The Moonlight Child

The Moonlight Child is a riveting suspense novel. It is intense and will keep you up all night reading. The story begins with Sharon Lemke heading outside her home to see a lunar eclipse on a cold January night. While outside, she notices something odd at the house behind her backyard. Through her neighbor's window, she sees a little girl washing dishes late at night. However, the Fleming family does not have a child that age, and even if they did, why would she be doing dishes at such a late hour? Sharon could not let go of her concerns over the child. When eighteen-year-old Niki, a former foster child, comes to live with Sharon, she too notices suspicious activity at the Fleming house.  When they call child protective services, a short interview is conducted at the Fleming home.  Because nothing more was going to be done with the Flemings, Sharon and Niki decide to investigate on their own.

This book takes spying on the neighbors to the ultimate degree. The back and forth nastiness between neighbors Sharon Lemke and Suzette Fleming provides much of the suspense in the novel.  Every bad deed deserves another.  Right?  The book begins with Sharon googling her neighbors after she took that photo of the child washing dishes at 11 pm.  She finds out their names, the name of their son, what they paid for their home, what the husband does for a living and their prior addresses.  All of the characters have dramatic life stories and secrets that enhance the suspense and I would have to say that this book has one of the best suspense plots that I have ever read. 

The characters reside in a small town. Usually everyone in a small town knows everyone else's business.  When you grow up in a small town you know that someone is always watching you and talking about you.  While you may have only a nodding acquaintance with someone, if you have a car accident everyone will know in a matter of hours.  As a contrast, when the Flemings moved in six months ago, they were secretive and did not associate with their neighbors.  Suzette only became friends with those who could help her maintain a philanthropic reputation. She is a great villain!

The Moonlight Child is one of my favorite books of the year. I highly recommend it. 5 out of 5 stars.