The Fairest

Arles Shepherd Thriller, Book 2

When a young girl seeks out sanctuary with a total stranger, a nightmare follows in this riveting novel of suspense by Jenny Milchman, the USA Today bestselling author of The Usual Silence.

Author Kara Parsons is at a book signing in the town where she was raised. Before it’s over, a young girl approaches with a copy of Kara’s book containing a handwritten inscription: I am a missing child.

Most people would alert the police, but Kara knows what happens to the young and vulnerable when the system fails them. She turns to her former therapist, Arles Shepherd, who’s recovering from injuries and staying off the grid. But even Arles, who’s seen everything, finds something off about this girl who refuses to reveal her own name. What is she running from? And how much of what she says can be believed?

When a man with a gun manages to locate Arles’s remote wilderness home, the true threat is revealed, and Arles and Kara go on the run. But fleeing only gets them so far. To save this child, Arles must allow her to be found. And that’s when the real danger begins.

©2025 by Jenny Milchman. (P)2025 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Interesting

THE FAIREST grabbed my attention from the getgo. I was expecting a different type of story, one with a more victimized child. Instead Lark is articulate, wise behind her years and crafty. If she was a book, she’d be an unreliable narrator.

Arles Shepard bothered me much less than she did in the first book, because she wasn’t in her professional capacity as a therapist committing malpractice.

Though far fetched, the plot intrigued me and I rooted for a good ending for Lark.