I was absolutely thrilled to receive a copy of Mary Kubica’s Pretty Baby, a book I’ve been hankering after for some time. It’s the first I’ve read by this author and it certainly won’t be the last. In fact, I’m stocking up on her books as I write this. Too good to miss and grabs you from the start! A solid five star read which I would highly recommend.
US Book Description and cover:
A chance encounter sparks an unrelenting web of lies in this new gripping and complex psychological thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of The Good Girl and the upcoming page-turner Don’t You Cry, Mary Kubica
![Pretty Baby: A Gripping Novel of Psychological Suspense by [Kubica, Mary]](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/9641db_074597298e484befa3e1bdc6e3df345a~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_279,h_500,al_c,q_80,enc_auto/9641db_074597298e484befa3e1bdc6e3df345a~mv2.jpg)
US Cover
She sees the teenage girl on the train platform, standing in the pouring rain, clutching an infant in her arms. She boards a train and is whisked away. But she can’t get the girl out of her head…
Heidi Wood has always been a charitable woman: she works for a nonprofit, takes in stray cats. Still, her husband and daughter are horrified when Heidi returns home one day with a young woman named Willow and her four-month-old baby in tow. Disheveled and apparently homeless, this girl could be a criminal—or worse. But despite her family’s objections, Heidi invites Willow and the baby to take refuge in their home.
Heidi spends the next few days helping Willow get back on her feet, but as clues into Willow’s past begin to surface, Heidi is forced to decide how far she’s willing to go to help a stranger. What starts as an act of kindness quickly spirals into a story far more twisted than anyone could have anticipated.
Print Length: 381 pages
Publisher: MIRA; Original edition (July 28, 2015)
Publication Date: July 28, 2015
Sold by: Harlequin Digital Sales Corp.
ASIN: B00S4ZH70Y
US links: here US Customer ratings: 1,201
UK links: here UK Customer ratings: 965
![Pretty Baby by [Kubica, Mary]](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/9641db_5696525bdebf4fdcaebf931741335022~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_318,h_500,al_c,q_80,enc_auto/9641db_5696525bdebf4fdcaebf931741335022~mv2.jpg)
UK Cover
A poignant and heart wrenching story written from three points of view. Heidi, a compassionate and dedicated professional (her husband refers to her as a bleeding heart) who works with refugees seeking asylum, Chris her hard-working and somewhat philosophical husband and Willow, the girl with the baby.
Heidi’s story is complex and poignant and we learn early on the reasons why her heart goes out to the girl at the train station, whose clothes are too big and who carries a wailing baby. Heidi studies the girl and the baby and she can’t help seeing the tragic comparisons in her own life, but she fails to see the truth in Willow’s. You want to shake Heidi a few times though the book because although she takes Willow and the baby in, she appears to be completely oblivious to the needs of Zoe, her own daughter. Zoe is going through that typical pre-teen crisis, zero communication which if it happens at all is limited to one-word sentences, confirming how incredibly stupid her mother is.
Chris also feels ignore by his wife and there is an office distraction which leads to a passive flirtation. His character arc is slow to build because most of his chapters question Heidi’s behavior rather than address it without concrete proof that anything could possibly be the matter. About the half-way mark, he decides to do some research of his own, after all, Heidi is demonstrating irrational feelings towards the baby, almost to the point of possessiveness.
Heidi, on the other hand, sees the baby through compassionate eyes. Ruby needs help. She has infections and needs to see a doctor. But things don’t stop there. Deeper layers form deeper fractures as each life is examined from past to the present day. We don’t know Willow’s past and what has brought her to the Wood’s home. Why she won’t breastfeed her baby and yet the infant is in clearly the habit of suckling. Willow’s story is so heartrending and unpredictable, a humility born out of fear and false teachings, you never know what will happen and how things will enfold as she tells her story to a social worker, someone who seems to think Willow’s story is a lie.
While Chris watches almost from the sidelines, gathering what information he can through a PI and through his own internet searches, Heidi’s story begins to unravel, her tragic past almost as desperate as Willow’s.
To say this book is beautifully written would be an understatement. It’s pure magic. Not often do I find a book that has that certain something and makes me want to read until the early hours. I was hooked. Desperate to know the truth about all parties because you care deeply for Heidi and for Willow. This book will be one of many I will enjoy by this fabulous author for years to come.
Thank you to the author and to the publisher for providing such a fabulous story which I hastily made bought for my book collection.
UK Book Description:
A chance encounter
She sees the teenage girl on the train platform, standing in the pouring rain, clutching an infant in her arms. She boards a train and is whisked away. But she can’t get the girl out of her head…
An act of kindness
Heidi has always been charitable but her family are horrified when she returns home with a young woman named Willow and her baby in tow. Dishevelled and homeless, this girl could be a criminal – or worse. But despite the family’s objections, Heidi offers them refuge.
A tangled web of lies
As Willow begins to get back on her feet, disturbing clues into her past starts to emerge. Now Heidi must question if her motives for helping the stranger are unselfish or rooted in her own failures.
What people are saying:
“Thrilling and illuminating.”—LA Times
“A hypnotic psychological thriller.” —People
“Hypnotic and anything but predictable.” —Kirkus, starred review
“A superb psychological thriller…stunning.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review
Read the New York Times bestselling novel that everyone is talking about, The Good Girl, by Mary Kubica!
Look for Mary’s latest complex and addictive tale of deceit and obsession, Don’t You Cry.
About the Author:
Mary Kubica is the New York Times bestselling author of five novels, including THE GOOD GIRL. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, in History and American Literature. She lives outside of Chicago with her husband and two children.
Visit Mary at http://www.marykubica.com/
Other books by this author:
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