A mother’s worst nightmare comes to life when her six-year-old son disappears from school in THE BOY IN THE PHOTO. When Megan Stanthorpe learns her controlling ex-husband has kidnapped her son, she fears she will never see Daniel again. Megan lives in anguish every day for six long years until the day Daniel returns. Now the question is who has her son become at the hands of his monstrous father? And, will Megan ever get back the sweet little boy she lost?
Megan Stanthorpe is going through a brutal divorce. When she goes to pick up her six-year-old son Daniel from school, she learns his father has taken him. For six long years, she searches for her missing son finding consolation with two online friends experiencing the same trauma. Slowly she rebuilds her life, gets remarried, and has another baby...and then she gets the call she has been waiting on for years. Daniel has walked barefoot and disheveled into a police station in a small town. Daniel’s house has burned down and his father has perished in the fire. When Megan and Daniel are reunited, Megan realizes the boy she knew six years ago is now the sullen teenager that stands before her. Welcoming Daniel into her home, Megan starts to realize her son has been brainwashed with the lies her ex-husband told him. How can she get Daniel to see the truth? Moreover, how much did Daniel endure over the past six years to make him hate Megan the way he does? As questions arise over the fire and Daniel’s part in his father’s death, Megan grapples with keeping her daughter safe while connecting with her son. Daniel is hiding something. Can she uncover his darkest secrets before she endures another heartbreaking loss?
This engrossing novel by Nicole Trope pulls readers in from the very beginning. Megan’s anguish and grief are palpable, but her interactions with her online friends will raise suspicions. When Daniel makes his return, a completely new set of questions need answering. What happened to Daniel? What are his intentions and how does he really feel about Megan and her new family? As the dynamics play out, readers will wonder whether they should root for Daniel or fear him, and is Megan a reliable narrator or has she lost her perspective. The plotting of the story is good and the suspense builds effectively until the explosive ending. THE BOY IN THE PHOTO is a truly enjoyable family drama combining mystery, suspense, emotion, and the enduring love of family. I will definitely pick up the next novel by Nicole Trope.
Read the chilling and completely heartwrenching story of a mother's worst nightmare: her child being stolen—and what happens when he returns.
Six years agoMegan waits at the school gates for her six-year-old son, Daniel. As the playground empties, panic bubbles inside her. Daniel is nowhere to be found. Her darling son is missing.Six years laterAfter years of sleepless nights and endless days of missing her son, Megan finally gets the call she has been dreaming about. Daniel has walked into a police station in a remote town just a few miles away.Megan is overjoyed—her son is finally coming home. She has kept Daniel's room, with his Cookie Monster poster on the wall and a stack of Lego under the bed, in perfect shape to welcome him back. But when he returns, there is something different about Daniel . . .According to the police, Daniel was kidnapped by his father. After his dad died in a fire, Daniel was finally able to escape. Desperate to find out the truth, Megan tries to talk to her little boy—but he barely answers her questions. Longing to help him heal, Megan tries everything—his favourite chocolate milkshake, a reunion with his best friend, a present for every birthday missed—but still, Daniel is distant.And as they struggle to connect, Megan begins to suspect that there is more to the story. Soon, she fears that her son is hiding a secret. A secret that could destroy her family . . .
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