In ‘Family Feud’, the idyllic facade of Kelly and Joe McCarthy’s suburban life shatters when Kelly, the quintessential supermom, mysteriously disappears, only to reappear unharmed weeks later unharmed. Relieved but wary, her husband Joe, a former military man turned security expert, senses that something is amiss as Kelly’s account of her abduction raises more questions than answers.

As the family attempts to resume normalcy, Joe’s concerns deepen when strange occurrences plague their lives, indicating that Kelly’s ordeal may not be over. With their safety threatened and trust shattered, Joe takes drastic measures to protect his loved ones, including relocating them to a secluded estate.

But danger lurks closer than they realize, and Joe soon finds himself entangled in a web of deceit and betrayal that threatens to tear their family apart. As dark secrets come to light and tensions reach a boiling point, Joe must confront the ultimate truth—an enemy within their midst.

‘Family Feud’ is a gripping domestic thriller that delves into the complexities of family dynamics, trust, and the lengths one will go to protect those they love. With its pulse-pounding suspense and unforeseeable twists, this novel will keep readers on the edge of their seats until the final, shocking revelation.

‘Family Feud’ is the second novel from the pen of Virginia-based author, Dan Kowalski. We witness much of the action through the eyes of Joe McCarthy, a military veteran who runs his own security company. The story is written in the third person and the past tense.

There is a strong hook in the first chapter, when Kelly, Joe’s wife of ten years, is released from a week’s captivity. She appears unharmed but is reluctant to engage with her family or the police and is extremely vague when asked about her ordeal. It soon becomes clear that she’s hiding something.

Concerned for their safety, Joe moves the family to a remote location owned by a cousin but it seems the kidnappers are not finished with Kelly. Joe’s mother is present to look after her grandson, Tommy, as Joe and Kelly try to adjust to their new reality. It gradually transpires there’s more to his wife’s past than Joe realised.

There’s a good balance between dialogue and description throughout the novel. The pace was in danger of becoming pedestrian but is saved by a welcome injection about half way through, after which the action comes thick and fast. There are some well-written and exciting scenes leading to the climax of the tale.

With a sound story idea, the author stays faithful to the plot throughout. The structure is simple with straightforward sentences which get the job done but maybe could be embellished by incorporating a few more literary devices. Adding layering would flesh out the main two characters, along with their foils. Kelly is described in the synopsis as a ‘supermom’ but for the reader to really care about her, we needed to know more of her personality to make her three dimensional. Revelations might then have carried more weight.

It’s fair to say I hoped for great things from this book. Maybe it fell slightly short of my expectations but it was an easy-to-read competent offering and will no doubt appeal to many thriller fans. I award four stars.

Daniel Kowalski is a novelist and screenwriter based in Virginia. In 2023 his novel ‘Suicide Bridge’ debuted which is going to be followed up with ‘Family Feud’. Several of his screenplays have been optioned by Hollywood production companies with two set to go into production in 2024.