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The Cuckoo Child

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It takes courage to overcome the odds...Liverpool 1928: abandoned by her mother at a very young age, Dot McCann lives a lonely life with her distant aunt and uncle. A cuckoo in the nest, she spends her days trying to keep out of trouble. When Dot overhears a conversation whilst playing in the street, her life changes for ever. What she discovers could send one man to prison and another to the gallows. In a desperate attempt to right a wrong, Dot teams up with runaway orphan Corky, Emma, a local jeweller whose shop has been burgled, and Nick, a handsome young reporter investigating the crime. But Dot and Emma have been recognised and they soon find themselves in very real danger. Will they uncover the truth before it’s too late?

443 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2005

67 people are currently reading
206 people want to read

About the author

Katie Flynn

102 books218 followers
Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Katie Flynn was born in Norwich and attended Norwich High School, where she was extremely happy and extremely undistinguished. Published at the tender age of eight, in Enid Blyton's Sunny Stories, she joined a Writers’ Circle as an adult, publishing short stories, articles, etc; only turning to novels in 1971 because the postal strike cut off her main source of income!
At first she wrote under several different names – Judith Saxton, Judy Turner, Lydia Balmain, Judith Arden – but her Katie Flynn books were a delight to write and proved far more popular than she had dreamed. She has now published nearly ninety novels, twenty-seven of which are Flynns. Her most recent titles are: Lost Days of Summer and Christmas Wishes.

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Community Reviews

5 stars
519 (51%)
4 stars
274 (27%)
3 stars
135 (13%)
2 stars
56 (5%)
1 star
21 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
Profile Image for Sarah.
858 reviews
April 22, 2022
I thoroughly enjoyed this fun romp of a historical novel. A mix of adventure, mystery, romance, and orphans making a better life for themselves. The plot was solid and the characters are all active participants in creating their destiny, not passively letting things happen to them. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator does the different characters and accents really well. Combined with writing true to how people would have spoken, it made for an immersive experience.
Profile Image for Annette.
61 reviews
June 26, 2023
Lol, did Katie Flynn really write this book for pre-teens because it reminded me of the Enid Blyton Famous Five books I read when I was between 10-12 years old? The book was not up to her usual adult standard, though the storyline did get more suspenseful at the end.
8 reviews
August 22, 2024
Read this book fairly quickly, I do feel it is targeted at a younger age group but it was left for other people to read. Its plot is interesting and the ultimate ending is great however it took a lot of getting into.
44 reviews2 followers
September 22, 2018
An enjoyable read, with an element of being in the right (or wrong) place and a dose of suspense too.
Profile Image for Ruth.
341 reviews
April 18, 2020
What a refreshing read! No swear words or sex needed to tell this story of a robbery of jeweller’s shop and the consequences.
334 reviews
June 13, 2021
Quite a hard story to get into But I did read it right the way through to the end
887 reviews22 followers
December 8, 2021
loved this book. one of my favourites by Katie I have read this about 4 times, will update to kindle version.
183 reviews
September 26, 2022
An interesting enough story. But to me it was more of a story for young people like teenagers. Not really my style of book to read. Not enough suspense
Profile Image for Sharon.
301 reviews
June 15, 2023
Another thrilling family saga. I was hooked a real page turner and this was a real paperback book. A really good read
14 reviews
July 22, 2024
The cuckoo child, was an easy to read book, which had twists and turns to inspire me to keep turning the pages.
3 reviews
June 29, 2025
As many of books do, it starts slow and gets exciting on the end. Still, I loved the build up but it's like written for kids or if not, for teens.
Profile Image for Cara Byrne.
508 reviews6 followers
March 4, 2016
I like an easy read. Not too taxing on the brain and straight into some action. No boring introductions. Based in 1920's Liverpool. Not too keen on the title. I feel the author could have thought up something more interesting or something to do with the actual plot but apart from that, very enjoyable.
21 reviews1 follower
February 23, 2014
Very easy light read. Perfect for bedtime reading.
Profile Image for Shee McEachran.
12 reviews
Read
January 3, 2019
THE CUCKOO CHILD

It was a superb read...and it was hard to put down..I quite like this author and the way she wrutes..My type of read xx
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews

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