Book Review – The Trophy Child

by Paula Daly (Bantam Press) ISBN 9780593075227

Some parents leave their children to do whatever they please. Others are too hands-on and put pressure on their children to succeed and be the best at everything.

Karen Bloom is the latter. She wants to prove that her daughter, Bronte is a genius at school and a talented musician. After failing to raise her older son, Ewan to be a success, as he smokes weed and is jobless at age 18, Karen is determined to not let the same thing happen to Bronte.

Karen got pregnant with Bronte while having an affair with Noel. This broke up his marriage to Jennifer and he got custody of their daughter, Verity when Jennifer’s MS worsened. Verity hated Karen, and the feeling was mutual.

One day Bronte disappeared while out with Verity. This was the beginning of the unravelling of the Bloom family as it stood. DS Joanne Aspinall had a one night stand with Noel Bloom before Bronte’s disappearance, and it was awkward when she was the detective assigned to the missing person’s case. However, some things are meant to be.

Everything gets more twisted when Bronte returns, but Karen disappears…where is she and why was she abducted?

The Trophy Child is an enjoyable read that kept me guessing right until the end. The only criticism I have is that I wanted to know more about how Bronte felt from her point of view, but the book is more about her mother, Karen.

Amanda Blankfield-Koseff
4/5

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