
Title:- The School Trip
Author:- Miranda Smith
Date published:- will be published on 13th April 2023
Publisher:- Bookouture
No. of pages:- 280 pages
Genre:- Psychological Thriller
Rating:-
Plot:- 5/5
Writing:- 5/5
Overall rating:- 5/5

I race across the fields in the gathering dusk. “Claire!” I cry, hearing my voice echo. “Claire!”
Every October, the school where I work takes a trip to a local farm, to pet the animals and search for the perfect Halloween pumpkin. This year is even more special, as my daughter Claire is coming. She’s so excited, and we really need some fun time together after what we’ve been through.
But the day turns dark when one of the children goes missing. I leave Claire safe with another teacher to join the search, desperately scouring the fields and playgrounds. When at last we find little Katy, lost in the corn maze, I am light-headed with relief.
I return to the rest of the group to hug my daughter tight. But Claire is nowhere to be seen.
Whoever took her waited till I was distracted. Whoever took her must be someone I know.
But who could want to punish me this badly? Is it linked to the night I refuse to think about, the night my husband died?
I’ll do anything to get my daughter back. But if the truth comes out, I might already have lost her…

The story start with a field trip to a pumpkin patch–Emma who is a kindergarten teacher along with her daughter Claire goes to the school trip. As the trip is nearing to an end, a girl goes missing first and Emma being a responsible teacher starts looking for the girl, leaving her daughter behind with other teachers. As the girl was found and the crowd start leaving the premises, Emma realizes someone else also goes missing–her daughter had gone missing.
This was actually a really good thriller! Though it started out a little slow, it started gaining momentum towards the middle of the book when Claire was kidnapped. I was then hooked into the story. There are some twists, the story itself was fast paced and engaging. Did one of the teachers kidnap Claire? Secrets are revealed showing true color of the characters making nearly everyone in the story a suspect. The ending of the story was unexpected. This was the third book I have read from this author and I have to say, I really start enjoying reading her thrillers.
If you are looking for a thriller with child abduction as a theme, a thriller that is a page turner and unputdownable, then this book is one for you–worth five stars!
Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.