A Child in the Storm: A baby stolen. A young woman locked away. Can the truth set them free? The BRAND NEW novel from the bestselling author

by Emily Gunnis

A cry in the dark. A missing mother. A lifetime's search for the truth...

The gripping new novel from the bestselling author is a tense and moving story of cruel separation, shocking betrayal and the triumph of love.

1983. Pregnant at seventeen and turned out by her parents, Felicity finds refuge at the women's peace camp at Greenham Common. But when the camp is raided by police and the women arrested, Felicity goes into labour in a cell and her baby is taken away.

2024. Serving time behind bars, Emma is haunted by the night her careless actions caused a tragic accident and left her alone in the world. When her new cell mate Amanda shows her kindness, Emma doesn't think twice about sharing all her secrets, but who can she trust?

Adele steps into a nightmare when her daughter vanishes on her way home from school. When the police start to ask questions about her family, Adele is shocked to discover a hidden trail of lies. But can she unravel the secret that will lead to her missing daughter - before it's too late...

Your favourite authors are gripped by Emily Gunnis's pulse-pounding

'Utterly gripping, taut and powerful. An emotionally charged, compulsive, moving novel Adele Parks
'Fast paced, brilliantly plotted and desperately sad at times - all hallmarks of a bestseller' Lesley Pearse
'Compelling, twisty, heart-wrenching... A novel that stays with you. I was gripped' Sophie Kinsella

Genres: Fiction, Mystery

400 pages, Paperback

Published November 11, 2025

About the author

Hello everyone,

Thank you for checking out my author page. Even writing this is a dream come true for me.

I’ve wanted to be a published author since my mother, Penny Vincenzi, got her first book deal, when she and I would walk and talk about everything plots and stories together.

Fast forward thirty years and I have discovered it is slightly more difficult than she made it look. But still, I got there eventually, because it is in my blood, and also, because I have always existed, slightly, in a world of my own, and reading and writing books allows me to make a living from that. I still remember my eleven-year-old self, a little at odds with the world, sitting on the cold parquet floor of St Lawrence Junior School utterly gripped as Mr Thomas read us all Boy by Roald Dahl.

After graduating in Journalism in 1997 I began writing scripts and had two episodes of BBC Doctors commissioned, but I wasn’t keen on all the endless drafts and input from Script Editors and Producers. So, while I worked as a PA at the BBC and the Daily Mirror newspaper I learned as much as I could about storytelling until it all became fodder for my debut novel, The Girl in the Letter.

I really hope you enjoy it, and my follow-up novel which I am busy researching as we speak. I live in Brighton, Sussex, with my husband Steve, an architect, and my two crazy, beautiful girls, Grace and Eleanor. We read a lot of Julia Donaldson and Roald Dahl, in between walking Merlin our whippet on the beach but when I’ve got a deadline I rely on their tablets rather a lot and feel incredibly guilty most of the time.

If you’d like to get in touch, please do visit me on Twitter @EmilyGunnis and Instagram @emilygunnis.

And if you’re really stuck for something to do, feel free to review my book. I would love to know what you think.

Keep reading!

Love Emily x

Reviews

[Jayne Southern · Rating 3 out of 5]

Taken by the description, I expected to enjoy this book rather more. The storyline and connections are great, but it lacked pace (for me) and the tension was altogether too comfortable to fulfil the promise of a thriller. The descriptions of Greenham Common and the atmosphere and determination of the women made for good reading.

[Di · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great read from Emily Gunnis—she does drama and unsolved-mystery storylines so well.

This novel is multi-layered and told from four different perspectives. It’s fast-paced and had me constantly trying to think ahead to solve the mystery.

While I do think some of her other storylines offer more character depth than this one, it was still a really enjoyable and engaging read. Happy Reading 🩷📚🩷

[VickydpBooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book a lot

Blurb

1983. Pregnant at seventeen and turned out by her parents, Felicity finds refuge at the women's peace camp at Greenham Common. But when the camp is raided by police and the women arrested, Felicity goes into labour in a cell and her baby is taken away.

2024. Serving time behind bars, Emma is haunted by the night her careless actions caused a tragic accident and left her alone in the world. When her new cell mate Amanda shows her kindness, Emma doesn't think twice about sharing all her secrets, but who can she trust?

Adele steps into a nightmare when her daughter vanishes on her way home from school. When the police start to ask questions about her family, Adele is shocked to discover a hidden trail of lies. But can she unravel the secret that will lead to her missing daughter - before it's too late...

[Loraine]

Thanks to Emily and NetGalley for allowing me to read A Child in the Storm before the publication date.
It is a real page turner.
I can’t improve on the synopsis and won’t even try, so no spoilers from me.

Emily has woven a story in which she gradually reveals details about 4 generations of women, each of whom have each been influenced by their families and the culture of their time, only to influence the next generation, although not always in a good way.

Initial impressions of the characters can be misleading, until gradually, more information about their history is revealed.
Emily is a master of writing stories which are very balanced, showing a depth of understanding of the characters and their situation, leaving the reader to decide whether you agree or otherwise.
Having read the acknowledgements, it is obvious that she does a lot of research when writing.

The book starts in 1983, whilst the Cold War continues to threaten every life on the planet.
The Doomsday Clock was set at 2 minutes before midnight.
Out of interest, today, the Doomsday Clock is set at 89 seconds before midnight.

Has the world learned nothing in all those years?

[andshe.reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book I've read by Emily Gunnis, and I was not disappointed. It was a fast paced, dual.period, dual narrated and emotion-fueled novel that really captured my attention.

The author has developed the characters really well, and I loved how they all showed growth after their experiences. I really felt for Emma, from her upbringing to where she found herself later in life, so I was glad she got a good ending and that she could finally heal.

It was rather tense in places, and although I did guess what had happened with Sophia, it didn't take away any enjoyment as there was so much more to the plot.

It's a great read, so I'll definitely be looking out for more by Emily Gunnis.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a digital ARC.

[Joanne Robertson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Emily’s books but this one is something very special and definitely her best so far! Brilliant!

[Trisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Young girl, Felicity, is made pregnant by her parents' friend but is thrown out ather than supported. She finds herself welcomed by the Greenham Common women who are protesting about US cruise missiles being kept in UK.
Later the baby is found on the steps of a local church. Here is a tie pin, an envelope with money in, addressed to Emma which is the name her adopted parents called her.
In the present, Felicity's grand daughter, Sophie, goes missing on the walk home from school. She has been having friendship issues and is nervous about walking g home alone but on this day, her parents are unable to walk her home due to work.
As the police try and find her, it becomes apparent that there are a lot of secrets which may impact on who and why Sophie has been kidnapped.
I really loved this tale. I connected with the main characters and what happened to them. I remember the Greenham Common women's protests at the time and the story really explained why these ordinary women felt compelled to protest in a peaceful way. I agree with the author, that history should remember them more and their role in the Cold War peace process.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

In 1983 Felicity (Fliss) is pregnant by a friend of her parents. Once they discover her pregnancy her family disown her. She finds herself drawn to Greenham Common where women are protesting about US Cruise Missiles being based in the UK. Unfortunately she is arrested and her baby is born while she's in prison and subsequently taken without her knowledge and left at a local church.
In 2024 Felicity's granddaughter Sophia goes missing on her way to school. Also in 2024 Emma is nearing the end of a long prison sentence for inadvertently causing a fire which killed ker father, Moved to an Open Prison for her final months she is befriended by her cell mate who isn't quite as nice as she first appears. Told in two timelines, 1983 and 2024, the connection between the three women becomes apparent. I enjoyed the book though did find it very slow in parts and also rather far fetched at times. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity of reading an ARC of this book.

[Hayley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another solid read by this author, which I knew I would enjoy. Told over different timelines, the book weaves the female characters together to create a fast paced, tense story. I remember hearing about Greenham Common growing up but I didn’t really fully understand the significance at the time, so it was interesting to read what actually happened there. I highly recommend this book and the other books from this author. Thank you to NetGalley and Headline for letting me read and review this book.

[Gill Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the story's backdrop of the Greenham Common protests. I'd known about them at the time but it was fascinating to imagine what conditions were like for those involved. Emily Gunnis really makes us empathise with the women who gave up their lives to make a better future for their children, and the police who had to manage their actions in spite of personal misgivings. This was a compelling and poweful read which kept me enthralled from the first to last page.

[Nicky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Story was ok but I figured it out pretty easily. Would like to know more about the ‘why’ for Alex but it was an easy read really.

[Jean Marc · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was okay!

[Carlie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley for this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

This book piissseddd me offffff, or rather, one specific character pissed me off. I really enjoyed the story, with the emotional background story of the Greenham Common nuclear protests. It helped really connect to the characters and appreciate them more. The name of the book I found quite fitting as well as the ending, nothing too far fetched or hard to believe, all in all a good book.

[Stefani Wallace · Rating 3 out of 5]

The cover is so intriguing and the description of the story drew me in. Yet, I found this story lackluster. It was difficult for me to stay focused on the plot and didn't feel for the characters like I thought I would.

I, also, found the multiple scenarios and characters that eventually tied together were far fetched.

If you enjoy crime related stories with some twists and turns, you will like this. It wasn't the book for me.

Thank you, NetGalley, and Headline, for the advanced reader's copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Lorraine Woodall · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Child in the Storm by Emily Gunnis is an emotional, multi-layered novel that intertwines the lives of four women across two timelines. As the story unfolds, their experiences gradually connect in ways that reveal the hidden costs of political activism and personal loss.

Much of the novel is set against the backdrop of Greenham Common in the 1980s — a vivid and meticulously researched setting that anchors the story in real historical events. Gunnis captures the tension, idealism, and hardship of the women’s peace protests with empathy and precision. The descriptions of camp life, the bonds between the protestors, and the challenges they faced give the novel real depth and authenticity. It’s clear a great deal of care went into portraying the atmosphere and significance of this period.

The characters are well-drawn and believable, each woman distinct in voice and motivation. Gunnis excels at showing how trauma and hope echo through generations, and how choices made decades earlier can still shape lives in the present. The emotional resonance between the timelines is one of the book’s strengths.

That said, the pacing can feel uneven. The narrative occasionally lingers too long on emotional reflection or repeated moments of introspection, which slows the momentum, especially in the middle sections. However, those slower passages do add emotional weight and give the story time to breathe, so whether that’s a flaw or a feature may depend on personal taste.

Overall, A Child in the Storm is a moving, thoughtful novel about women’s courage and the long shadows of history. It balances personal drama with historical insight and demonstrates emotionally rich storytelling with a strong sense of time and place. While the pacing might not suit those looking for a fast-moving plot, its emotional depth and historical detail make it a rewarding and memorable read.

[Booklover BEV · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful just Wonderful.
A book that comes to life as you keep reading.
My emotions were all over they all came out, heartbreaking tears of laughter and real tears falling.
This is one very emotional book,
Showing the hard times in all the characters.
Truly lovely read from this true writer.
Amazing, I loved it.

[Stephanie Bull · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a huge fan of Emily Gunnis' books and for me this is her best yet!

A brilliant, fast paced, gripping page turner with a dual timeline. The present, when twelve year old Sophia goes missing along with the family dog, and some forty plus years earlier when women set up camp at Greenham Common to protest against the US airbase being used as a site for American guided nuclear missiles. Full of emotive description about the hardship of the women and their indefatigable desire to change public opinion about the need to ban mid-range nuclear missiles. I remember Greenham Common being in the news however it is only now I realise the enormity of the sacrifices these women made, definitely due to the author's diligent research.

The character development of Felicity is outstanding, the young Fliss and the present day Felicity initially seemingly poles apart. The mental anguish of the past affecting her ability to form a relationship with her younger daughter is so emotive. Family secrets, heartbreak, hope, desperation, intrigue and interesting characters 'A Child in the Storm' has it all. To award a book five stars I need to ask myself if I will recall the characters, plot, intrigue and my emotions when reading, simply by seeing the book's cover. All boxes ticked!

Much gratitude to NetGalley and Headline Books for my advanced reader copy in return for my honest and unbiased review

[Lynn Mccarthy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A dual timeline,
I really enjoyed this book about betrayal and love.
I was completely absorbed to the end.
Great read.

[Sue Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

During the 80s women were protesting against nuclear weapons arriving on Greenham common no one was listening so they made the common home. The police and council were raiding the camp daily removing tents and food trying to make it impossible for the women to stay, but they hadn't banked on the determination of them to stop the weapons. WPC Rachel Rees was tasked with arresting them and transporting them to Newbury police station, she was close to the end of her shift with 12 women in her vehicle when she was handed a unwanted baby Emma who had been left on the vicarage steps with £1000 and a tie pin. Forty years later and Emma is in prison for killing her adopted father. So begins a complicated story involving a missing girl Sophie, her parents, grandmother and great grandfather who is rather wealthy. This book had me hooked and the history at the end was really interesting I had just had my second child in 1982 and obviously had baby brain because Greenham didn't register with me and everything these women were trying to achieve especially as some of them were mothers. Highly recommend and looking forward to reading more by this author.

[Karen Cuddy · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an incredible book — I was completely absorbed from beginning to end. The story unfolds across two timelines: in 1983, we follow 17-year-old Felicity, pregnant and terrified after being thrown out of her home. The cruel irony is that the father of her child is a political ally of her own father. In 2024, we meet Adele, trapped in an emotionally and financially abusive marriage, whose world shatters when her daughter goes missing. Then there’s Emma, serving time in prison after a tragic fire she started that claimed her adoptive father’s life. At first, these stories seem separate, but Emily Gunnis ties them together beautifully, showing the connections piece by piece. The novel deals with tough themes — abandonment, pregnancy, adoption — but it does so with care. Some of my favourite moments were Felicity’s time at Greenham Common, where she found solidarity, activism, and a sense of belonging even as her pregnancy advanced. This is a moving, layered story about resilience, loss, and survival, and it will stay with me for a long time. Thanks to TBC Reviewer Group and author for the opportunity to read and review.

[Joanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fascinating, fast-paced thriller. The era in which the early part of the novel was set added an extra layer of interest for me as I remember many of the events of 1983 very well especially the plight of the women who protested at Greenham Common.

Felicity's predicament was real and extremely moving, and her decision to join the Greenham women was very plausible. This part of the novel gave an interesting insight into the terrible hardships the women faced in fighting for their cause.  I welcomed the factual background given in the author's note at the end, as some readers may not know of the Greenham Common story.

There were many different subplots in this story all of which were successfully resolved at the end. Lately, I have read a lot of books that have left the reader hanging in suspense at the end. This book certainly did not do this, which in my view is a major plus.

A really good read!

My thanks to Netfalley for an ARC on exchange for an honest review.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Vanessa Wild · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story follows three women from the same family and spans four generations, revolving around a teenage pregnancy and the Greenham Common nuclear weapons protests in the 1980s and a child abduction in the present day.

I very much enjoyed this compelling tale. It’s an easy and gripping read, a page turner. The parts touching on the Greenham Common protests are fascinating. I can remember the women’s peace camp happening but my memory is hazy with regard to the human chain created around the perimeter of the nuclear military base. What brave and resilient ladies they were! Who says fiction isn’t educational? I feel I’ve learnt quite a bit through reading this book. The story itself is well put together and the characters are well drawn. It really drew me in, I found it hard to put down and was sad to turn the last page. It’s a mystery as well as a family drama so is sure to appeal to a variety of readers. I’ve read three of Emily Gunnis’s books now, all of which have been wonderful. Highly recommended.

[Lorna Ellis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley & Headline Books for my digital ARC to read and review.
Four women with different stories. Emma in prison and alone. Adele – her daughter missing and disconnected from her husband. Felicity – Pregnant and finding friendship at the Greenham Common protests. And Rachel, a policewoman who connects them all. Joined together by lies and secrets their stories intertwined.
Emma’s story is a sad one and she is the character that resonated with me the most. I wanted her to have a happy ending. Adele and Felicity are both desperate for answers and eventually the truth comes out. Rachel is a calm and experienced policewoman who you know is going to sort things out.
I was particularly intrigued by the historical bit of the book set in 1983 at the Greenham common protests. A time that many young people would not know about today, and an insight into the fear of nuclear war that hovered over the world at this time.
An easy quick read for lovers of T M Logan and Clare Mackintosh.

[Josephine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't sure what to expect from this book as the cover very much implied it would be a run of the mill crime story. But it's so much more than that!

"A Child in the Storm" tells the story of four women, Rachel, Felicity, Emma and Adele. They are seemingly not at all or only loosely connected but when Adele's daughter Sophia goes missing, we find out that their lives are intertwined and the race to find Sophia will have a huge impact on them all.

Taking the reader from the Greenham Common protests through to the present day, this is a wonderful page turner of a book. The missing child narrative is only a small aspect. I found the back stories of the women and the information on the protests and the attitude to women at the time the most interesting parts. The ending felt a bit abrupt after everything that happened in the lead up and maybe some of the conclusions in the relationships were a bit simplified but overall I really enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

[Trina Dixon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great read, multi layered with a heartbreaking back storyline and a fraught present day situation.
1982 and the Greenham Common women are still singing during their protests, it's hard and tough, as the authorities are determined they should stop their protest. At 17 Fliss joins them, abandoned by her wealthy parents for falling pregnant, she feels safe and amongst friends for the first time.
WPC Rachel Rees has empathy with the women but has a job to do, but the discovery of a foundling baby takes her mind away from the arrests.
Present day, Adele has always had a difficult relationship with her mother, shes never felt enough and that Felicity has always held back, but when her daughter Sophia goes missing she hopes for some closeness.
This wasn't my first Emily Gunnis read, I love the unique storylines she writes about, her characters are relatable. I really like her style of writing and this book was no exception. I really couldn't put it down

[Katie Ludlow · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve never read anything by this author before, but I can’t wait to catch up!
I loved this book and couldn’t put it down. I liked the different timelines and reading chapters on different characters.
There was plenty of mystery and the book flowed.
An absorbing read!

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Child in the Storm was a really enjoyable read right from the first chapter. When Adele’s daughter Sophia goes missing, her desperation and fear feel so real that you can’t help but be pulled into her search. At the same time, Felicity’s story at the Greenham Common peace camp and Emma’s experiences in prison weave in with Adele’s present-day struggle in a clever way.

I really cared about Felicity, found Emma and Amanda’s storyline fascinating and I kept turning the pages to see how it would all come together for Adele and Sophia.

I guessed the direction of the plot quite early on, but it didn’t take away from the story and if anything, it made me more eager to see exactly how it would unfold.

The family secrets that are uncovered along the way gave the story real depth, and I loved how the past and present timelines finally connected. An emotional and suspenseful read.

[Sharon Valler: Live Love Read Review · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book hooked me in from the very first page, with the prologue set at Greenham Common in the 1980s and a baby left on a church step.

The first few chapters introduce us to a selection of the main characters in the book and I was fascinated by them all. They all felt real, relatable and believable and I was intrigued to find out how they would all link together as the plot unfolded.

In the present day, Adele's 12 year old daughter goes missing, Emma is due to be released from prison after serving five years of her sentence and Rachel is returning to work in the police force after the death of her husband, Told across dual timelines, this story is gripping, emotional and twisty. I absolutely love Emily Gunnis's writing style and her character development is sublime.

I enjoyed this book immensely.

5 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Emily Gunnis and Headline for an ARC of this book.

[Karen Farrow · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great family saga which brought up many subjects, not least teenage pregnancy and adoption. Fliss (Felicity) finds herself pregnant by a much older man who obviously wants nothing to do with her. She tells her mother who says it couldn’t possibly be his and then proceeds to practically ignore Fliss. Fliss then finds herself part of the women campaigning against the nuclear arms on Greenham Common. This sets in place a series of events that lead Fliss’s child being taken away from her and put up for adoption. The story jumps between then and now as Felicity’s granddaughter goes missing

The whole story is very well thought out and has lovely twists although I had worked out who had taken her.

All in it was an easy read with a well constructed storyline

[Claire Turkington · Rating 4 out of 5]

First time reading @emilygunnis and I wasn’t disappointed. I really enjoyed this book about separation, betrayal and love.
It’s fast paced, gripping, tense, twisty and moving. I was completely engaged from the start, such a compulsive read. I couldn’t put it down. With multiple timelines giving depth to the story and well developed strong likeable characters. I liked the authors writing style which flowed well with a good storyline that’s detailed and interesting and twists and turns to keep you guessing.
Definitely recommend this pulse pounding emotional page turner. I look forward to reading more from this author.
With thanks to #NetGallery #headline for an arc of #AChildInTheStorm in exchange for a honest review.
Book publishes 25 September 2025