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The Moonlight Child by Karen McQuestion

What is the creepiest neighbor you’ve had?  In Karen McQuestion’s The Moonlight Child the Fleming family definitely deserves the creepy neighbor award.  The story starts out by introducing us to a different family.  Wendy is a Mom dealing with Morgan who is a troubled teen dealing with drugs.  Morgan has disappeared.  Then we meet Amy, an attorney who helps children in foster care.  Amy calls her Mom, Sharon, and asks her to take in Niki, a former foster child.  Sharon agrees and that is how we meet the creepy Fleming family.  Mia is a little girl at their house which no one knows about.  The Fleming Mom, Suzette is a psychopath.  Jacob, her son, is likable but also lacks a spine.  He has the ability to help Mia escape which makes his character so frustrating.  I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to handle the book but the “abuse” is primarily mental.  The neighbors, Sharon and Niki, know something is wrong.  While the story was captivating, there were so many characters it was a lot to connect.  The end felt a bit off but I don’t know that I would have liked it any other way.  This is a quick read that has simplistic writing but a lot of substance.  

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