Ari Strange thought she’d survived the worst after the sudden death of her husband. She couldn’t have been more mistaken…

Nearly two years have passed since Ari’s husband died in a shocking hit-and-run, and she’s finally beginning to feel normal. She has a job. An apartment. She’s fully focused on her miracle–her 13-month-old daughter, Lucy-Kate. And she never dreamed it could all go sideways again in an instant…

On a freezing winter night, Ari wakes to find a blood-covered woman taking Lucy-Kate from her crib. In minutes, she goes from frantic parent to being accused of kidnapping her own daughter. The police don’t believe her story. They don’t even believe that Ari is Ari. Rather, they’ve taken the side of the woman who claims—with proof—to be her. The only person who gives Ari the benefit of the doubt is her unfriendly neighbor. But his behavior is sketchy, his motives unclear.

As evidence mounts against Ari, the time to save Lucy-Kate is running out. Can she uncover the truth before she loses everything all over again?

Titles in the Lockwood Gate Thrillers series include: The Replacement ~ The Echo ~ The Choice ~

This story may contain language, possible violence, and/or sexual situations geared to an adult 18+ audience.

Title:  The Replacement
Series:  Lockwood Gate Thrillers #1
Author:  Melinda Di Lorenzo
Published:  February 15, 2024
Publisher:  Tule Publishing
My Rating:  4.5 stars

The Replacement is the first title in the Lockwood Gate Thrillers series.  Ari’s story is intense, full of twists and turns that easily kept me glued to the pages.

Ari’s world has already been destroyed by the death of her husband two years ago.  The only bright spot was her adorable, beloved daughter Lucy-Kate.  She survived, restarted her life with her daughter as the center of it all.  Life was returning to her new normal… until.  Her daughter’s cries awakened her to see a bloodied woman standing over Lucy-Kate’s crib, snatching her daughter and running out of her home.  She tried to get to her but couldn’t.  When she pulled herself together enough to call the police… they accused her of kidnapping Lucy-Kate, and the woman who rescued the baby was Ari, her mother.  Nothing she said or could prove would convince them that she was Ari, not even her grumpy neighbor confirming her identity.  She did what any mother would do.  She ran, along with Denny, to find her daughter.

The Replacement by Melinda Di Lorenzo is intense; there’s no other word that describes how you’ll feel as you follow Ari’s desperate search for her daughter, nor for the twists and turns you’ll find along the way.  It’s well-written, with full-blown emotions hitting at every level.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the author or the author’s team via Booksprout, and I sincerely thank them for their trust. It is my choice to leave a review, giving my personal opinion about this book.*

This title is available at Amazon (affiliate link)