Prepare to have your expectations expertly reshaped.
Why would a nun be hiding a newborn baby within the folds of her garment, pleading with her last dying breath for the baby to be kept hidden? This puzzling question haunts the lives of multiple families for three long decades. In the present day, Judge Ruth Masisi is a strong African woman who has overcome every obstacle that life has thrown her way. Now, on the cusp of an incredible professional opportunity with the International Criminal Court in The Hague, secrets from her past threaten to unravel everything she has worked hard to achieve. If her potentially besmirched record comes to light, more will be lost than a job promotion. In a desperate bid to keep things on track, Ruth calls on Werner and Ella, two people closely connected to the situation, to find answers that have eluded her for years and to stave off disaster. Werner and Ella have lived their entire lives with no knowledge of the hidden baby that their families concealed so many years ago. But circumstances plunge these two into a world of tenuous leads, huge cover-ups, and dangerous people. Solving the mystery of an unidentified child will shine a light in shadowy corners that might have been better off left in the dark.
If you love a thriller bound by unyielding family ties, prepare to have your expectations expertly reshaped in Jane Kay’s addictive novel, Umbilical. The unraveling mystery takes time to unfold, but is worth the wait. Each chapter judiciously builds on the complex history the characters share and takes readers deeper and deeper into a plot that gets darker and more desperate with each turn of the page. Ruth is a likable and genuine character put into an incredibly difficult position at a young age. Werner and Ella each bring a different spirit and personality to the story, but both are compelled by family legacy, bound by an emerging threat, and impelled to do the right thing for the missing child. The antagonist, an American businessman with interests in Botswana, has enough ego and greed to fill his own book. All the players have their own unique backgrounds and add critical plot points, making for a story that is impossible to put down. Get ready to follow the breadcrumbs of a tale woven in secrecy in Umbilical, an emotional journey that examines how far people will go to protect what they value most.
