The Smuggler's Daughter by Kerry Barrett

The Smuggler's Daughter by Kerry Barrett

Publication Date: April 1, 2021

The Smuggler's Daughter by Kerry Barrett is an interesting take on a historical fiction/modern crime mystery all wrapped into one novel. The story has a non-linear timeline in which we meet one narrator, Phoebe, in the year 2019 and the second narrator, Emily Moon, in the year 1799. The book is broken down into chapters by each narrator bouncing back and forth between the year 1799 and 2019. The setting of the novel is Cornwall and in both narrator's cases in a pub,  modern day known as The Moon Girl and in the past known as the Ship Inn. 

The novel opens with the introduction of Emily Moon. The author gives the reader the setting for the rest of the novel and introduces Emily, her personality, and ongoing struggle. We find out that Emily's family runs the Ship Inn and she seems to have a happy family unit, until her father decides to stand up for his morals and family. The second chapter introduces the second narrator Pheobe. Pheobe is a detective working in London. She just finished a case that didn't have the best outcome, so she has decided to take a leave of absence for her mental health. Her leave of absence is what brings her to the Moon Girl/Ship Inn where she begins to unravel the tale of Emily Moon.

I enjoyed the tale of Emily Moon, but found Pheobe's story slightly boring. I found myself racing through reading Pheobe's chapters in order to get back to the story of Emily Moon. All in all I wish that Kerry Barrett would have written this novel completely about Emily Moon and left Pheobe out all together, I think she has a brilliant novel in the story and character of Emily Moon. 

Thanks to Netgalley and HQ Digital for an advanced copy for an honest review. 

For Purchase: The Smuggler's Daughter