Thanks to the Author and Publicist for my copy of this book to read and review.

Lock Gilkenny wants nothing more than a family. He wants to be good - a good husband, a good father, a good citizen. He wants to give love more than he wants to receive it. He has so much love to give it aches, and it rends him into pieces. He's made some poor choices before, but we meet him at a good point in his life.

In fact, things couldn't be better. Everything he's ever wanted is within his grasp. He has a chance to have it all... if he'll just cross a line or two. And isn't it worth it, after all?

The first half of this book is incredibly taut. I don't know how he does it, but the author brings you along for Lock's ride, convincing you that the situation he finds himself in is perfect... while leaving you with the feeling that the other shoe is about to drop, and hard. It's seamlessly done.

The second half is little looser. There are a few moments when you wonder, is Lock falling for this? Is everyone else falling for it, too? So when the shoe drops this time, it's not as surprising, but it is even more devastating.

But the book is so good that this looseness toward the end won't get in the way of enjoying it. I'm excited to read more by Frank Freudberg. I just might be a fan for life. ( )

The writing is excellent and the first chapter pulled me in, but I felt the very beginning took too long to get rolling. But once it did get rolling, it pulled me right in again. The characters, like Gillian Flynn's characters, didn't seem like they were there to be liked. The main character was likable up the point where he just wasn't anymore. However, I don't have a problem with needing to like the characters. I LOVE Gillian Flynn's stuff.

All in all, I liked the story. It was riveting at times and slow in others and there was a little too much "rehashing". And some aspects of the plot were suspect, but it kept you guessing and kept you wanting it to work out. I'd read Mr. Freudberg again. ( )

Lock is a good man, a righteous man, a tree-loving man, and even such a man can go over the deep end. Lock and Natalie, the duo at the core of the story, are the true cliché of yin and yang, good and bad and are extremely attracted to each other. Lock meets Nathalie in his capacity as an investigator for the Brandywine County Child Protective Services. Someone has filed a complaint about the two little girls in this family and he’s sent to investigate the matter. He quickly concludes that nothing seems out of the ordinary and Natalie Mannheim confides that she and her husband Witt are going through a divorce and her husband probably filed a false accusation to make her look a bad mother.

Before Lock knows it he is completely under Natalie’s spell and is swayed by his paternal instinct to cross the line. All he ever wanted was a family of his own and it’s within reach if he just helped her out. His conscience presents him with several scenarios, impossible dilemmas. He chooses to use Ben Franklin’s method of decision-making. The consequences are unforeseeable. This is just disaster waiting to happen and we are a silent witness to it all.

I really felt for Lock and you know that things won’t work out the way they were meant to be because he starts with a truthful speech at an AA meeting right at the beginning, while seeming extremely drunk. I thought this would be the full-circle ending of the book but nothing of that, this is only half of the story that we’ll be privy of and it will stretch over many more years with many more real twists and turns to come.

I want to overlook the fact that the whole start-up was rather scant, and that Lock was so massively gullible to believe Nathalie from the get-go that her husband is a danger on the roads because he has ONE DUI for drunk driving and he should be stopped and not get custody over the kids, no matter what. I thought Lock would still be able to be more intelligent but I guess the dreams he has of a loving family of his own are just too big. He lets himself get dragged into a web of deceit and lies. Natalie is such a manipulator! I rarely saw a woman lacking so much empathy and be so goal minded. I wanted her to get what she deserved (and I mean that exactly in the not so nice way) and I would have liked to see her suffer even more.

At the start of the book you’d never believe how this will end or come to be. I did feel the last chapters were wrapped up a bit too fast, I would have liked to have known a bit more how the end result happened to come about but I did feel satisfied the way it ended. All in all, an enjoyable and fascinating book.

*I received a free copy of this book from Maxine (Booklover Catlady) in exchange for my honest opinion* ( )

First I would like to thank Frank Freudberg, the author, and Booklover Catlady Publicity for providing me with a free copy of Baby Please Don’t Go in exchange for an honest review. My rating is 5+ stars.
This twisty tale goes under my best read for 2016 and favourites!

Blurb:

“ALL LOCK GILKENNEY WANTS IS A FAMILY.

BUT HE’LL HAVE TO CROSS THE LINE TO GET ONE.

Lock is a dedicated investigator at Child Protective Services. An anonymous report of neglect comes in. He responds and finds the kids in good health. Lock concludes the report was a ruse, possibly part of a scheme to make Natalie Mannheim—the kids’ mother—look bad in an upcoming divorce trial.

Natalie needs Lock’s expertise to help her win custody—and a multi-million-dollar divorce settlement. He realizes she doesn't have a prayer in court against her shrewd husband, and only Lock can help her now.

Lock knows all about addiction, and he’s aware of the powerful hold Natalie has on him. But he can’t get her out of his head. Lock is caught between his commitment to take the high road and his burning desire to have a family. In this story of love, lust, deceit and murder, what Lock chooses to do will grab your imagination and never let go.”

What this book is about:

"Be careful what you wish for…
Lock had a crappy childhood and later an accident robbed him of his girlfriend and then child, he helped raised with her, was also taken from him. For a while he walked on the dark side and when he finally came to his senses, joined AA meetings to get his life back on track.

All he longed for was a family of his own.

And then he met Natalie. Sweet Natalie Mannheim with two beautiful daughters, in a custody battle with her soon-to-be ex-husband, Witt.

Lock is an investigator with the Brandywine County Child Protective Services investigating reports of neglect at the Mannheim residence. When he sees that the children are all fine and no signs of the anonymous complaint the agency received, he can only think that Witt is the guilty one, wanting to make Natalie look bad to get custody of the children."

What I liked about this book:

Love the title and book cover. Well-developed characters, absolutely brilliantly written. You can’t go wrong with this one!
Just when you think nothing else can go wrong…it does! This was one hell of a ride, I couldn’t wait to turn the next page!

Recommends this for all psychological thriller/suspense fans!
ENJOY! ( )

Lock is a committed investigator at Child Protective Services who desperately wants a family of his own. He's also a recovering alcoholic coping with grief and abandonment issues. One of his cases involves Natalie who is going through a nasty divorce and custody battle. Lock becomes infatuated with Natalie, and it all goes downhill from there.
This was my first book written by Frank Freudberg, who definitely has a way with words. He really makes you feel things. The author truly succeeds in making you feel emotions towards the characters, but not necessarily in a positive way. For me this ranged from sad and disappointed to being so angry, I wanted to slap Natalie as well as Lock several times. Natalie for being such a horrible manipulating piece of work and Lock for being so weak and for making so many bad decisions. The character development was outstanding. Furthermore, there were really good twists and turns that I had not seen coming at all. Half way through I gave up on trying to predict what would happen next. I finally realized this plot was unique and totally unpredictable. I loved the ending.
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