No Child of Mine : a Novel

Alex Lake's day job is all about helping people, especially children. She cares about them passionately and does everything in her power to rescue them from those who mean them harm. It's as frustrating a career as it can be rewarding, though all too often she is left wondering if she has done enough. When the case of three-year-old Ottilie Wade comes to her attention everything changes. She finds herself completely unable to detach from the child the way she should, and feels an overpowering need to make a real difference in little Ottilie's life. To do this she needs the support of her superiors, but no one is prepared to believe that Ottilie is in danger. In the end, Alex follows the only course left to her, and takes law into her own hands. About the Author Susan Lewis is the bestselling author ofВ moreВ than 20В novels, including Vengeance , Wicked Beauty ,В Wildfire , and The Hornbeam Tree , which was short-listed for the Romantic Novelists' Association Romantic Novel of the Year Award. From internationally bestselling British author Susan Lewis comes an unflinching, thoroughly suspenseful novel'perfect for readers of Jodi Picoult'about the darkest secrets a family can hide. Alex Lake's life is centered on helping people. Her job as a social worker in a British seaside town is more than a career: It's the very essence of who she is. And though there are frustrations, Alex takes to heart the rewards of placing a child in a safe and loving home. But when she encounters three-year-old Ottilie Wade, Alex is completely unprepared for the effect the sweet, shy little girl has on her. Though on the surface Ottilie seems to want for nothing'she's perfectly healthy and lives in a very nice home'she's mysteriously silent and asocial. Alex knows that something is not right in the Wade house. And the deeper she looks into the case, the more Alex comes to feel that she and Ottilie are being drawn together by fate. As disturbing evidence mounts and Alex's superiors seem unwilling to help, Alex knows she will have to risk everything'her job and the life she loves'to save Ottilie. But Alex will also have to wrestle the demons of her own past before she can secure a future for this child in need. BONUS: This edition includes an excerpt from Susan Lewis's Don't Let Me Go. Look for special features inside. Join the Random House Reader's Circle for author chats and more THE FIRST NOVEL IN THE BESTSELLING No Child of Mine TRILOGY *Books two and three - Don't Let Me Go and You Said Forever - are available to buy in paperback and ebook NOW* What if you knew a child was in danger – and no one believed you? Alex Lake's day job is all about helping people, especially children. She cares about them passionately and does everything in her power to rescue them from those who mean them harm. When the case of three-year-old Ottilie Wade comes to her attention, Alex feels an overpowering need to make a real difference in the little girl's life, but no one is prepared to believe that Ottilie is in danger. In the end, Alex makes a decision that has consequences that no one, least of all Alex, could have foreseen. Alex Lake's day job is all about helping people, especially children. She cares about them passionately and does everything in her power to rescue them from those who mean them harm. When the case of three-years-old Ottilie Wade comes to her attention, Alex finds herself completely unable to detach from the child the way she should. She feels an overpowering need to make a real difference in little Ottilie's life, but no one is prepared to believe that Ottilie is in danger. In the end, Alex makes a decision that has consequences for her, her family and Ottilie - consequences that no one, least of all Alex, could have foreseen. Als een Engelse sociaal werkster wordt geconfronteerd met kindermishandeling, raakt ze erg betrokken bij het 3-jarig slachtoffertje. NL-ZmNBD