Three-year-old Millie Everleigh disappears on a crisp winter’s day, and nothing is as it seems…

It’s the phone call every mother dreads.

I’m climbing into the car after a trip to the grocery store. As the engine starts, my phone rings. It’s my stepdaughter, Shelby, who is babysitting my three-year-old little girl Millie.

‘I only went upstairs for a second, ’ she says through her sobs. ‘She’s gone.’

I race home to find my blue-eyed baby girl missing, and my heart ripped out of my chest.

When the police turn up, Shelby’s story starts to unravel. What is she hiding?

Then I get a message saying, ‘Your husband is not who you think he is.’ Could he be lying?

Suddenly, my family feel like strangers. Everyone has a secret - even me.

No one knows why I was late coming back from the shop, and the guilt I’ve been feeling ever since…

Once the truth comes out, all of our lies exposed, will it be too late to save my precious child?

A pulse-pounding psychological thriller about family secrets, shocking pasts and the lies we tell ourselves in order to survive. You’ll lose sleep as you race through the pages until the final gasp-worthy twist! Perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell, Liane Moriarty and The Wife Between Us.

Readers love The Stepchild:

‘Omg, wow… Just wow. There are not enough superlatives in the English dictionary to express how much I loved this incredible thriller. I was hooked into the story from the first page and found myself so captivated that I was compelled to read the whole book in one sitting. The author takes the reader on a rollercoaster ride with multiple twists and turns that culminates with a nail-biting, seriously chilling epilogue. The story caused me to experience a wide range of conflicting emotions and even caused me to experience a lump in my throat… If I could, I would award The Stepchild far more than five stars… Very very highly recommended by little old me.’ Nicki’s Life of Crime,

‘Amazing amazing amazing. The Stepchild is brilliantly written. There is every kind of emotion that a person could feel within the plot… I adore Nicole Trope.’ NetGalley reviewer,

‘Had me HOOKED from page one. Seriously. It dives right in and is absolutely unputdownable… Everyone has secrets and no one is spilling… It’s twisty-turny and full of holy shiiiii moments… The story flows fast and furious. There’s no downtime in this one, each page more gripping than the last. You’ll definitely want to clear your schedule, because you’ll be finishing this in one sitting. Off to add all of Nicole Trope’s books to my TBR.’ Goodreads reviewer,