Ghost Child

This novel Ghost Child by Caroline Overington was an unusual murder story. The author has twice won the Walkley Award for Investigative Journalism and that experience seems to have been brought to this, her debut novel. Five year old Jake dies in mysterious circumstances. He is one of four children - 6 year old Lauren, 3 year old Harley and toddler Hayley. They live in a "welfare house" with their single mother and her latest "deadbeat" boyfriend. The parents are convicted and imprisoned for Jake's murder and the story is told in the first person by a number of the characters involved including the investigating detective, the welfare worker, foster parents, reporter, and the children as they look back on the 20 years since the crime. The reader learns what happened to the children and the tragic truth behind Jake's death. 4/5