Daria's Daughter

by Linda Huber

WINNER OF A 2022 CHILL WITH A BOOK PREMIER READERS' AWARD!WINNER OF A 2022 CHILL WITH A BOOK 'BOOK OF THE MONTH' AWARD!If you like Blood Orange and Gone Girl you are going to love this gripping psychological thriller by best-selling author Linda Huber

A mother and daughter torn apartAn explosive accident on the way to Glasgow airport leaves Daria hurt, bereaved and confused. Her daughter has vanished without a trace and nobody is telling her what happened. Evie’s gone. That’s all. Gone. What does Daria have left to live for?A mother and daughter reunitedMargie can’t believe it. Bridie is hurt. Bridie needs her. They manage to escape the smoke, the noise and the confusion. They are together, that’s all that matters. Everything will be better in the morning, Margie tells Bridie. And it will.

The bonds that never breakWill Daria ever be able to put the pieces of her tattered life back together after the loss of her daughter? Is it possible that things aren’t quite as they seem? Can the unimaginable turn out to be the truth?

Linda Huber's brilliant novel is a compelling and moving tale of motherly love, loss and redemption which you won't be able to put down.PRAISE FOR LINDA HUBER’I have read books by Linda Huber before, but this has taken her into another league! Just get ready to have the stuffing knocked out of you on every page.’ Susan Hampson, Books From Dusk Till Dawn'If you enjoy a deeply emotional story then this is for you' UK Amazon reviewer 'Brilliant, and highly recommended!' Terri Nixon, crime and historical fiction author'I held my breath so many times and yes I did have to fight back the tears too on a couple of occasions. Brilliant, absolutely brilliant.' Patricia Gill

Genres: Psychological Suspense

392 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 23, 2021

About the author

Linda Huber grew up in Glasgow, Scotland, but went to work in Switzerland for a year aged twenty-two, and has lived there ever since. Her day jobs have included working as a physiotherapist in hospitals and schools for handicapped children, and teaching English in a medieval castle. Not to mention several years spent as a full-time mum to two boys, a rescue dog, and a large collection of goldfish and guinea pigs.

Linda now lives in Switzerland, in a little town on the banks of beautiful Lake Constance.

Her debut psychological suspense novel The Paradise Trees was published in 2013, and was followed by The Cold Cold Sea, The Attic Room, Chosen Child, Ward Zero, Baby Dear, and Death Wish. Linda has also had over 50 short stories and articles published, some of which can be read in The Saturday Secret, a charity collection of short (feel-good) stories.

Reviews

[Nila (digitalcreativepages) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Linda Huber is one of my favorite authors as her books have that extra something. This too had suspense along with that, a touch of humanity, pathos, and an immeasurable longing for the mother and child to meet.

A road accident left Daria injured and semi conscious and her daughter Evie missing. On the other hand Margie found her daughter Bridie after a very, very long time. But all their lives were interconnected. Daria was heartbroken and Margie found a second shot at life. This was their story running parallel and finally, intersecting.

All the characters shared their pain with me. Human psyche and mental illness was well shown, but I didn’t like Daria’s husband at all. He could have been more supportive. The story moved in detail when friend and a single mother, Liane’s story was also added.

There was much to applaud in the book which evoked my emotions. The writing was lucid, flowed well. Daria’s pain could be well felt, and so did her guilt seep through. My mind felt so restless at how alone and isolated she was.

A prose which was slightly more emotive would have helped me love the book more. Overall, it was something different. An amalgamation of suspense and pain.

The heart couldn’t help but sympathize with the characters caught in their own turmoil. Life is just that…

[Carmen Radtke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Linda Huber is a skilful writer who consistently delivers a cracking good yarn that oozes with love for her characters. Daria’s Daughter seemlessly weaves together the lives of three women - Daria, who loses her daughter in a horrific accident, Liane, who makes all the sacrifices a single mother can make for her little girl, and old Margie, who’s found her precious Bridie again.
Daria’s Daughter manages the feat to be both chillingly suspenseful and yet heartwarming. Linda Hubers best book so far!

[Maggie James · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was moved to tears by parts of 'Daria's Daughter' - the portrayal of Mammy is so moving. The plot drew me in straightaway and kept me intrigued throughout the book. Highly recommended.

[Lesley · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25-4.5⭐️🎧

This is the first book I’ve read by this author.
The cover is striking with a red and orange background and silhouettes of a woman and child.

🎧I had the audiobook version narrated by Lianne Walker. The narrator is good, she doesn’t do vastly different voices for the 3 main characters, but it’s easy to know which character is being portrayed. She is interesting to listen to, and I feel added to the overall interest of the book.

There are 3 women each with daughters.
Daria who was in a road traffic accident and loses her daughter Evie.
Leanne has a child Frith who has a heart condition, finally she is ok after years of illness following surgery.
Margie has a daughter Bridie who has returned to her. Maisie seems a typical eccentric woman over run with cats, and very forgetful. She seems very caring and likeable. Her situation tugged on my heartstrings.

Each has their own thread, Initially it feels like the 3 women and their stories are unconnected. The reader is privy to everything that is going on, the characters are playing catch up. I felt this approach fitted the story well.

There’s a good mix between plot and characterisation, It’s very character driven. I was fully engaged throughout and invested in each of them especially Margie, little Evie melted my heart. I did question the plausibility of what Daria was told had happened to Evie after the accident, there wasn’t any justification at the end at all, so that left an unanswered plot gap for me.

To sum up it’s an easy enjoyable engaging listen. I feel it’s one where the audiobook captured my attention better than the book would have done. One I’d recommend.

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read a few of Linda Huber's books, and enjoyed every one of them, but this has to be her best so far. I was hooked from the first pages, with harassed mother Daria getting her daughter ready for their trip to Spain, only to be involved in a horrific accident on the way to the airport.

The story pulls you in as we, the reader, are privy to certain facts that the characters aren't, and keeps the adrenaline going with every missed opportunity, those few seconds too late or too soon that would make all the difference.

The reader can feel pain and anguish Daria is going through; there are some truly touching moments as she mourns her daughter's death, her marriage falls apart, and friends and family no longer know how to treat her. Huber has poured all the emotions into this book, making you feel part of the characters' lives and their secrets.

Well written and well edited, this is a story that will break your heart and make you smile, an emotional roller coaster with a bitter-sweet ending that you'll find yourself thinking about long after you've finished reading it. Highly recommend.

[Rachel Sargeant · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gentle, warm and heart-wrenching – not words that usually describe a thriller, but they are fitting attributes for this well-paced and tense story.

On the face of it, the premise sounds familiar: a young child goes missing and the mother is distraught. But what if the mother doesn’t know the child is missing, the child doesn’t know she’s been kidnapped and the kidnapper doesn’t realise what she’s done? This original story tackles all these ‘what ifs’ with aplomb.

The writing is accomplished and each of the four viewpoint characters has a unique voice. The star turn is Margie, the confused elderly cat lady who has taken the child. Also well drawn is dazed Evie, whose four-year-old reasoning makes the best of her new circumstances. And as realisation of what’s happened dawns late in the story from the viewpoint of Daria, the mother, I felt every beat of her pounding heart. The glue holding the story together is Liane, harassed single mum who interacts with all the major players, unaware of how they are connected.

An enjoyable read. I will seek out others by this author.

[Wendy Turbin · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable read with a riveting opening and a gripping end. I found myself slightly less engaged in the middle where the action slowed, but the emotional pull of the mother/daughter stories kept me turning pages. I stayed up late to finish it and will be on the look out for the next book by this author.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seat edge reading with lots of missed chances

A gripping and very well written story with lots of missed chances for the characters, kept you on edge of seat. A valid and potentially real situation. Loved it and would recommend.

[Susan Hampson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read books by Linda Huber before, but this has taken her into another league! Just get ready to have the stuffing knocked out of you on every page of this book as a series of events throw three women onto tangled paths that alter each of their lives. The story revolves around Evie, Daria’s daughter, who is only four-years-old.


There are some fabulous characters in this story, and although your heart breaks for Daria, Evie and their family, I couldn’t feel angry about what happened. Margie probably saved Evie’s life, but she didn’t see everything else around her. Not the chaos or the fire, she just saw Brodie, her young daughter, and she needed to get her home because she was hurt. Evie went with her because she was so young and was looking for her mummy.

I was already in pieces at just a few chapters into this story that's followed by heartbreaking scenes. Harsh words and judgement can’t ever be taken back. People hit out at the ones they love, and blame has to be put on someone, it is what we do. There is so much overwhelming grief of loss, guilt and not being able to say goodbye.


The story follows Daria, Margie and Lianne, who has recently moved into the neighbourhood with her daughter Frith. It is full of tender moments, beautifully stories, and so much love, besides the grief. A fabulous story that I read with tears and smiles as I connected with every single character in this story.


I wish to thank the publisher for an e-copy of this book which I have reviewed honestly.

[A.B. Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The theme of motherly love is such a powerful one, and this is the story of three mothers and their daughters told from very different perspectives and experiences in each case. This book has attracted a lot of attention and rightly so.
The cover is exactly right for the story and the blurb is succinct and truly reflective of the book, thus leading the reader to open and dive right in to a stunning, shocking, opening: On the way to the airport, Daria and her daughter Evie are in a taxi which is hit by a lorry. The impact of that accident is devastating and had me in a state of emotional turmoil from that moment on.
The tension created by the author is hard to bear at times but compels the reader to join Daria in her grief and implores her to keep going.
Leane and Frith help to drive the storyline with their real-life struggles and the innocence of childhood friendships is deftly explored when Frith befriends Bridie. It has to be said that the scenes with Margie and Bridie are so touching and yet painful to read that I needed to keep right on to the end of the book in the hope of a resolution and a reunion. If this was a TV drama I would have been shouting at the television, 'Come on! You're so close!'... which goes to show how invested I was in the characters and the dire situation Daria faced as a mother.
If you enjoy a deeply emotional story then this is for you. Highly recommended

[Livia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Daria and her four year old daughter Evie are going to visit the grandparents in Spain .Daria's husband Noah will be joining them the following week after wrapping things up at work .It's fifteen minutes to Glasgow airport, when the taxi driver decides to take the back roads - out of nowhere a lorry smashes into them and Daria's world turns black ..When Daria wakes up days later with a broken leg and her body covered in bruises she is devastated when Noah tells her Evie has died in the accident..Liane Morton works in Paula's , but having to leave her daughter Frith with a childminder ,and somehow always being late for everything, she has had enough..Her ex Tony is a waster , so when a friend suggests she applies for a job in a creche she requests an interview, and moves to a little house with Frith for a fresh start. Margie lives in a house full of cats , she is forgetful at times , her little Bridie is so full of beans and such a gentle little girl who loves hearing stories about Ireland..Six months later and Daria and Noah are drifting further apart ..Sometimes the smallest things take up the most room in your heart..But the hands of time are changing..and with it will be a rollercoaster of emotions, shock, disbelief, love and so much more ..A beautifully weaving story from Linda Huber that left me with a lump in my throat ..Poignant and Emotive Storytelling...

[Elizabeth Lloyd · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the story of three mothers, all of whom love their daughters dearly. Leane’s daughter, Frith, no longer needs hospital appointments but she is anxious to spend more time with her. For Daria, Evie is her world, since her husband, Noah is frequently away on business. And Margie lives in the past, remembering how little Bridie loved to play on the beach in Ireland. But during a period of just over a month all their worlds are turned upside down. There is an horrific accident with life changing repercussions for all of them.
Linda Huber writes convincingly of these three very different women and we share and understand their problems. The children, Frith and Bridie are delightfully uncomplicated, united in their affection for Margie’s tribe of cats, they trust the adults in their lives to take care of them. There is increasing tension as the reader knows more than any of the characters. Wishing for a happy solution, our hopes are constantly dashed but in the thrilling concluding chapters there is a satisfactory denouement.
This was a book I found so difficult to put down. They are real people struggling with the complications of modern life in a city, not realising the problems of others living close to them but love and kindness eventually pulls them out of despair. A very worthwhile read.

[Ashley Gillan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is one of those rare novels that is both filled with tension and suspense like a good thriller, but will also make you laugh, cry, feel the full range of emotions. It’s definitely not a one-note book that you can predict or sleep on - you never know what’s going to come next.

The plot is wonderfully woven amongst the stories of three women who are very different life situations, but whom fate brings together through crossed paths, along with their daughters. The characters are really well drawn and each one is very different. I liked how the author was able to create almost three different worlds within this one book, which was all taking place in the same city. The writing was so vivid that it felt like you read really watching a slice of each of these women’s lives - and without giving spoilers - each is going through something....intensive. So it’s all very interesting and suspenseful to see.

It’s hard to not really give anything away, but I really liked the overall tone of the book and how everything wrapped up. It really just left everything exactly in the right way, I think and I was really satisfied with things.

I have read Linda Huber’s work before, and afte this book, I will definitely continue to be a fan of hers!

[Ann-Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A roller coaster of a read as we follow the lives of three very different women – Daria, Liane and Margie. Daria, injured in a car crash and no one will tell her what happened to her daughter, Liane, needing a new job and new house plus having to cope with a ne’er do well ex partner and Margie, who has lots of cats to look after and nosy neighbours to avoid.

Throughout the book there are insignificant occasions when a different decision would have changed things and each time an opportunity was lost, the tension increased and Daria’s future looked even bleaker. This is the first book I have read by Linda Huber and, based on this, it won’t be the last as I really enjoyed it. I particularly liked the ending – it was bitter sweet but fitting. It would be interesting to see some of the characters in this book appear in the future in other books, just to see how their lives progress.

Thanks to the publisher for a copy to review.

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a remarkable story. An emotional ride from start to end. Powerful, heartbreaking and beautifully written. The love between a mother and her daughter holds no bounds so when Daria has her daughter so cruelly taken away by a horrific road accident she is utterly devastated.
The storyline is threefold and brings together the life of Daria and her struggle to carry on, Liane, a young woman recently separated who has a four year old daughter to support, and Margie, a lonely old lady who has only her beloved cats for company.
Such brilliantly created characters that pulled at my heartstrings throughout every chapter. I'm no big softie and love my gritty fast paced crime thrillers but this was such a compelling story and made an exceptionally great alternative to my usual genre. A thrill to read and highly recommended.

[Clare Chase · Rating 5 out of 5]

This gripping and emotional family drama kept me on tenterhooks from start to finish; I was desperate to find out what the resolution would be. The book switches between three interconnected storylines, and I was holding my breath as I raced to see when they would intersect. I loved the balance between the trajectories of each person involved too. I can’t say too much without giving spoilers, but the mix of highs and lows worked really well. Excellent.

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Daria's Daughter" had me gulping back tears and my heart pounding. It's absolutely brilliant, but should come with a free box of tissues. The characters are so realistic it feels like any of them could be living right next door... and it's a shame some of them aren't! The plot is simple, engrossing, and sometimes deeply sad. The writing is faultless. Loved it to bits!!

This review was written voluntarily and is entirely my own, unbiased, opinion.

[Kynthia · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I think of Mammy's character, she reminds me of how easy it is for elderly people to end up alone and in crisis. She had the comfort of having a child she lost through a lost child but she had little money, no help with house cleaning and self-care, and her loneliness turned toward helping cats in need which I loved. I read this story in two nights wishing for more about Laine and Daria. I think her son could have made a bigger effort to see his mother.

[Lopsided · Rating 2 out of 5]

Uses F word. Minimal profanity. This is a different book. At times it’s from 4 year olds point of view. The writing style feel simplistic and stilted. Like even the adults are talking from a child’s point of view. 2.0 audio

[shane rorgers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyable book

Really enjoyable book. Definitely recommend to others . How lives entwine. Always enjoyable books . Can't wait for next one!

[Margaret Kerr · Rating 5 out of 5]

A poignant read

Wow this kept me turning the pages late into the night. A story of sadness, loss, emotions, good and bad, but overall caring and love. Worth a read.

[Bridget phelan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant

I so enjoyed this book....Linda Huber you are a gifted writer....I'm so glad I came across your books...thank you x

[Mary Lou Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read

A great book I couldn't put it down. The author did a great job of weaving all the characters together. Highly recommend this book

[Jeanshughgooglemail.Com · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book, flowed really well and kept you hooked throughout.

[Catspas]

I really enjoyed this book. Kept me interested from beginning to the end. Would recommend

[ChillwithabookAWARD With · Rating 5 out of 5]

Daria's Daughter by Linda Huber has received a Chill with a Book Readers' PREMIER Award
www.chillwithabook.com

[Lisa Fowler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read

Although I personally wouldn’t call this a psychological suspense book, I did really enjoy the storyline. Heartbreaking but also heartwarming.

[Lynda Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've had a few books by this author in my wishlist for some years now. However, these days I don't usually pay for a book by an unknown, unless it's by a Nordic writer, as I'm not wasting my money on rubbish, and there are too many horrendously presented freebies out there....I digress.....
I really enjoyed this. It fair rips along and I kept reading and reading just a bit more to learn what was going on in a rush as I was so dying to know what was what and how everything was going to end up....I loved the ending, although some parts were also pretty sad. AND there are hardly any mistakes, either.....super !! The odd missed speechmarks or fullstops and she did write leaped and not leapt like they do Stateside, though I read she has spent a lot of time in Switzerland so maybe they spell that way over there. Oh....and Liane's interview was 3rd May but later on in the story someone mentioned meeting her at her interview on the fourth !! Ouch.....THAT should've been spotted if it smacked me in the chops.
I do have to say I couldn't stand Frith's name. I've not heard of it before but I'd have considered it a blokey name if anything. I thought it was an awful moniker.....and Frithy too !! An aside Margie made had me giggling....she was referring to those plastic sort of half-seat things you see in bus shelters and said, "You were supposed to lean on it and poke at your mobile phone." However, I've no idea WHAT a deep brown voice is. I thought that a most peculiar expression altogether. I assumed the guy being referred to was a different colour but he wasn't so she lost me there.
I'm definitely going to buy a couple of those books by her I have stashed in my wishlist now I know she can be trusted....hehehe !

[Reegan Thatcher · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’ve been in a reading slump for a few weeks now, and unfortunately this only made it worse … boring bye bye