Child's Play

by Kia Abdullah

From author Kia Abdullah comes a sharp, sexual thriller that challenges clichés and moral boundaries...

25-year-old Allegra Ashe has an adoring boyfriend, a loving family and thriving career, but an intriguing job offer from an alluring stranger threatens to shatter her seemingly perfect life.

She becomes entangled with Vokoban, a classified government unit that tests the limits of the law in trying to catch society's worst offenders: paedophiles. Allegra's life spirals out of control and we find ourselves voyeurs in a perverse world of lust, danger, deceit and revenge. A tale of twisted sexuality and tortured morality, Child's Play places a microscope over the darkest recesses of the human mind and invites the reader to take a look.

Genres: Thriller

236 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 1, 2009

About the author

Kia Abdullah is a bestselling author and travel writer. Her novels include Take It Back (a Guardian and Telegraph thriller of the year), Truth Be Told (shortlisted for a Diverse Book Award), Next Of Kin (longlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger Award) and Those People Next Door (a Times Bestseller and Waterstones Thriller of the Month). Her new novel, What Happens in the Dark, is out now.

Kia has won a Diverse Book Award (2022) and a JB Priestley Award for Writers of Promise (2020), and has written for The New York Times, The Guardian, The Financial Times, The Times, The Telegraph and the BBC. She is also the founder of Asian Booklist, a nonprofit that advocates for diversity in publishing.

Website: kiaabdullah.com
Twitter: @kiaabdullah
Instagram: @kiaabdullah
TikTok: @kiawriter

Reviews

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Returning to read a little more Kia Abdullah, I turned to one of her novels from a decade ago. This is one of Abdullah’s early novels and it pulls the reader in, while disturbing them to the core at the same time. Allegra Ashe enjoys her work with a graphic design firm, so much so that she is willing to meet clients outside the office. When she agrees to meet Michael Stallone, she thinks she might be able to land a new account. Little does she know, Stallone is head hunting her for a very specific job. When Allegra learns a little more, she cannot run away fast enough. Michael Stallone is a special agent for a top secret organisation that hunts down paedophiles. He’s come to recruit Allegra, not only for her intelligence, but because she could easily pass for a young teen, the target age of the girls these criminals find the most attractive. While Allegra rebuffs him on the spot, she soon becomes redundant at work, forcing the idea of working for Stallone to resurface. After agreeing to help, Allegra is thrust into gruelling training, both emotional and psychological, before she is able to make her first contact. The target Stallone chooses for her is Joseph Drake, a man who is suspected of sexually abusing and murdering a young girl. While she has everything to lose, Allegra causally weaves her way into Drake’s life, trying not to bait him, but hoping that she can catch him in the act and have him taken off the streets. While she panics in the midst of her mission, she knows that she can help many. However, even after Drake is off the street, it will only be the beginning of a tangled web that could strike at the core of what Allegra holds most dear. A stunning novel that is as captivating as it is sexually sadistic. Not for the weak of stomach or those who cannot divorce themselves from the fiction on the page. Highly recommended for those who can handle deeply disturbing themes in crime thrillers, as well as the reader who cares to explore the underbelly of society’s worst offenders, those who prey on children.

I was not ensure sure what to expect when I began this book. I was slightly underwhelmed with parts of Abdullah’s latest book and hoped that this one would redeem her in my eyes. From the outset, I must say that the content is raw and extremely graphic at times. I wanted to pace myself, so as not to get emotionally unregulated, but Abdullah’s writing is so good that the pages flew by as I read. Allegra Ashe is a wonderfully complex protagonist whose issues stem from many sources. The reader learns a great deal about her throughout this piece, though there are darker sides that many would perhaps wish remained untapped. The growth within the novel is apparent throughout, though it will take a dedicated reader to see how loose ends are eventually tied off and some resolution found. Of particularly interest is the chemistry she has with Michael Stallone, which is as complicated as the rest of her life. QThere are a handful of others whose expertise shines through and they complement the complicated aspects of the narrative. The reader will need a constant reminder that this is fiction, but that these sorts of people do exist in real life, both the good and the bad. The story is deep and will not digest with ease. The theme alone is horribly painful to read about, but I feel Abdullah wanted to shed some light on the subject matter to ‘de-ostrich’ the reader throughout the journey. Child abuse, particularly that of a sexual nature, occurs all the time and those who prey on them cannot always be easily identified. Abdullah tackles this throughout and leaves the reader highly cynical of stereotyping the most heinous of abusers. A story that needed to be told, particularly because it takes most everyone out of their comfort zone.

Kudos, Madam Abdullah, for this piece that needed to be written. I applaud you for the courage in writing it, though I cannot say I was ‘happy’ for most of it.

Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/

A Book for All Seasons, a different sort of Book Challenge: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...

[Shayan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This isn't an easy book to read. I had my doubts from early on about Michael and didn't understand why Allegra would put herself through that. I think it could have done without the intense sexual abuse which Abdullah is quite explicit with.

I was gripped by the story but don't understand why authors feel the need to go into such detail with their sexual abuse scenes.

[Shafia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Compulsive reading. Moved at breakneck speed. The main character's not super-likeable at first but she comes through at the end. Really wish there was a sequel.

[Antonio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Michael Stallone runs a secret organisation that targets paedophiles using older women who can pass for13 year old girls, after they are recruited they are subjected to horrific videos of abuse victims and are expected to be abused themselves so as to provide evidence in court.
Michael sets out to recruit Allegra a 25 year old who looks a lot younger, she is horrified by the idea and wants nothing to do with him or his organisation, but he won't give up and she eventually gives in starting a series of events that will nearly destroy her.

This book contains extremely graphic descriptions of child abuse Not for anyone with a weak stomach.

[Lori M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Second Kia Abdullah book I read. Stayed up after midnight to finish it. Kia is an amazing author who knows just how to catch you completely off guard. Warning the subject matter of this book at times can be very graphic and disturbing.

[Claire Chibi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 4.25

What an incredibly bizarre book! DEFINITELY not for everyone but I’m not gonna lie, I love this sort of sick stuff.

It can’t compare to Kia Abdullah’s more recent books but I didn’t expect it to, this book was written well over 10 years ago, and is of a different genre.

In terms of plot, it was absolutely WILD the whole way through and I could not put it down, I finished it in one sitting. There were definitely some questionable writing choices and none of the twists really surprised me, but I was totally drawn into this story, and found it very entertaining overall.

I can’t in good conscience say that I recommend this book, but I certainly enjoyed it!

[Pamela Bowes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dark and compelling

A dark subject but compelling reading all the same. Not for the faint hearted this held my attention the whole way through.

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not In The Same League As Her 3 Recently Published Books But Still A Good Read!

Despite the so-so reviews of Child Play, Kia Abdullah’s first novel published 12 years ago at the age of 27, I found it to be a very fast-paced, attention-holding read that will keep your eyes glued to the page until it’s finished. It reminded me of a cross between Fifty Shades Of Grey and a James Patterson mystery.

Be aware, however, the plot of Child’s Play which deals with pedophaelia and violence to children is not for everyone. If knowing this upsets you, then you should definitely not read this book!

Having read and very much enjoyed each of Abdullah’s three novels published in 2020 and 2021 (Take It Back, Truth Be Told and Next Of Kin), I was hesitant about reading Child’s Play due to the lackluster reviews received when first published. My concern was unnecessary, as I found It to be an above average thriller — although it does not measure up as well in terms of quality of writing and character development.

Hopefully, this review will be of help in deciding if Child’s Play is for you, as well as to encourage you to read Abdullah’s more recent books, which have now made her one of my “don’t miss” thriller writers.

[Theresa D'Antonio · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was into the book at first as it captured my attention from the start however the last 15% ruined it for me. I didn’t like what Michael’s truth was. I hated how he didn’t respect Allegra when she was stressed over her niece. It didn’t make sense how he was this strong, reliable and safe man but then he wasn’t respecting her boundaries when she clearly was saying no. It was such a downfall to see how flawed Michael was-in the worst way. I liked that he was dedicated to help Allegra but I was hoping that the big reveal was that drake was actually Michael’s brother or something. Not the event in the woods! It mad me hate Michael as much as Drake.

[helwa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yeah this book was a lot, super messed up and yes I know the subject matter is pretty horrific but it’s even more traumatic than I anticipated and I’ve read some pretty whack things. So be warned. It did have me hooked though. I’m not sure how I feel about the way the story was executed in terms of a psychological standpoint and also that whole agency was so disgustingly unethical and horrifying but I did like the face of respectability hiding the dark and depraved, that’s how it usually is in humans I would say. But yeah, it was certainly interesting and makes you deep a whole lot.

[Jasmine Y · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was really dark and explicit about sexual abuse. Kia Abdullah's books always leave me glued to the pages and this is no exception. I can see that she's definitely honed her craft in later books. I feel like Allegra let me down a bit by still engaging with Michael towards the end- but the situation is very complex that could compel characters to act differently. Knowing how she treated Andrew, I thought she would 'slip under the covers' and cut complete contact and not even allow him into her home.

[bookloverness · Rating 4 out of 5]

FYI, if you're planning on reading this book, make sure you read TWs and be prepared for very descriptive scenes involving children. It's definitely a hard book to read. I read it in one day because I needed to know what was going to happen. I enjoyed allegras character and what she was trying to do even though it had its consequences. Kia abdullah is becoming one of my favorite authors.

[Kerry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting but unlikely story line. Nasty topic but reasonably well handled. None of the characters gelled with me at all but the story was intriguing.

[Maya · Rating 1 out of 5]

so messed up

[Onthatile · Rating 3 out of 5]

i read the sypnosis. i knew what i was getting my self into. i DID NOT THINK it was going to be a VERY dark, twisted and graphic book. it was definitely a HEAVY read.

[Jenny of Oldstones · Rating 2 out of 5]

This may not be the worst book I've ever read, but it holds a special distinction as the one most likely to get me arrested. For real, it's been several years and I'm still looking over my shoulder. Taboo subject aside, the writing simply wasn't any good. I'm hoping the author's newer titles are better.

[Amanda D'souza · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having read one of this author's recent novel, and enjoyed it, I came back looking for another book by her. Unfortunately, this one fell slightly short of my standards, but nonetheless I managed to get through it.

Allegra Ashe is a talented graphic designer who is one day approached by a stranger who wants to offer her a job.

The job? - To use her young looks to draw out paedophiles and gather enough evidence to prosecute them.

Horrified, Allegra turns him down, but when she suddenly loses her job, she slowly warms up to the idea, and goes into training.

Things however start to go horrifically wrong when she nails her first target, and puts her own family in danger.

The subject matter is admittedly disturbing, and for this reason, I'd expected the book to be edgier. Nonetheless, it was an okay read.

Follow my book blog http://thecompulsivebookworm.blogspot... for more reviews!

[dasha · Rating 1 out of 5]

Okay, a year later I can say for sure it’s the worst thing I’ve ever read.