Freedom's Child by Jax Miller

The opening lines of this novel read : "My name is Freedom Oliver and I killed my daughter."

Is that enough of a hook for you? It was for me.

It's always a risk reading a new author. Mostly (glad to report) one that pays off. And this book had been interesting from the time we bought it. We spent a frustrating time in one of the largest bookstores near us, scanning shelves for a book my husband knew nothing about, except that he would recognise the cover again. He couldn't remember the author or the title, just that he had liked the look of the cover. We are both so glad he went back to the place he had originally seen it, across town, and found it.

Here's the gist of the story - without spoilers. Freedom is in witness protection. She has had a fairly rough past. She has no contact with her children, but discovers that her daughter is in danger, and must risk her own life, confronting those from her past - the reason she is in protection -  to save her.

The plot moves with great pace, plenty of action, enormous stakes, and an imaginative and witty writing style. It is a page turner of note, and yet you want to be reading forever.

Best of all was Freedom, the protagonist.
Never before have I loved a female lead this much. This despite her foul mouth and enough flaws (in the character, not the writing) that my mother would not think being her friend was a good idea. Jax Miller in creating Freedom, manages to strike a beautiful balance between brokenness and bravery, guts and big-heartedness, lies and honesty, without missing a beat. The dialogues are real, and the interactions raw and flawless. I was smiling by page 2, adored her by page 4 and was rooting so hard for her, it was scary. Even when reading some of the less positive reviews, I want to shout - "But didn't you just LOVE Freedom, she was the best?"

This scores a DROP EVERYTHING AND READ NOW 5 stars from me.

ISBN: 9780804186803

You may also enjoy Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter or Little Black Lies by Sharon Bolton. Or what about Black-Eyed Susans by Julia Heaberlin, or Playing with Fire by Tess Gerritsen?

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