The Bad Daughter

In Joy Fielding's The Bad Daughter, this thriller is so dark and twisted, right to the end, that it would keep you at the edge of your seat. For Robin Davis,  a therapist in Los Angeles with panic attacks and suspicions on her fiancé Blake, things had changed for her in the instant. When her older sister Melanie called her to inform that their father had been shot in a home invasion in Red Bluff, she hurried home. But the homecoming wasn't exactly warm with her sister, since she's been distant and estranged from her for years. She learned that their step-sister Cassidy was injured and their stepmother Tara was shot as well, things had formed a contorted picture for her. Although they both despised their father, Robin tried to reach out to Alec in San Francisco. Robin had tons of questions about what happened and who caused it to happen, when she flashes back to when things change for them. When Cassidy recovers from her injuries, the suspicion is thrown on Robin's nephew Landon, Melanie's autistic son, and also on Alec as two accomplices for the crime. She comes across some unsavory characters from the past and learns new insight on Melanie's life. But things aren't what they seem to be, when she questions everything what Cassidy said and how things are messed up. In the end, she learns about Cassidy's "sweet" act and how evil she could be.

This was a compelling and bone-chilling thriller that would leave you chilled and have icy coursing through your veins. I did care for Robin and the sordid dilemma she was in when she came home. Everything appeared distorted and twisted. I did find compasion for Melanie to be a single mother of an autistic son. I did like how Blake cared for her and how he stood for Robin's side. I did think the Los Angeles and Red Bluff locations were idealistic for the dual settings to grip you in every page. Cassidy is one sick and twisted little girl who got was she deserved in the end. This would make you shake your head and gasp and shudder on every page with non-stop action, drama, suspense, and plenty of mystery to wrap it up tightly with a big old bow.

Will you take heart to read the Bad Daughter tonight?