, but I do love stories like this where you’re on a journey with the detectives, trying to figure out whodunnit.
The story begins when a young mother is found murdered and her baby is missing. The police work to simultaneously figure out who murdered the woman and where the child might be – hoping the baby is still alive. This is the central mystery throughout the book, with some additional side stories about issues the characters are dealing with in their own lives, as well as a plot arc about another missing child from the same area, several decades prior. To be honest, I felt like some of the additional story lines wrapped up a bit too neatly at the end, but the main story did hook me in around half-way through the book.
So, overall takeaways: read the first one first! Then for sure check out this one. I bet if I’d read them in the right order, this would be more of a 4 star read for me, rather than a 3. But also, if you’re not as much into pure detective stories, this probably wouldn’t be for you either. I did enjoy the fact that the chapters were mostly very short, so I was able to read a couple and then put it down very easily. It never pulled me in to a point where I felt like I had to know what happened next, but it moved at a decent pace throughout. In the end, I’m glad I read it, and I’m excited to read Where She Lies, but it’s mostly an average book for me.
Okay, so honestly speaking, this book was not my favorite thriller, BUT. And it’s a big but. AFTER finishing the book, I realized this is the second in Scanlon’s series featuring the main character, Detective Beck. And just like that, everything clicked for me. See, my biggest issue with the book throughout the story was the lack of real character depth. I struggled to connect with any of the characters, but especially Beck. Beck is an alcoholic, prone to bursts of violence, and seemed to bring a lot of baggage from his past. But the whole time I was reading, I kept thinking, what is his past??? I felt like his story just didn’t get flushed out enough for me to connect with him.
I’m honestly happy to report that this lack of connection was reader-error. Scanlon’s first book, Where She Lies, looks like it goes into all the questions I had throughout The Child Before. Originally, I didn’t think I would read anything else by this author. Now, I really want to read Where She Lies. Because character development issues aside, this story was intriguing. It is definitely more of a detective thriller, rather than psychological, but I do love stories like this where you’re on a journey with the detectives, trying to figure out whodunnit.
The story begins when a young mother is found murdered and her baby is missing. The police work to simultaneously figure out who murdered the woman and where the child might be – hoping the baby is still alive. This is the central mystery throughout the book, with some additional side stories about issues the characters are dealing with in their own lives, as well as a plot arc about another missing child from the same area, several decades prior. To be honest, I felt like some of the additional story lines wrapped up a bit too neatly at the end, but the main story did hook me in around half-way through the book.
So, overall takeaways: read the first one first! Then for sure check out this one. I bet if I’d read them in the right order, this would be more of a 4 star read for me, rather than a 3. But also, if you’re not as much into pure detective stories, this probably wouldn’t be for you either. I did enjoy the fact that the chapters were mostly very short, so I was able to read a couple and then put it down very easily. It never pulled me in to a point where I felt like I had to know what happened next, but it moved at a decent pace throughout. In the end, I’m glad I read it, and I’m excited to read Where She Lies, but it’s mostly an average book for me.
aplace_inthesun's review
4.0
The first six chapters for The Child Before alternate between the current narrative and the historical narrative. The historical narrative is by a young boy who sees his mother taken away by the local constabulary following the disappearance of her baby, the boy’s sister. Covered in blood the police believe she has killed her. And the identity of the lad when he grows up? What becomes of him?
The current narrative tells the story of Detective Finnegan Beck, a police officer who has been ‘relocated’ (demoted ) to Cross Beg from Dublin, and struggles with alcohol and his past experiences. Beck’s latest case involves the murder of Samantha Power and the disappearance of her infant daughter, Roisin.
Scanlon weaves a story with some colourful characters - Claire, Beck’s partner who has relationship issues of her own, Inspector O’Reilly who is not fussed with Beck, Vicky Beck’s potential love interest/journalist, and the bevy of characters who might be the main suspects in Samantha’s murder - Marcus Crabby (strange supermarket owner), Billy Hamilton (violent ex boyfriend and Roisin’s father), and Edward Roche, her current partner. There is also Mikey, Samantha’s brother who has spent time in Australia so he MUST have returned calling everyone mate and using slang (wink).
As the murder investigation gains momentum Beck discovers everyone has some secrets of their own and they are woven in to the storyline, sometimes a bit loosely for my liking. Towards the end of the book things all start to come together but some of the characters are still a little two-dimensional to be totally convincing. Beck is likeable however and Claire shows promise as a repeat character as well.
Unlike some books where the reader is left to ask what happened to each character, this book provides an epilogue that ties everything up neatly.
I enjoy most crime novels and thrillers. I liked this one but can’t say I loved it. I will read the prior Beck novel Where She Lies. I’ll be interested to see if it would be helpful to read the books together or whether they are ok as stand alone.
Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for the advanced electronic copy of this book. I rate this 3.5 stars.
I think people who love crime, mystery and thrillers will enjoy this book.
Cross posting this review Netgalley and will appear on my blog (Instagram) aplace_inthesun prior to publish day.
Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for the free advanced electronic copy of this book. I appreciate the opportunity to review this book.
The current narrative tells the story of Detective Finnegan Beck, a police officer who has been ‘relocated’ (demoted ) to Cross Beg from Dublin, and struggles with alcohol and his past experiences. Beck’s latest case involves the murder of Samantha Power and the disappearance of her infant daughter, Roisin.
Scanlon weaves a story with some colourful characters - Claire, Beck’s partner who has relationship issues of her own, Inspector O’Reilly who is not fussed with Beck, Vicky Beck’s potential love interest/journalist, and the bevy of characters who might be the main suspects in Samantha’s murder - Marcus Crabby (strange supermarket owner), Billy Hamilton (violent ex boyfriend and Roisin’s father), and Edward Roche, her current partner. There is also Mikey, Samantha’s brother who has spent time in Australia so he MUST have returned calling everyone mate and using slang (wink).
As the murder investigation gains momentum Beck discovers everyone has some secrets of their own and they are woven in to the storyline, sometimes a bit loosely for my liking. Towards the end of the book things all start to come together but some of the characters are still a little two-dimensional to be totally convincing. Beck is likeable however and Claire shows promise as a repeat character as well.
Unlike some books where the reader is left to ask what happened to each character, this book provides an epilogue that ties everything up neatly.
I enjoy most crime novels and thrillers. I liked this one but can’t say I loved it. I will read the prior Beck novel Where She Lies. I’ll be interested to see if it would be helpful to read the books together or whether they are ok as stand alone.
Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for the advanced electronic copy of this book. I rate this 3.5 stars.
I think people who love crime, mystery and thrillers will enjoy this book.
Cross posting this review Netgalley and will appear on my blog (Instagram) aplace_inthesun prior to publish day.
Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for the free advanced electronic copy of this book. I appreciate the opportunity to review this book.
yetanothersusan's review
3.0
Detective Beck has been redeemed but still remains in the Irish outskirts and is on hand to look into the case of a murdered woman and missing child. It was amazing how many different characters and events played into the ultimate story line. At points it was a bit overwhelming, but by the end it made for a rich encompassing story. I still would like to learn more of Detective Beck other than the stereotype Mr. Scanlon has forced upon him. As such, these books tend to be story and not character driven and I'd like a better balance. However, the series, set in Ireland, is a nice change of pace.
Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for a copy of the book. This review is my own opinion.
Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for a copy of the book. This review is my own opinion.