The Child: From the Sunday Times bestselling author comes a dark and explosive new thriller

by Mandasue Heller

When Isla Hanson's husband, Jerry, dies, leaving his entire estate to her, she knows she'll be set for life. But contrary to the belief of his wealthy friends and business associates, who all seem to think she was only ever interested in him for the money, Isla truly loved Jerry and struggles to imagine life without him.

With no children of her own, and no real family to speak of, Isla is grateful for the support of her best friend, Tia. But when a strange woman and child appear at the funeral, Isla's entire world is turned upside down, and she is shocked to learn that the loving husband she dedicated fifteen years of her life to might have been living a double-life all along.

320 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication February 2, 2027

About the author

Mandasue was born in Cheshire and moved to Manchester in 1982. She spent ten years living in the notorious Hulme Crescents which have since become the background to her novels. Not only is she a talented writer, but she has also sung in cabaret and rock groups, seventies soul cover bands and blues jam bands.

Reviews

[Louise Wilson]

When Isla Hanson's husband, Jerry, dies, leaving his entire estate to her, she knows she'll be set for life. But contrary to belief of his wealthy friends and business associates, who all seem to think she was only interested in him for his money, Isla truly loved Jerry and struggles to imagine life without him. With no children of her own, and no real family to speak of, Isla is grateful for the support of her best friend, Tia. But when a strange woman and child appear at the funeral, Isla's entire world is turned upside down, and she is shocked to learn that the loving husband she dedicated fifteen years of her life to might have been living a double-life all along.

Mandasue Heller is back with this fabulous read. You never quite know what you're going to get when you pick up a new book by the author, but you know you won't be disappointed.

Isla Hanson has just buried her husband Jerry when she and her best friend see a young woman with a small child looking through his flowers. When they approach her, she runs away. When Isla finds her outside her home, staring through the locked gates, once again she runs away.The girl is Melanie, and she has a son called Jacob. She eventually tells Isla that Jacob is her late husband Jerry's son. From this point on, the story escalates. We get lies, twists, and parts that were surprising along the way.

Published 30th July 2026

I would like to thank #NetGalley #OrionPublishingGroup and the author #MandasueHeller for my ARC of #TheChild In exchange for an honest review.

[Gail]

Isla is living the dream – married to Jerry who is some years older and adores her. They live in a beautiful house and have plenty of money to keep them in a high standard of living. But Isla craves a child of her own the one thing that money can’t buy.

Isla resigns herself to never being a mother and having a family so she accepts that her companionable and loving relationship with Jerry is her future. Then Jerry dies unexpectedly, tearing Isla’s world apart and with it, the future she had readjusted herself to.

At Jerry’s funeral a young woman is lurking around outside with a small child whom she claims Jerry has fathered. The woman is seen again on numerous occasions, hanging around near Isla and outside her home. Melanie’s story seems fool-proof to Isla but it doesn’t sit well with her; she doesn’t believe her loving husband would have betrayed her, or is she remembering him too fondly through rose-tinted glasses?

Another fast-paced, gripping read from one of my favourite authors. It has an amazingly strong plot and lots of sub plots woven in which enhances the already thrilling story. I cannot recommend this book enough – absolutely brilliant.

[Lovetoread2023]

After her husband’s sudden death, Isla is left shattered but her grief quickly turns into confusion when secrets about his life begin to surface. When a young woman, Melanie, claims he loved her too and is the father of her child, Isla is forced to question everything she thought she knew about the man she married. As the stories shift and truths blur, Isla is left not knowing what or who
to believe.

Unable to have children herself, Isla finds unexpected hope in the child at the centre of it all, but this is far from a simple story of loss and healing. It’s a powerful tale of loyalty, unbreakable friendships, and the lies people tell for their own gain.

Mandasue Heller delivers another gripping read, full of emotion and well crafted twists. While I managed to guess a couple of turns, there was one that genuinely caught me off guard. Her storytelling kept me hooked from beginning to end and I finished it in a single day.

A heartfelt, and addictive read. If you’ve never picked up one of her books before, this is a great place to start.Highly recommended.

[Mark]

Mandasue Heller is back and as one of my favourite ever authors going back 25 years or so and it’s always exciting when a new book is out

‘The Child’ is a family based drama where Isla’s perfect life suddenly changes, for the worse and everything she thought she knew begins to crumble

And then Melanie arrives on the scene, saying her son is Isla’s husbands…..and it doesn’t stop there as Isla’s life becomes more complex and decisions she makes will affect her life forever

It’s a fast page turner with many sub plots all leading to the roaring finale

And quite shocking part of it is too….left me reeling a bit

It’s great to have MSH back and doing what she does so perfectly, writing a superbly entertaining book, her ability to give us readers what we like/want hasn’t changed in 25 years and this book again shows us why

Loved it

[Booklover BEV]

Isla Hanson is left widowed and husband Jerry leaves her everything, and she is set for life.
Then Melanie turns up with her baby son Jacob, and taking pity on her Isla falls for all her lies.
What a superbly written book, that blew up all my emotions as I read.
With plenty of almighty twists that are not expected.
Its a cracking story.
Right to the very end.

[Andrea]

A terrific read..Isla husband dies suddenly and he has left her a fortune. They wanted children it did not happen for them.her friends supported her.during the funeral a strange woman with a child who is she?later finding out her husband knew her ,did they have an affair? Great read lots of twists&turns near the end..great author I'm looking forward to reading more of her books.

[Court 📚]

This wasn’t bad! It was a standard Mandasue Heller book. Fast paced and twisty and kept interesting throughout. My biggest issue with this was the amount of plot holes at the ending, it felt quite silly, I didn’t mind what happened at the end I just wish there was a more thought out method to the ending! Not her best but definitely not her worst!

[Mel]

brilliant

Mandasue Helier is one of them authors you pick up with out reading the back and you know she will deliver
I was in reading slump due to my op but this book was the start I needed I just couldn’t put it down
Read in two settings

[Patsy]

2.5⭐️
The FMC was so gullible it was cringe. She was quick to bring up she was brought up on a council estate yet had absolutely no street smarts whatsoever 😐 nobody and I mean nobody is that stupid, it ruined the entire story for me 🤷🏼‍♀️ it was also repetitive 🫪

[Kelly West]

Started off really well and had me interested straight away, but unfortunately the middle became quite boring and dragged for me. The ending picked up again and was okay, but the twist didn’t surprise me as I’d already worked it out.
Quick easy read

[Carole Ohara]

The child

I read it pretty quickly, enjoyed it, but not one of my favourites of hers. More predictable than some of her others

[sharon declaire]

Brilliant Read

What a kind lady Isla is , all she wants is someone too love ,Melanie baby gave her that opportunity, Great book ,gull of tense moments and lots of love

[Cally]

Our main character Isla has a fantastic life, she didn’t have the best upbringing but now she’s living the dream with her big fancy house and a husband that adores her. Her husband Jerry dies suddenly and there’s a random woman who appears at the funeral with a baby and claims Jerry is the dad!

Isla seriously doubts that Jerry would have cheated on her but the doubts start creeping in. Perhaps she feels lonely but as the mystery woman ,Melanie, has an abusive partner she feels sorry for her and lets Melanie and baby Jacob stay with her for a while. Isla’s friends doubt Melanies version of events but what is the truth?

Isla and Jerry met when she was 20 and he was 45 which seems like a massive age gap to me but who am I to judge?!

I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it. It features a bit less gangland crime than her previous novels, but the story is just as engaging. If you are a fan of gritty thrillers by Martina Cole or Jacqui Rose, you will definitely want to pick this one up!