OR

Kindle Price:	$3.99
Sold by:	Amazon.com Services LLC

Promotions apply when you purchase

Add Audible narration to your purchase for just $7.49

You've subscribed to ! We will preorder your items within 24 hours of when they become available. When new books are released, we'll charge your default payment method for the lowest price available during the pre-order period.

Update your device or payment method, cancel individual pre-orders or your subscription at
Your Memberships & Subscriptions

There was an error. We were unable to process your subscription due to an error. Please refresh and try again.

The Candidate's Daughter: A Gripping Thriller (An Elizabeth McClaine Thriller Book 1) by [Catherine Lea]

Follow the Author

Catherine Lea

The Candidate's Daughter: A Gripping Thriller (An Elizabeth McClaine Thriller Book 1) Kindle Edition

by Catherine Lea (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.2 2,984 ratings

Book 1 of 3: An Elizabeth McClaine Thriller

See all formats and editions

Price

New from

Used from

Kindle

"Please retry"

$3.99

—

Audible Audiobook, Unabridged

"Please retry"

$0.00

Free with your Audible trial

Paperback

"Please retry"

$19.99

$15.84

$15.44

Kindle
$0.00 Read with Kindle Unlimited to also enjoy access to over 4 million more titles $3.99 to buy
Audiobook
$0.00 Free with your Audible trial
Paperback
$19.99

6 Used from $15.44 13 New from $15.84

"Absolutely spellbinding ... completely unputdownable." - Karen Dionne, author of THE MARSH KING'S DAUGHTER.

"Politics, greed, and money, in a thrilling book you will not want to put down." - The Expert Reviewers

Twenty-two-year-old car thief, Kelsey Money, has always been one of the boys. She can take down guys bigger than herself in the ring, strip a car down to a bucket of bolts, and drive better than anyone she knows. Kelsey's solid, trustworthy, dependable.

But lately, something's changed.

Ever since Matt's drug-fueled brother, Lionel, came back on the scene, Kelsey feels like she's become something else - dispensable.

So when she discovers Matt's plan to kidnap the disabled daughter of a Senate candidate and that child will never go home alive, Kelsey goes against everything she's ever believed in and makes the decision to save her. It's a decision she knows she could regret.

Because when Matt discovers she's betrayed him, she'll be next to die.

The Candidate's Daughter and its sequels Child of the State and A Stolen Woman are additions to the great action-packed, character-driven mystery and suspense thrillers for readers of Elle Gray, Stacy Willingham, and Sarah A. Denzil.
(Warning: Some language may offend)

What readers are saying about The Candidate's Daughter
"A terrific ticking-clock thriller."
"...political suspense of the best kind."
"...makes you want to stop and read it all over again."

A Word from the Author
First of all, thank you for your interest in my books. You’ll find in many of my books, I include characters with intellectual or physical challenges. Added to this, I wanted to write twisty crime thrillers with complex characters and surprise endings, so I created the Elizabeth McClaine thriller series.

So, who is Elizabeth McClaine?
Strong-minded Elizabeth uses her connections to the local government in her home town of Cleveland, Ohio to find justice for those who need it. The stories involve kidnappings and heists, corporate greed and murders and storylines that will keep the pages turning onto the wee hours.

What gives these stories heart?
Real, believable characters from Elizabeth herself to Holly, the cherished only daughter born with Down syndrome. Having loved and cared for a disabled daughter myself, I know the joy and the challenges caring for and loving a disabled child can bring. Therefore, from book #1, Holly brings Elizabeth a real sense of purpose and a desire to help those in need. The books in the series are sequential, but each is a standalone, so you can read them out of order.

The Elizabeth McClaine Series so far Includes:
BOOK #1: THE CANDIDATE’S DAUGHTER
BOOK#2: CHILD OF THE STATE
BOOK #3 A STOLEN WOMAN
THE ELIZABETH MCCLAINE BOX SET OF THRILLERS

Standalone Titles by Catherine Lea

LAST SEEN LEAVING – A THRILLERDROPPING DEAD IN DELBY RISH – A VERY BRITISH MURDER MYSTERY (Satire)THE CONTESTANT – A SERIAL KILLER THRILLERIf you have any questions, you’ll find my page on Goodreads.

Again, my most heartfelt thanks for your interest,
Catherine

Book 1 of 3

An Elizabeth McClaine Thriller
Print length

353 pages
Language

English
Sticky notes

On Kindle Scribe
Publication date

January 31, 2014
File size

1648 KB
Page Flip

Enabled
Word Wise

Enabled
Enhanced typesetting

Enabled
See all details

All 3 for you in this series See full series

See included books

Total Price: $12.94

Catherine Lea
1,327
Kindle Edition
1 offer from $0.99
Catherine Lea
578
Kindle Edition
1 offer from $4.99
Catherine Lea
659
Kindle Edition
1 offer from $3.99
John McNellis
109
Kindle Edition
1 offer from $6.99
Steve Hadden
83
Kindle Edition
1 offer from $2.99
Joseph Flynn
6,216
Kindle Edition
1 offer from $4.99

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Absolutely spellbinding ... completely unputdownable." - Karen Dionne, internationally published author of THE MARSH KING'S DAUGHTER.

"A thriller with heart." - Sara J. Henry, Anthony-award winning author of A COLD AND LONELY PLACE.

"...a cinematically-imagined ending that would do any Hollywood Blockbuster proud." - IndieHeart reviewer, Jill Nojack.

From the Inside Flap

Twenty-two-year-old car thief, Kelsey Money, has always been one of the boys. She can take down guys bigger than herself in the ring, strip a car down to a bucket of bolts, and drive better than anyone she knows. Kelsey's solid, trustworthy, dependable.
But lately, something's changed.
Ever since Matt's drug-fueled brother, Lionel, came back on the scene, Kelsey feels like she's become something else - dispensable.
So when she discovers Matt's plan to kidnap the daughter of Senate candidate Richard McClaine isn't as straightforward as she thought, Kelsey makes a decision. It's a decision she knows she could regret.
But the consequences of that decision aren't as straightforward as she thought, either.
The Candidate's Daughter is a fast paced thriller of love and loss, failure and redemption, of mothers and daughters, and the bonds that hold them.
Also available in the Kindle Lending Library for Prime and Kindle Unlimited Members.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00D3DDNJQ
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Brakelight Press; 1st edition (January 31, 2014)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ January 31, 2014
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 1648 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 353 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #222,201 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #2,299 in Private Investigator Mysteries (Kindle Store)
- #2,677 in Political Thrillers (Books)
- #2,710 in Action Thriller Fiction

Customer Reviews:
4.2 2,984 ratings

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Videos

Help others learn more about this product by uploading a video!

Upload your video

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.

Catherine Lea

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Catherine divides her time among numerous fictional worlds behind her keyboard. In past lives, she has sold international satellite capacity, worked in IT recruitment, and run her own communications store.

When Catherine isn't writing, she's dog-wrangling, wrestling with technology, or going crazy trying to maintain control of the yard.

She also writes dark, gritty thrillers under the pen name C. J. Lea.

You can find Catherine's official website at www.authorcatherinelea.com

Or sign up for updates in her email newsletter at http://eepurl.com/G66sj

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5

2,984 global ratings

5 star		46%
4 star		34%
3 star		14%
2 star		5%
1 star		2%

How customer reviews and ratings work

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

JP Ganley

The Candidate's Daughter

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on April 6, 2014

Verified Purchase

I bought my copy of The Candidate’s Daughter by Catherine Lea through Amazon.com and despite it being riddled with proofreading errors (more than a dozen and rather grating), I thoroughly enjoyed this compelling debut thriller. I read it in two sittings over the weekend! Here’s a teaser. Holly, a six year old with Down’s Syndrome, is kidnapped for a ransom of ten million dollars. When Holly came into the world her parents’, as with all parents, expected a healthy, physically normal child only to have their lives tipped upside down. For six years Elizabeth and Richard have virtually avoided their daughter’s presence leaving everything to their employed nanny. Elizabeth would rather spend time with her charity work as well as nursing a bottle of alcohol. Richard, who is running for senate, is just as absent a parent. With their marriage in tatters, Elizabeth’s depression and Richard’s campaign in full swing, will they care enough about Holly to save her?

Kelsey, a convicted thief and one of the kidnappers, takes a shine to the endearing Holly. When she finds out that her two booze and drug-addled accomplices plan to kill Holly no matter what, Kelsey decides to return the child to her parents. But how is she going to do that? When drug dealers and gangs become involved, Holly’s plan is fraught with danger.

I enjoyed that the story alternates between Elizabeth and Kelsey, and how we come to like both characters as they try to break free of their despair and hopelessness, show us what they are truly made of and redeem themselves.

TCD is a rollercoaster, edge-of-your-seat, nail-biting read! Above all, it’s a heart-wrenching story. I admire that the writer is a New Zealander, but oh, the story is set in the US! I perfectly understand that from a publishing point of view, yet it would’ve been lovely to see it set in New Zealand (perhaps book 2?). Nevertheless, I highly recommend The Candidate’s Daughter. If you buy it through Amazon as an ebook, you pay less than $5.00. (I hope someone can go back and re-edit the book :)

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 11, 2013

Verified Purchase

I've pretty much given up on self-pub books. Too much crap to wade through to find the few gems among them. However, when several people you know start talking about one, it may well be worth checking out. That's the case with The Candidate's Daughter.

There are scenes in this book that stretched my suspension of disbelief to the breaking point. Sadly, those scenes didn't do a whole lot to advance the plot and could have been handled better, or cut altogether, but they are short and passed quickly. And, while typos and inconsistent formatting don't bother me all that much, be prepared if they bother you; sadly, there are quite a few to trip over.

Okay, that's the negative stuff out of the way.

There are two main characters in this; Kelsey and Elizabeth. Ms Lea has a good grasp on Kelsey, not so much on Elizabeth, leastwise not in the beginning. The first chapter, from Kelsey's POV, hits the ground running and, throughout the book, Kelsey never slows down much. These are fairly well crafted chapters, hard hitting, fast, full of obstacles to over come and tension enough to snap a steel bolt. The second chapter introduces Elizabeth and Richard, the kidnapped girl's parents. The first few visits with Elizabeth, with or without Richard, are dense and plodding and a bit of a chore to wade through. However, Ms Lea shakes off her lethargy about a third of the way in and, while they never reach the pace of the Kelsey chapters, they do take on an important, character-arcing life of their own.

You know you've become wrapped up in a story when you start talking aloud to the characters: "Kelsey Kelsey Kelsey, you are not as stupid as you think. Matt is the stupid one, can't you see that?". And there was more than one moment when I wanted to smack Elizabeth upside the head and tell her to get a grip. Which, satisfyingly enough, she does.

This is a good story with a good pace, despite the sputtering start. And the end, well, let's just say you should hold on to your hat.

84 people found this helpful

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

David Purkiss

5hours 38minutes of mindblowing reading.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on May 11, 2022

Verified Purchase

The candidates daughter is one brilliant book from the start to the end it just captives you the story the plot and the ending just finished it off.I gave it 5💥💥💥💥💥 I would have given it 10 it was that good.dont take my wordo for it read it for yourself and you wont be disappointed I can guarantee you will be blown away by it like me.?
D.l.purkiss?

joyfrankie

Gripping thriller

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on July 28, 2013

Verified Purchase

Set in America, a politician's young daughter is kidnapped - is he more concerned about his campaign for office than getting Holly back unharmed? There are added complications of the child having Down's Syndrome and a cleft palate, while her mother suffers from depression and has never accepted her daughter's disabilities. The kidnappers are inept, but none the less dangerous and ruthless. This is a great suspense novel, with many twists and turns which held me gripped. It's a very visual story - I felt I was watching a film at times. I hope the author writes more.

6 people found this helpful

MARY JANE CLARK

Very entertaining

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on March 9, 2018

Verified Purchase

I truly appreciated the portrayal of the mother and daughter characters in this book. The heartache and challenges of having a Down Syndrome child is all too often downplayed or, indeed, romanticized. This book makes it real. The blind ambition for power is exemplified by several lesser characters. Violence, evil, wrongdoing, and greed contrast with the overwhelming desire to "do good" . I will read the next in this series.

Linda

Totally Gripping Read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on December 24, 2016

Verified Purchase

This was a very gripping read from start to finish. The daughter of a US Senate candidate has been kidnapped and demands are made but the kidnappers even know exactly what is going on and will it take more than just the police to find her and bring her home?

An extremely well written novel with characters that can sustain future stories, I highly recommend this novel and have the next one on my wish list.

snowdrop1941

Exciting book.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on August 23, 2018

Verified Purchase

Loved this book and the characters too. I liked the way that Elizabeth changed over the length of the book. It was an inspirational story of good against evil with twists that were unexpected. I liked that Holly, the little girl with Downs Syndrome, was shown with her loving nature. I look forward to reading more books in the series.

Amazon Music Stream millions of songs	Amazon Advertising Find, attract, and engage customers	6pm Score deals on fashion brands	AbeBooks Books, art & collectibles	ACX Audiobook Publishing Made Easy	Sell on Amazon Start a Selling Account

Amazon Business Everything For Your Business	Amazon Fresh Groceries & More Right To Your Door	AmazonGlobal Ship Orders Internationally	Home Services Experienced Pros Happiness Guarantee	Amazon Ignite Sell your original Digital Educational Resources	Amazon Web Services Scalable Cloud Computing Services

Audible Listen to Books & Original Audio Performances	Book Depository Books With Free Delivery Worldwide	Box Office Mojo Find Movie Box Office Data	ComiXology Thousands of Digital Comics	DPReview Digital Photography	Fabric Sewing, Quilting & Knitting

Goodreads Book reviews & recommendations	IMDb Movies, TV & Celebrities	IMDbPro Get Info Entertainment Professionals Need	Kindle Direct Publishing Indie Digital & Print Publishing Made Easy	Amazon Photos Unlimited Photo Storage Free With Prime	Prime Video Direct Video Distribution Made Easy

Shopbop Designer Fashion Brands	Amazon Warehouse Great Deals on Quality Used Products	Whole Foods Market America’s Healthiest Grocery Store	Woot! Deals and Shenanigans	Zappos Shoes & Clothing	Ring Smart Home Security Systems

eero WiFi Stream 4K Video in Every Room	Blink Smart Security for Every Home	Neighbors App Real-Time Crime & Safety Alerts	Amazon Subscription Boxes Top subscription boxes – right to your door	PillPack Pharmacy Simplified	Amazon Renewed Like-new products you can trust

OR

Buy for others

Buying and sending eBooks to others

Follow the Author

The Candidate's Daughter: A Gripping Thriller (An Elizabeth McClaine Thriller Book 1) Kindle Edition

"Politics, greed, and money, in a thrilling book you will not want to put down." - The Expert Reviewers

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

Editorial Reviews

Review

From the Inside Flap

From the Back Cover

About the Author

Product details

Videos

About the author

Catherine Lea

Customer reviews

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Top reviews from other countries