Pretty Baby

Pretty Baby by Mary Kubica
Published by Mira on February 2nd 2016
Genres: Thriller, Mystery
Pages: 400
Format: eBook, Kindle Book
Source: Amazon Kindle

A chance encounter sparks an unrelenting web of lies in this stunning new psychological thriller from the national bestselling author of The Good Girl, Mary Kubica
She sees the teenage girl on the train platform, standing in the pouring rain, clutching an infant in her arms. She boards a train and is whisked away. But she can't get the girl out of her head…
Heidi Wood has always been a charitable woman: she works for a nonprofit, takes in stray cats. Still, her husband and daughter are horrified when Heidi returns home one day with a young woman named Willow and her four-month-old baby in tow. Disheveled and apparently homeless, this girl could be a criminal—or worse. But despite her family's objections, Heidi invites Willow and the baby to take refuge in their home.
Heidi spends the next few days helping Willow get back on her feet, but as clues into Willow's past begin to surface, Heidi is forced to decide how far she's willing to go to help a stranger. What starts as an act of kindness quickly spirals into a story far more twisted than anyone could have anticipated.
Don't miss this thrilling follow-up to The Good Girl by master of suspense, Mary Kubica.

Pretty Baby is my first read for Mary Kubica. I’ve been hearing a lot about Mary Kubica’s books and I was very intrigued to read her books. However, every time I planned on starting with one of her books something just came on. This time, I am lucky I did read this book.

In Pretty Baby, it all starts by chance when Heidi Wood notices a teenage girl with a baby at the train platform. Heidi is having a very peaceful life with her husband and teenage daughter. Being of same age as her daughter, the teenage girl at the train platform catches Heidi’s interest. The girl is holding a baby in the very cold weather. She sees her daily no matter how cold and rainy the day is. No one at the platform seems to notice or care about the girl except for the good hearted Heidi. Heidi can’t resist the urge to approach the girl and know more about her. In a series of events, Heidi and the teenage girl become more acquainted and both the girl and the baby become part of Heidi’s life.

This thriller is narrated from two different perspectives, Heidi’s and the girl’s.  It catches your interest right from the start. And just like the teenage girl and her baby got hold of Heidi’s interest, the thriller gets hold of the reader smoothly but tightly. I got very interested just as Heidi was. I wanted to know more and was eager to turn the pages to get to the bottom of it. As you think you know what it is all about, Mary Kubica takes you to more twists and turns.

Mary Kubica’s writing style was great. The thriller was narrated by both Heidi and the teenage girl switching between current and past time. With each page and as more questions in your mind are answered, another mysterious layer is added. Heidi’s character was well crafted. I could relate to her and sympathize with her. I loved the way Mary Kubica narrated the details. Also, the teenage girl whom you can have your presumptions about her at first, has a lot of depth.

Pretty Baby is not only a fast paced mystery thriller, but also a heart touching one. It brings around a lot of feelings. My heart ached for the girl and also for Heidi. It made me think a lot how things cannot be taken for granted. We are no smarter than the others facing trouble. Things can turn bad in a matter of seconds. There’s nothing more heart aching than the sorrows of a child.

I really loved and enjoyed Pretty Baby. Nonetheless, I highly admire Mary Kubica. She’s a person that can easily get to your heart. You feel she’s like an affectionate friend or relative. I am currently reading her next book Don’t You Cry and planning to read her previous one The Good Girl.