ODD CHILD OUT is Gilly Macmillan’s second novel to feature Bristol Detective Jim Clemo following his debut in WHAT SHE KNEW.

Clemo is out of therapy and back to work following his last case, which took a toll on his psyche. His new assignment involves two boys whose nighttime adventure went terribly wrong. Noah Sadler is found unconscious in Bristol's Feeder Canal, and Abdi Mahad is keeping quiet about what happened. This was supposed to be a fairly straightforward case, but Clemo soon finds himself in the middle of a media frenzy full of headlines about a racially motivated crime. The media starts to blow the case out of proportion because Noah was British and Abdi is a Somali refugee. As the investigation progresses, secrets and lies start rising to the surface.

"The storyline is intriguing, full of twists and turns, and readers will become fully invested in these characters, all of whom are interesting in their own right."

Although categorized as a mystery, ODD CHILD OUT also contains elements of a suspense/thriller and a psychological family drama. Macmillan incorporates into the plot a number of contemporary social issues, such as animosity toward immigrants, especially a recent wave that might be connected with terrorist groups. But she tries to be objective and therefore presents both sides of the story. She achieves this by detailing Abdi’s family life before the civil war in Somalia, their experiences in a refugee camp, and their long journey to the UK and their everyday life there. Other topics addressed here include domestic violence, religious fanaticism, and ambitious journalists who want to deliver bombastic stories regardless of the consequences.

The story, which takes place over five days, is told from the perspective of each major character. Each of these eight voices is unique and easily recognizable, making ODD CHILD OUT different from many others novels in this genre. Although the pace dragged for the first 60 pages or so, it suddenly quickened, and this made it hard to put down the book, which I ended up reading in one sitting.

I could easily see ODD CHILD OUT being adapted to the small screen as a made-for-TV drama. The storyline is intriguing, full of twists and turns, and readers will become fully invested in these characters, all of whom are interesting in their own right. I look forward to reading WHAT SHE KNEW and future novels from the talented Gilly Macmillan.