ON AN ORDINARY WORKING DAY…

Leila Syed receives a call that cleaves her life in two. Her brother-in-law’s voice is filled with panic. His son’s nursery has called to ask where little Max is.

YOUR WORST NIGHTMARE…

Leila was supposed to drop Max off that morning. But she forgot.

Racing to the carpark, she grasps the horror of what she has done.

IS ABOUT TO COME TRUE…

What follows is an explosive, high-profile trial that will tear the family apart. But as the case progresses it becomes clear there’s more to this incident than meets the eye…

A gripping, brave and tense courtroom drama, Next of Kin will keep you on the edge of your seat until the final, heart-stopping page.

Accomplished, Polished Writing!

What a read! What you see isn’t what you get – and it’s not all over until the fat lady sings!

Leila Syed is a focused, professional woman. She has a close bond with her younger sister who lives close by with her husband and son, so when her brother-in-law phones in a panic one morning to ask if she can drop three year old Max at nursery, Leila doesn’t hesitate to say ‘yes’. Hours later, she recieves a call from Max’s father, Andrew, to say that the school called to find out where Max was. Racing to her car, Leila is horrified to realise that she completely forgot to drop him off. As we follow on from this disastrous day, we track the high profile trial and experience this horror from the differing views of all involved.

First up, I have to admit that this is my first novel by Kia Abdullah and I have no idea why I haven’t heard of her before. Writing with aplomb and style, she has produced a novel which drew me in and had me completely involved and enthralled from the very start. There is so much more to this story that first appears and I was surprised more than once with twists and turns. Very accomplished and polished, this is one thriller I just have to recommend. This is an author on my ‘must not miss’ list from here on in, and this stunning read easily deserves all five shining stars!

My thanks to the publisher for my copy via NetGalley; this is – as always – my honest, original and unbiased review.

Tags: legal thriller

• Format: ebook, paperback, hardcover, audiobook
• Size: 357 pages
• Publisher: HQ
• Publication Date: 02 September 2021
• Book Links:
• https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57850963
• https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Kia_Abdullah_Next_of_Kin?id=NWcZEAAAQBAJ
• https://uk.bookshop.org/books/next-of-kin-9780008433642/9780008433673
• https://www.foyles.co.uk/witem/fiction-poetry/next-of-kin,kia-abdullah-9780008433635
• https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/next-of-kin-50
• https://www.whsmith.co.uk/products/next-of-kin/kia-abdullah/hardback/9780008433635.html
• https://www.waterstones.com/book/next-of-kin/kia-abdullah/9780008433673
• https://wordery.com/next-of-kin-kia-abdullah-9780008433635
• https://www.amazon.co.uk/Next-Kin-gripping-shocking-thriller-ebook/dp/B08VS5N4NZ

Author Details

Kia Abdullah is an author from London. Her novel Take It Back was named one of the best thrillers of the year by The Guardian and Telegraph and was selected for an industry-first audio serialisation by HarperCollins and The Pigeonhole. Her follow-up novel, Truth Be Told, is out now (Mar 2021, HarperCollins).

Kia has written for The New York Times, The Guardian, The FT, The Telegraph, the BBC and The Times, and is the founder of Asian Booklist, a nonprofit that advocates for diversity in publishing.

• Website: https://www.kiaabdullah.com/
• Twitter: @KiaAbdullah
• Facebook: @kiawriter
• Instagram: @kiaabdullah