A mother’s love. A daughter’s life. A race against time.

London-based Steph Knight faces the challenge of a lifetime when she’s sent to New York to cover for a colleague involved in a tragic car accident. Recently divorced, Steph sees it as an opportunity for a fresh start and to spend time with her teenage daughter, Ellie, a talented musician, before she leaves for university.

Soon after arriving, Steph crosses paths with Edward, a corporate lawyer, who introduces Ellie to Jack, a bioethics student enjoying his summer break. As both relationships intensify, Steph begins to uncover a web of corruption within her company that seemingly reaches right to the top. Feeling increasingly threatened, she has no idea who she can trust. Not even the men they’ve fallen for are beyond suspicion.

And then the unthinkable happens. Ellie disappears.

Steph receives a menacing text message. Ellie has been kidnapped.

The clock is ticking. Ellie’s life is in danger. And so is Steph’s.

Terrified, far from home, and with no one to trust, Steph must draw on her inner strength to save her daughter… even if it kills her.

Steph Knight is a woman on the way up at Crayhorne, a company whose business is money—big money. When her boss sends her on an assignment to New York, he hints it could be her gateway to a partnership. Even with that carrot, Steph is reluctant since there is a covert side to the job, investigating activity in a fund that seems slightly dodgy. She eventually accepts the job, though, taking her 17-year-old daughter, Ellie, to the States.

Everything looks bright at first. The recently divorced Steph meets her neighbor, an expat Brit named Edward Millner, and the two hit it off. Ellie, too, finds solace for her own broken heart with Jack, a student working as a bartender. What could go wrong? Plenty, it turns out. Steph’s world turns upside down when she learns that Edward has died of a heart attack. Even worse, Ellie disappears. Now Steph must focus every fiber of her being on finding her missing daughter and getting her back safely.

The Wrong Key is a book that makes you want to keep reading, even if it keeps you up past your bedtime. The story is well-crafted, the characters are interesting and believable, and the writing is smooth. The book draws the reader into the story from the first pages and never lets go. And after all the terror and trauma, there’s a happy surprise. Fans of mysteries and thrillers should love this book. I certainly did.

AJ CAMPBELL is an Amazon bestselling author of six psychological suspense novels and promises stories full of twists, turns and torment. Her fourth book The Phone Call was released in July 2022, and it topped the Amazon charts for several months. It was shortlisted for the Adult Prize for Fiction at the Selfie Book Awards 2023. She released her fifth book The Wrong Key in January 2023, and her sixth book Her Missing Husband in May 2023. AJ is currently writing her seventh book.

AJ draws inspiration for her stories from seemingly unbelievable situations in which ordinary people find themselves. She creates compelling characters that resonate with her readers. AJ lives in the UK on the Essex / Hertfordshire border with her husband, sons, and cocker spaniel, Max. She is a dog lover, a Netflix junkie, and a wine and Asian food enthusiast. And, either reading, watching TV or writing, AJ enjoys nothing more than getting stuck into a twisty story!