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The Child Before cover art

The Child Before

Written by: Michael Scanlon
Narrated by: Ruairi Conaghan
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Publisher's Summary

An absolutely gripping detective thriller

She began to sing, the girl. Her voice was soft, so soft it was almost of the wind. It was a lullaby. She cradled her arms, rocking them gently back and forth. As if she was holding a baby. But she was not. Her arms were empty.

On a cold morning a cyclist finds the brutally-slaughtered body of a woman in her car, on a remote lane leading to the long-abandoned Irish village of Kelly’s Forge. 

But when Detective Finnegan Beck arrives from the nearby town of Cross Beg to investigate he notices there’s a baby’s seat in the back of the car. A bottle of baby’s milk lying in the footwell. And no child. 

Little Róisín isn’t the first child to go missing from that same remote location though. There was another baby girl, taken more than 50 years before, who was never found. Has too much time passed for there to be a connection, or does something - or someone - link these two crimes? 

Beck claims he does not want to stay in Cross Beg. His heart is back in Dublin, with the woman he loves. But, knowing that a child’s life depends on him changes things. He knows he has to find the missing baby girl. Because if he doesn’t, he fears there’s a chance everyone will give up the baby for dead, just like they did before....

This dark and twisted novel will keep you up all night. Perfect for fans of LJ Ross, Patricia Gibney, and Rachel Caine.

©2019 Michael Scanlon (P)2019 Bookouture

What listeners say about The Child Before

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Love this narrator

I listen to almost exclusively British mystery/detective audiobooks. Michael Scanlon’s writing is excellent and I adore the narrator. His northern Irish accent is perfection.

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Interesting and narrated well

The story was good I didn't see the ending comming, I was confused but that is probably because I didn't know tell half way through this book was part of a series. The narration was great.

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