THE REPLACEMENT

By Melanie Golding

Publication date 11/11/21

SYNOPSIS

When a small child is found wandering alone, the local shopkeepers call the authorities immediately. Twenty minutes later, the girl’s mother turns up, panicked and distraught. It doesn’t take long to clear things up, and mother and daughter are soon reunited and sent on their way.

Miles away, the body of a man is discovered, floating in a bathtub, but the most surprising discovery of all is that he isn’t dead. Despite his injuries, he is very much alive.

Two seemingly unrelated events. But as DS Harper begins to investigate, disturbing truths start to come to light that connect the man to the mother and child, and suddenly it’s not clear where the danger truly lies. Harper must find out, and quickly. Because someone, or something, is closing in and she needs to uncover the truth before it’s too late…

Weaving together the trademark folklore inspiration that readers loved in Little Darlings, with the procedural narrative force of a brilliant mystery, this is the excellent and unnerving new novel from Melanie Golding.

MY REVIEW

Having read Little Darlings by this author I jumped at the chance to read an advance copy of The replacement and be part of the blog tour.

A mix of folklore around Selkies and police procedural gives this book a unique storyline. 

A little girl, Leonie, is found alone outside a seaside shop in the cold and the shopkeeper contacts the police. Social Services arrive but as her mother arrives at the same time, distraught over her daughter who ran off, no action is taken.

At the same time DS Joanna Harper is at the scene of a man found in a bath with a serious head wound. He has a faint pulse but it does not look good for him.

What is the connection between these two events?

Ruby is a loner. She had a troubled upbringing and now lives alone in a council apartment. When she meets ‘Yoga Guy’ whom she has been watching from her window, she thinks this could be the start of something. A relationship at last. Unfortunately Yoga Guy has secrets. Including the fact his ex and their daughter are living with him. As Ruby gets to know his ex and their child she begins to realise he has a dark controlling side.

Why is Constance staying with him? What is this ‘skin’ she says he has hidden and without which she is unable to leave?

A deliciously dark and creepy tale which will have you addicted. 

I loved little Leonie, and also found Ruby and Constance to be well written and I enjoyed getting to know them. Gerard was a fabulous baddie! 

Melanie Golding has a real talent for writing books set in the ‘real world’ but incorporating folklore. I can’t wait to read what is next from her.

Thank you HQ for my place on the tour and my early copy of this book.

About the Author

Melanie Golding took the MA in Creative Writing program at Bath Spa University, and has recently completed work on a PhD which examines the use of folklore in contemporary thrillers. In recent years she has won and been shortlisted in several local and national short story competitions, which have been chosen to be recorded as podcasts by the Leicester-based festival Story City, and to be performed at both the regular Stroud Short Stories event and their special ‘best of’ event at Cheltenham Literature Festival.

Melanie has had a varied working life, including working as a teacher in prisons, young offender’s units and residential schools for children with special educational needs. Her first novel, Little Darlings, became an ebook bestseller and has been optioned for screen by Free Range Films, the team behind the adaptation of My Cousin Rachel.