The Gifted Child — Penny Kline

How do you deal with what comes after a death? When Kristen's partner William is murdered in a mugging gone wrong, she tries to pick up the pieces for the sake of her young stepson Theo. But when Theo's biological mother Ros demands that he go to live with her, Kristen's world is torn apart again. The police think that William was killed by an elusive criminal known as 'the dog man' - but Kristen has reason to believe that Ros, a woman with an unstable past, is behind the killing. Soon, Kristen realises that William's life wasn't all it had seemed. Everyone she encounters has something to hide, and not everyone is who they appear to be. Maybe Kristen needs to watch for danger in the places she'd least expect... The Gifted Child is a superb psychological thriller which explores themes of fear and loss through the eyes of those who are left behind.