Book Review - Next of Kin by Kia Abdullah

Title: Next of Kin
Author: Kia Abdullah
Genre: Thriller/ Mystery
Published: 2021
 
Description: Leila Syed receives a call that cleaves her life in two. Her brother in law’s voice is filled with panic. He’s at his son’s nursery to pick up Max. But her isn’t there.
 
Leila was supposed to drop of Max off that morning. But she forgot. Racing to the carpark, she grasps the horror of what she has done. Max has been locked in her car for six hours on the hottest day of the year. But she’s too late.
 
What follows is an explosive, high-profile trial, that will tear the family apart. But as the case progresses it becomes clear there’s more to this incident than meets the eye.
 
Review: When I read the synopsis, it reminded me a lot of an older episode of “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation”, where a father left his son in the car on the hottest day of the year, forgetting he was with him. This book does its own thing, but also has a lot of similarities. And some I cannot see passed.
 
We meet Leila, a successful architect with her own business. She and her sister Yasmine have grown up together, without their parents for the most part, with Leila being the caregiver at 18 when Yasmine was only 11 years old. When Yasmine’s husband Andrew asks Leila to drop off three-year-old Max to day care, she does not hesitate. When Leila is at work, she receives a phone call from Andrew that Max never arrived at daycare. And then Leila remembers that Max is still in her car. When she runs to check on him, he is dead. Leila is accused of manslaughter and has to go to trial. But many secrets unravel while Leila awaits her fate.
 
The story is really strong and the twists are good and surprising. If you did not see that aforementioned episode of “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation”. It follows the major plot lines, but changes the family situation and dynamics. And it still does its own thing, it's not a copy of this episode. That is okay with me, there are many books and movies that have very similar plots. But some crucial details in this book are also in that TV-episode, that it just can’t be a coincidence anymore.
 
Off course, the book is way more in depth and it doesn’t only focus on the incident, but also on the family dynamics. The bond between the two sisters, their partners, the investigation by the detective. The book is divided into three parts. The incident, the courtroom and the aftermath. That courtroom part is what makes this book so good. I was super invested and this is something I especially enjoyed reading about.
 
If I hadn’t seen the “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” episode, I would most definitely give this book a five-star rating and I would be more shocked by the twist. But because Kia Abdullah’s story has certain similarities with this episode, that I feel cannot be a coincidence, the book loses one full star in its final rating. 
 
Rating: 4/ 5