--- product_id: 280767126 title: "The Perfect Child" price: "KSh4114" currency: KES in_stock: true reviews_count: 8 url: https://www.desertcart.co.ke/products/280767126-the-perfect-child store_origin: KE region: Kenya --- # The Perfect Child **Price:** KSh4114 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** The Perfect Child - **How much does it cost?** KSh4114 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.co.ke](https://www.desertcart.co.ke/products/280767126-the-perfect-child) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description Review: Check the TWs - “For eager adoptive parents, getting what they always wanted has chilling consequences.” Genre: Psychological Thriller Thriller Suspense Mystery Horror Tropes & Themes: Foster-to-Adopt Buyer’s Remorse Orthopedic Surgeon & ER Nurse 💕 Adoption Paradox Adoption Hero Expectation versus Reality Department of Child Disservices Trigger Warnings: Child Abuse/Neglect; Animal Abuse ⚠ “No one would ever see Janie through my eyes.” Rating: 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 The Perfect Child, a psychological thriller by Author and Trauma Psychologist, Dr. Lucinda Berry, is a novel about Ortho-Surgeon, Dr. Christopher Bauer, and his wife Hannah, an ER Nurse, who seemingly have it all, but are desperate for the one thing they want most: a baby. Just as the Bauers are considering adoption after several failed IVF rounds, a young girl with substantial injuries and a dog collar on her neck is rushed by ambulance with a police escort into the emergency department, after the little girl was found wandering in a parking lot. “… it’s a lost kid or something, and she’s in really bad shape. Ambulance is bringing her in with a police escort.” The timing of the young girl, (Janie’s), arrival at the hospital where the Bauers worked, while they were nearly desperate for a baby, were the makings of a perfect storm (and the perfect psychological thriller!) While Hannah avoids Janie at first to protect her own heart, (injured kids are the most difficult cases, especially for a woman who’s only wish is to raise a child) Christopher and Janie instantly connect and share a special bond, made stronger after he performs Janie’s orthopedic surgery. Christopher, believing it’s fate that Janie be placed with them, enthusiastically convinces Hannah that Janie, a traumatized six year old, could be their “baby”. I felt like Christopher, while likeable, had a bit of a hero complex. His refusal to see the truth was not just because he believed that girls are made of sugar and spice and everything nice, it was also because it threatened the facade that Janie was a regular young girl and he “fixed” her, in my opinion. He did a lot alongside Hannah to get Janie help, like therapy, but it was more “parenting class” (with a Dr. who diagnosed Janie with reactive-attachment-disorder and wouldn’t budge) than it was “psychotherapy session”. Both Hannah and Christopher made choices that frustrated me, in their attempts to control and alter Janie’s behavior: THE CAT, REALLY? I gritted my teeth and just waited for the worst. Hannah was more of a realist when it came to Janie but unfortunately her husband, Christopher thought Janie could do no wrong. Unaware of Janie’s disturbing past, they foster-to-adopt her and are assigned to DCF caseworker, Piper, who oversteps the boundaries far more than she knows she should. Janie never discusses her mother (who was found deceased in a trailer park) leaving me wondering what on earth happened to Janie and why doesn’t she mention anything from her past? The dog collar, fused and broken bones — all a mystery. The suspense and final reveal is an absolute shocker. I loved the ominous ending. There are three alternating POVs: Christopher’s, Hannah’s, and Piper’s. I loved having the perspective of the DCF social worker too. I appreciate multiple POVs, especially with a complex story like The Perfect Child. Hannah was my favorite character, partly because she saw through Janie’s manipulative tactics, and there were quite a few. I felt terrible for Hannah as I saw her slowly losing herself, her dream became a nightmare. A surprise pregnancy further overwhelms her and Janie’s regression, aggression, and violence reach new levels, while Christopher is off in fairytale land, his head in the clouds. Hannah, the primary caregiver, is at her wit’s end. The Perfect Child is a page-turner. I absolutely loved this dark read. I’ve watched documentaries on feral children and severely abused and neglected children and find the psychology and stories like this that are built from real cases morbidly fascinating as well as horrific and shocking. Janie reminded me of a young German girl who was labeled as a sociopath at an extremely young age. She was downright frightening, much like little Janie, and said terrifying things in the sweetest voice while she batted her big beautiful blue eyes. “She’s just a girl. There’s nothing to be afraid of.” AWELLREADWOMANBLOG dot COM Review: A chilling and disturbing read that stays with you for a while. - You know those age-old sayings, "Be careful what you wish for," or "Things are not always what they seem?" Boy, have I got a story for you. In this book, you have Chris and Hannah Bauer, an early 40's couple that have been married for about a decade. They are both medical professionals, Chris an orthopedic surgeon, and Hannah, an RN. They have a healthy marriage, nice home, friends, and high paying careers. There's just one thing missing: they want a child. Hannah has had numerous miscarriages to the point where whenever she manages to get pregnant, she doesn't even get excited anymore and expects to lose the baby anyway. She and Chris consider adopting a child. One day, while Chris is at work, a child is found wandering the parking lot of the hospital. She's malnourished, visibly injured and disoriented. When people at the hospital examine her, the outrage builds. She has a host of injuries ranging from bruises to bones that have been broken and not healed properly. Everyone thinks she's three years old due to her size, but it turns out that she's actually a six-year old girl. Her name is Janie. Everyone feels compassion for Janie and wonder what sort of monster would do such a thing to an innocent little girl. Janie makes the news due to the nature of her case and because her mother was killed. No one knows who did it or why. What they found at the scene was evidence of Janie being restrained in a closet like an animal. Again, who would do such a thing to a little girl? Chris becomes Janie's doctor and fixes her improperly healed bones. He immediately bonds with her despite her severe issues; Janie is a very disturbed child. She throws fits and is obsessed with being fed; people attribute this to her abuse and accept that her behavior, while not desired is normal for a child who has gone through what she has. Hannah eventually meets Janie and she too falls for her and since Janie has no family to take her(her grandmother is in jail and wants nothing to do with her and no one knows who the father is), they become initially temporary foster parents. They get her home and that's when the trouble starts. She throws fits when she does not get her way(or sometimes just out of the blue), she breaks things, she urinates and defecates(she's not potty trained), she doesn't sleep, and she does this creepy thing where she just stands over them while they sleep. They learn how to deal with her due to going to child psychologists, but things get worse and worse. When it's time to start school, she deliberately does things to get kicked out; she went through several schools(hurting kids and smearing feces will do that). They get her a kitten, and well. .. you know the rest. She even says, "I like hurting people." It becomes apparent that she may be more than just some kid damaged due to abuse. Hannah(who Janie never truly warms up to) eventually begins to face the chilling reality that perhaps Janie isn't bad due to abuse, perhaps Janie was just. . .born bad. Someone that came out of the womb fundamentally broken. By this time, the Bauers have officially adopted Janie and Chris unfortunately no matter what, is pro-Janie and absolutely refuses to entertain the notion that his little Janie is a bad person no matter how many times Hannah presents him with evidence indicating otherwise; this causes a massive rift in their marriage; Chris always takes Janie's side and makes his wife out to be the bad guy. This is a well written book that is written in the first person and told from three points of view: Chris's view, Hannah's view, and Piper's(their social worker) view. My only complaint was that he ending was kind of unsatisfying. I can appreciate endings that leave you speculating about what may have happened later, but this one just kind of ended. I could keep writing, but I won't. There is a lot of material here and I don't want to fill this with spoilers. Just know that this one stays with you for a while and it's a chilling and disturbing read. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #7,602 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #37 in Psychological Fiction (Books) #98 in Psychological Thrillers (Books) #152 in Suspense Thrillers | | Customer Reviews | 4.2 out of 5 stars 95,198 Reviews | ## Images ![The Perfect Child - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61zk+N+qRcL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Check the TWs *by A***D on May 11, 2024* “For eager adoptive parents, getting what they always wanted has chilling consequences.” Genre: Psychological Thriller Thriller Suspense Mystery Horror Tropes & Themes: Foster-to-Adopt Buyer’s Remorse Orthopedic Surgeon & ER Nurse 💕 Adoption Paradox Adoption Hero Expectation versus Reality Department of Child Disservices Trigger Warnings: Child Abuse/Neglect; Animal Abuse ⚠ “No one would ever see Janie through my eyes.” Rating: 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 The Perfect Child, a psychological thriller by Author and Trauma Psychologist, Dr. Lucinda Berry, is a novel about Ortho-Surgeon, Dr. Christopher Bauer, and his wife Hannah, an ER Nurse, who seemingly have it all, but are desperate for the one thing they want most: a baby. Just as the Bauers are considering adoption after several failed IVF rounds, a young girl with substantial injuries and a dog collar on her neck is rushed by ambulance with a police escort into the emergency department, after the little girl was found wandering in a parking lot. “… it’s a lost kid or something, and she’s in really bad shape. Ambulance is bringing her in with a police escort.” The timing of the young girl, (Janie’s), arrival at the hospital where the Bauers worked, while they were nearly desperate for a baby, were the makings of a perfect storm (and the perfect psychological thriller!) While Hannah avoids Janie at first to protect her own heart, (injured kids are the most difficult cases, especially for a woman who’s only wish is to raise a child) Christopher and Janie instantly connect and share a special bond, made stronger after he performs Janie’s orthopedic surgery. Christopher, believing it’s fate that Janie be placed with them, enthusiastically convinces Hannah that Janie, a traumatized six year old, could be their “baby”. I felt like Christopher, while likeable, had a bit of a hero complex. His refusal to see the truth was not just because he believed that girls are made of sugar and spice and everything nice, it was also because it threatened the facade that Janie was a regular young girl and he “fixed” her, in my opinion. He did a lot alongside Hannah to get Janie help, like therapy, but it was more “parenting class” (with a Dr. who diagnosed Janie with reactive-attachment-disorder and wouldn’t budge) than it was “psychotherapy session”. Both Hannah and Christopher made choices that frustrated me, in their attempts to control and alter Janie’s behavior: THE CAT, REALLY? I gritted my teeth and just waited for the worst. Hannah was more of a realist when it came to Janie but unfortunately her husband, Christopher thought Janie could do no wrong. Unaware of Janie’s disturbing past, they foster-to-adopt her and are assigned to DCF caseworker, Piper, who oversteps the boundaries far more than she knows she should. Janie never discusses her mother (who was found deceased in a trailer park) leaving me wondering what on earth happened to Janie and why doesn’t she mention anything from her past? The dog collar, fused and broken bones — all a mystery. The suspense and final reveal is an absolute shocker. I loved the ominous ending. There are three alternating POVs: Christopher’s, Hannah’s, and Piper’s. I loved having the perspective of the DCF social worker too. I appreciate multiple POVs, especially with a complex story like The Perfect Child. Hannah was my favorite character, partly because she saw through Janie’s manipulative tactics, and there were quite a few. I felt terrible for Hannah as I saw her slowly losing herself, her dream became a nightmare. A surprise pregnancy further overwhelms her and Janie’s regression, aggression, and violence reach new levels, while Christopher is off in fairytale land, his head in the clouds. Hannah, the primary caregiver, is at her wit’s end. The Perfect Child is a page-turner. I absolutely loved this dark read. I’ve watched documentaries on feral children and severely abused and neglected children and find the psychology and stories like this that are built from real cases morbidly fascinating as well as horrific and shocking. Janie reminded me of a young German girl who was labeled as a sociopath at an extremely young age. She was downright frightening, much like little Janie, and said terrifying things in the sweetest voice while she batted her big beautiful blue eyes. “She’s just a girl. There’s nothing to be afraid of.” AWELLREADWOMANBLOG dot COM ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ A chilling and disturbing read that stays with you for a while. *by C***N on May 19, 2019* You know those age-old sayings, "Be careful what you wish for," or "Things are not always what they seem?" Boy, have I got a story for you. In this book, you have Chris and Hannah Bauer, an early 40's couple that have been married for about a decade. They are both medical professionals, Chris an orthopedic surgeon, and Hannah, an RN. They have a healthy marriage, nice home, friends, and high paying careers. There's just one thing missing: they want a child. Hannah has had numerous miscarriages to the point where whenever she manages to get pregnant, she doesn't even get excited anymore and expects to lose the baby anyway. She and Chris consider adopting a child. One day, while Chris is at work, a child is found wandering the parking lot of the hospital. She's malnourished, visibly injured and disoriented. When people at the hospital examine her, the outrage builds. She has a host of injuries ranging from bruises to bones that have been broken and not healed properly. Everyone thinks she's three years old due to her size, but it turns out that she's actually a six-year old girl. Her name is Janie. Everyone feels compassion for Janie and wonder what sort of monster would do such a thing to an innocent little girl. Janie makes the news due to the nature of her case and because her mother was killed. No one knows who did it or why. What they found at the scene was evidence of Janie being restrained in a closet like an animal. Again, who would do such a thing to a little girl? Chris becomes Janie's doctor and fixes her improperly healed bones. He immediately bonds with her despite her severe issues; Janie is a very disturbed child. She throws fits and is obsessed with being fed; people attribute this to her abuse and accept that her behavior, while not desired is normal for a child who has gone through what she has. Hannah eventually meets Janie and she too falls for her and since Janie has no family to take her(her grandmother is in jail and wants nothing to do with her and no one knows who the father is), they become initially temporary foster parents. They get her home and that's when the trouble starts. She throws fits when she does not get her way(or sometimes just out of the blue), she breaks things, she urinates and defecates(she's not potty trained), she doesn't sleep, and she does this creepy thing where she just stands over them while they sleep. They learn how to deal with her due to going to child psychologists, but things get worse and worse. When it's time to start school, she deliberately does things to get kicked out; she went through several schools(hurting kids and smearing feces will do that). They get her a kitten, and well. .. you know the rest. She even says, "I like hurting people." It becomes apparent that she may be more than just some kid damaged due to abuse. Hannah(who Janie never truly warms up to) eventually begins to face the chilling reality that perhaps Janie isn't bad due to abuse, perhaps Janie was just. . .born bad. Someone that came out of the womb fundamentally broken. By this time, the Bauers have officially adopted Janie and Chris unfortunately no matter what, is pro-Janie and absolutely refuses to entertain the notion that his little Janie is a bad person no matter how many times Hannah presents him with evidence indicating otherwise; this causes a massive rift in their marriage; Chris always takes Janie's side and makes his wife out to be the bad guy. This is a well written book that is written in the first person and told from three points of view: Chris's view, Hannah's view, and Piper's(their social worker) view. My only complaint was that he ending was kind of unsatisfying. I can appreciate endings that leave you speculating about what may have happened later, but this one just kind of ended. I could keep writing, but I won't. There is a lot of material here and I don't want to fill this with spoilers. Just know that this one stays with you for a while and it's a chilling and disturbing read. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ what?!?! *by J***A on January 29, 2026* This book was great!!!! Slightly slow to start for me but once I got hooked, I was HOOKED!!! Like having to force myself to put my phone down to do the things hooked!!! However, that ending? That ending????? That. Ending. How does it just end like that?! What happens to Christopher and Hannah? What happens to Janie? What happens with the lawsuit? I need so many answers!!! Why do you do this to me Lucinda……whyyyyyy? ## Frequently Bought Together - The Perfect Child - Saving Noah - When She Returned --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.co.ke/products/280767126-the-perfect-child](https://www.desertcart.co.ke/products/280767126-the-perfect-child) --- *Product available on Desertcart Kenya* *Store origin: KE* *Last updated: 2026-04-23*