The fractious relationships between mothers and children allow Alice Feeney (Daisy Darker; Rock, Paper, Scissors; Sometimes I Lie) to explore how good people sometimes do bad things--and vice versa--in Good Bad Girl, her sixth gripping psychological thriller. The novel's strong beginning follows an unnamed new mother pushing a carriage with her six-month-old daughter, whom she resents: "I sometimes wish she hadn't been." Within minutes after entering a store, the baby is kidnapped, her disappearance never solved. This scenario forms the heart of a sophisticated plot that follows five characters. Prison librarian Frankie tries to find her teenage runaway daughter; therapist Clio is nearly broke; and 18-year-old Patience works as an attendant at a barely adequate London senior-care facility, where she befriends 80-year-old Edith, who was tricked by her daughter into being admitted and signing away her home. Arrogant gallery manager Jude is the lone man. Edith's and Patience's ages make each vulnerable: people often underestimate them. But Edith's background as an investigator--granted, a "mere store detective"--honed her observation skills, leading her to believe a resident was killed. This is reinforced when another murder occurs. "I learned how to watch people and see who they really are beneath the disguises we all wear," Edith says.
Feeney carefully doles out the connections, deepening the understanding of how the characters' pasts have shaped their present actions, including how that missing baby affected each. Alternating points of view allow Feeney to showcase each character's emotional well-being, while complicated bonds elevate the intricate plot. --Oline H. Cogdill, freelance reviewer