ARC Review: The Final Child

I’m sure by now you know that I a) love thrillers, and b) love Fran Dorricott’s thrillers. If you don’t? Well, here I am to put you right on that. If you’re looking for something fast-paced and full of action to read this week, then I offer you this one.

Erin and her brother Alex were the last children abducted by ‘the Father’, a serial killer who only ever took pairs of siblings. She escaped, but her brother was never seen again. Traumatised, Erin couldn’t remember anything about her ordeal, and the Father was never caught.

Eighteen years later, Erin has done her best to put the past behind her. But then she meets Harriet. Harriet’s young cousins were the Father’s first victims and, haunted by their deaths, she is writing a book about the disappearances and is desperate for an interview. At first, Erin wants nothing to do with her. But then she starts receiving sinister gifts, her house is broken into, and she can’t shake the feeling that she’s being watched. After all these years, Erin believed that the Father was gone, but now she begins to wonder if he was only waiting…

The Final Child

Fran Dorricott

Goodreads

Rep: lesbian mcs
CWs: child death, child abduction, gore, amputation, violence, child abuse, past suicide
Release: 7th September 2021

The Final Child is among the most intense, compelling (and occasionally terrifying) thrillers that I’ve ever read. It kept me guessing throughout, following the twists and turns. I predicted some plot twists, but not others, and was left breathless by the end.

The story follows Harriet, the cousin of the first victims of a serial killer known as the Father, and Erin, one of the last children kidnapped by the Father and the only survivor. Harriet is working towards writing a book about the killer, as a kind of memorial to the victims, and wants to interview Erin, but Erin keeps ducking her. Meanwhile, there’s hints of a stalker and perhaps the Father isn’t so dead as assumed after all.

This is a book that I’ve been anticipating ever since I finished After the Eclipse, and it really did not disappoint. I was on the edge of my metaphorical seat throughout, unable to predict where the book was going and more than a little freaked out at points (let me tell you, I’m so glad I didn’t read this one at night). It was everything I wanted and more, and a book that convinces me I’ll be reading every book Fran Dorricott writes from now on.

I think what worked best for me is the way that it was focused on the characters. As with After the Eclipse, it feels a very character-driven mystery. The entire thing centred on the people, and the crime’s effect on them, as opposed to necessarily the crime itself (and thus also the perpetrator). The focus was very much on the victims, about the aftermath and subsequent recovery. So, yeah, things get investigated as well, but that’s almost secondary to the characters.

That character-focus leads to a cast you can fully sympathise with. The characters aren’t perfect (as you probably expected), they’re messy and traumatised and sometimes, though not always, trying their best. They’re compelling to read about, the kind of characters that you find yourself rooting for from page one. And that goes beyond the two main characters, to include the background cast too.

So when you put that all together, you have what was basically the perfect book for me. A thriller that was genuinely thrilling, characters you’ll love, and a fast-paced plot that kept you hooked. From the first page, I couldn’t put this down and the ending still has me somewhat breathless months later.

All of which to say, if you don’t pick this book up… Well. It would be the biggest mistake of your life.

So, have I convinced you that you want to read this book?