Daughter by Kate McLaughlin – Review

A huge thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

// Book Content Warnings: death, mentions of violence, mentions of murder, mentions of sexual assault, mentions of necrophilia, sexual content, drug use // – Please educate yourself on the content warnings for this book before reading, as I may have missed some here.

// Quick Statistics //

Overall: 5/5 Stars

Characters: 5/5 Stars

Writing: 5/5 Stars

Setting: 5/5 Stars

Plot: 5/5 Stars

Memorability: 5/5 Stars

// Quick Review //

Daughter is the chilling story of a teen thrown into a world of pain and depravity upon the discovery that her previously unknown father is actually an infamous serial killer. Thrilling at every turn, McLaughlin’s upcoming novel boasts a disturbing parallel to our world’s most notorious killers, told through the eyes of a brave teen willing to do whatever it takes to bring any possible ounce of closure to the families of her father’s victims.

// Other Information //

Publisher: Wednesday Books

Page Count: 336 pages

Release Date: March 8, 2022

Series: None

Genre: Fiction, Adult, Young adult, Mystery, Thriller, Contemporary, Family, Psychological thriller

// Book Description (from Goodreads) //

Scarlet’s life is pretty average. Overly protective mom. Great friends. Cute boy she’s interested in. And a father she’s never known – until she does.

When the FBI show up at Scarlet’s door, she is shocked to learn her father is infamous serial killer Jeffrey Robert Lake. And now, he’s dying and will only give the names and locations of his remaining victims to the one person, the daughter he hasn’t seen since she was a baby.

Scarlet’s mother has tried to protect her from Lake’s horrifying legacy, but there’s no way they can escape the media firestorm that erupts when they come out of hiding. Or the people who blame Scarlet for her father’s choices. When trying to do the right thing puts her life in danger, Scarlet is faced with a choice – go back into hiding or make the world see her as more than a monster’s daughter.

Kate McLaughlin’s Daughter is a novel about trying to right deadly choices that were never yours to begin with.

// Characters //

Most of the characters in this novel are relatable and easy to connect to/empathize with (well, except for one… and don’t worry, I will get into that later).

Scarlet Murphy is a seventeen-year-old living with her overprotective and paranoid mom, Gina. Scarlet is your typical teenage girl: obsessed over a popular boy, insecure, partying, etc. However, all of that normalcy is whisked away when she discovers that her father she’s never met is dying, and he just so happens to be the most infamous serial killer of the 21st century. Scarlet’s determination to do the right thing even at the expense of herself is astounding and commendable. Despite having gone seventeen years without living in her father’s shadow, she is willing to come face to face with a killer to potentially help the victims’ families. Scarlet takes on a burden that is not hers to bear; she didn’t murder anyone, her dad did. But Scarlet is faced with people who believe her mom helped carry out her dad’s murders, and the desire to help those her dad harmed becomes even stronger. Though she is just a normal teen, she adapts to the traumatic situations she must endure in order to help others. The evolution of Scarlet over the novel is fascinating and really lets one get inside the head of someone overshadowed by a malicious and evil legacy.

Gina Murphy at first appears to be your run-of-the-mill helicopter parent who is a little too worried about their kid being kidnapped while at a sleepover. But what starts as seemingly overboard quickly becomes reasonable as the real Gina comes to life before Scarlet’s eyes. The reappearance of her ex-husband in her life causes Gina to stop hiding her true self: a normal, headstrong, but broken woman. Gina was unaware of the true nature of her husband until his trial, and ever since then, she has been living alone with Scarlet in order to protect her from those who have no idea of the tragedies that she’s suffered.

Other fantastic characters include Agent Logan (an old acquaintance of Gina’s who helped her through the trial), Lucas and Darcy (Logan’s children), and Maxine (Scarlet’s cousin). Scarlet has gone seventeen years without a family (besides her mom). When hiding is no longer an option, she is introduced to a world Gina left far behind… a world in which Scarlet is not alone. All of these characters support Gina and are amazing people. I have to mention how adorable Darcy and Maxine’s relationship ends up being, and how could I forget Lucas and Scarlet?

Now, to get to the man who has caused all of the pain, torture, and trauma within Daughter‘s pages: Jeff Lake, a serial killer, rapist, and necrophiliac. He’s the ‘Ted Bundy’ of the nineties and early 2000’s, known for his charm and ‘good’ looks which he used to lure his victims. Paralleling Ted Bundy’s M.O. and details of many other real and infamous killers, Jeff Lake is a horrible, evil, and downright appalling character. So, Kate McLaughlin did an excellent job at conveying the evil it takes to kill and created a sickening character that I hate with everything in me. Frustrating and crude, the challenges that Jeff presented to Scarlet upset and angered me.

McLaughlin does a phenomenal job of getting you to feel like this book is real. It is so entirely close to reality that I’m surprised it isn’t. The characters, deaths… everything was so realistic and worldly that I felt a bond with Scarlet, Gina, and everyone else victimized by Jeff Lake. His victims felt real because in our world there are so many who suffered and continue to suffer equally or more gruesome fates. This novel is truly unparalleled.

// Writing and Setting //

As I mentioned with the characters, McLaughlin is absolutely stunning in their ability to convey emotion and reality through words on paper. The effect Daughter had on me was unexplainable and impacted me in a way no other novel has before. The reality of the cruelty of this world is perfectly and digestibly packaged in 336 pages.

Ominous, dark, and gritty, the atmosphere and feel to Daughter is unmistakable and that of trying to navigate wickedness. The book takes place during modern times and in various places, as Scarlet and Gina are often traveling back and forth to Raleigh in order to see Jeff Lake.

// Plot //

I read this book in a day, which is usually an impossible feat for me. But, Daughter was just too good and too fast-paced to put down.

The book starts off with the haunting story of the initial discovery of Jeff Lake’s horrendous crimes. From there, the novel spirals into a tale of family, hope, and cruelty. Scarlet is a normal teenager who wants nothing more than for the popular hot guy to like her back. She parties with her friends, gets drunk, and smokes. She’s worried about the typical teenage experience, which all seems vain in the face of a new obstacle in her life. She has always assumed her dad ran away when she was a baby, but her mom has never told her anything about him.

At seventeen, she finds out that her dad is dying and his name is Jeff Lake; he’s a serial killer with approximately 50+ victims. Only having found 14 women/girls buried at his family vacation home in the early 2000’s, the FBI is hopeful that his looming death in 2022(?) will help loosen his lips and give away the names of his other victims and their locations. However, Jeff demands that he be able to see his daughter… and only then will he consider giving up names and locations.

Scarlet bravely decides to face her father and try to pry what little power he clings to from his cold and cancerous hands before he can take more secrets to the grave. Those 50+ women deserve justice, and so do their families. Scarlet is willing to do whatever it takes to prove she is more than just a killer’s daughter.

// Overall Review //

Daughter is an astounding and unique novel that offers an experience like no other. I truly cannot think of another book that has truly touched my heart in such a profound way. McLaughlin is a true master of their craft, and I am undeniably enthusiastic to read more of their works.

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