4.5-STAR REVIEW: NOT YOUR CHILD by Lis Angus

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About The Book

Publication Date: April 18, 2022

When Ottawa psychologist and single mother Susan Koss discovers that a strange man has been following her twelve-year-old daughter Maddy, she fears he’s a predator. But it’s worse than that. The man, Daniel Kazan, believes Maddy is his granddaughter, abducted as a baby, and he’s obsessed with getting her back.

Susan insists on a DNA test to disprove Daniel’s claim, but the result is one she can’t understand or explain: it says she’s not Maddy’s mother.

Then Maddy vanishes. Susan’s convinced Daniel has taken her, but he has an alibi, and two searches of his house turn up nothing. The hunt is on—police are on full mobilization, and Susan fears the worst.

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The Review

Daniel Kazen has never stopped looking for his granddaughter, who was abducted as a baby following a hit-and-run accident that killed her parents. When Daniel sees 12-year-old Maddy Koss, he’s convinced he has found Hannah.

Author Lis Angus delivers a thriller featuring every parent’s nightmare in Not Your Child. Single mother Susan Koss is already dealing with an argumentative pre-teen; the last thing she needs is some old man creeping around claiming that her daughter is his lost grandchild. Determined to put an end to Daniel’s efforts, she suggests a DNA test.

Unexpected test results combined with a young girl hellbent on independence set the stage for some unexpected twists and turns. Maddy’s sudden disappearance throws Susan’s life into chaos. What ensues could be straight from the headlines as the search for Maddy ramps up.

As characters, Susan and Daniel both fill roles that elicit empathy. Maddy’s character—particularly her actions—represents a young girl straddling the world of child and teen. She yearns for independence but acts out when she doesn’t get her way. This compelling triangle moves the story forward to a startling conclusion.

Not Your Child provides a fresh take on a story featuring a child abduction. It also demonstrates that in a scientific world, sometimes the impossible becomes possible.

About The Author Lis Angus is a Canadian suspense writer. Early in her career, she worked with children and families in crisis; later she worked as a policy advisor, business writer and editor while raising two daughters. She now lives south of Ottawa with her husband.