The Good Daughter by J A Baker
Genres: Thriller
She will have her day of reckoning...
As a teenager, Penny Collins always tried to be a good daughter. Until the night she was brutally attacked as she lay in her bed. The assault, from a man she knew all too well, traumatised Penny. Worse still, after her family refused to believe her initial fears about being watched, Penny told nobody, afraid her family would be convinced she was making the whole thing up...
Now, twenty years later, Penny cares for her elderly mother whose memory is fading daily. Still a good daughter, Penny tries not to think about the past, but her mother seems more insistent to talk about what happened that night...to drag up painful memories.
So when Penny comes face to face with her attacker again, she knows it’s time for her to take action and get answers for them all. This time he's in the dock where he belongs, accused of the same terrible crime. And Penny, a good daughter and now a good citizen, sits on the jury - his fate finally in her hands...
If only she can convince the others of his guilt...
Review
Penny Collins has spent the last twenty years living with the scars of a brutal assault—one so traumatic, she never spoke of it again, except to her mother, who tragically didn’t believe her. Now, as fate would have it, Penny is summoned for jury duty… and comes face to face with the man she’s convinced is her attacker. Torn between the ethical obligation to disclose her connection and the burning desire for justice, Penny faces an impossible choice: should she speak up, or stay silent and try to sway the verdict from inside the jury box?
This novel is masterfully written, with a dual timeline and POV structure that peels back the layers of Penny’s past while keeping you guessing at every turn. The tension simmers and intensifies with every chapter, and the emotional depth is both raw and compelling. J.A. Baker has crafted a thriller that’s not only suspenseful, but also deeply human. I couldn’t put it down—and I highly recommend it to readers who love smart, twisty thrillers with heart.
Meet the Author
About J A Baker
Twice longlisted for The Guardian’s Not the Booker Prize, J.A. BAKER was born and brought up in North East England and has had a love of language for as long as she can remember.
When she isn’t writing, she enjoys reading many genres of books but especially enjoys psychological thrillers.
She has four grown-up children, five grandchildren, and lives in a village near Darlington with her husband and Border Collie, Theo, who is quite possibly the naughtiest dog in the world.
You find out more about J.A.Baker by following her on social media.
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