• Home
  • About Talia
    • Bio
    • Interview
    • Activism
  • Book Tour
  • Press & Reviews
  • My Writing
  • Book Clubs
  • Contact
AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR

Talia Carner

"A master storyteller who enters arenas never explored before!"

  • Facebook
  • Goodreads
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • The Boy with the Star Tattoo
  • The Third Daughter
  • Hotel Moscow
  • Jerusalem Maiden
  • China Doll
  • Puppet Child
You are here: Home / Puppet Child

Puppet Child

A stunning family legal drama about a brave mother who defies the court to save her daughter from its "justice."

Puppet Child Puppet Child
Mecox Hudson
November 2002
Paperback: 260 pages
ISBN-10: 1930252986
ISBN-13: 978-1930252981

amazon

Also, available as an eBook at
SmashWords.com

INTERNATIONAL
or discounted reading groups:

Please order direct from
Mecox Hudson, Publisher

Motherhood. The most profound human experience is being put to the test.

Rachel Belmore is a poised, determined, yet vulnerable advertising executive fighting to bar her charming former husband, Dr. Wesley Belmore, from molesting their five-year-old daughter, Ellie. Caught in a nightmarish justice system, Rachel’s odyssey takes a turn for the worse when she loses her battle in the court of Judge McGillian. The judge, a gregarious man who believes that he applies the law without prejudice, is nevertheless trapped in his biases, which throw him into the eye of a media storm.

His young, easy-going law clerk, Phil Crawford, hides a dark secret as he sets out on a mission to change the fate of children betrayed by the justice system. The compassionate Phil forces his way into Rachel’s plight, but fails to dissuade the Judge from his harsh viewing of her case.

To save Ellie, Rachel must take the law into her hands and suffer the consequences.

Against the backdrop of media frenzy, corporate indifference, political corruption, family treachery, terrorism and judicial callousness, the story unfolds in blazingly sure-penned prose to reveal loyalty, the kindness of strangers, devotion, passion, and friendship. In a riveting tale of surprising twists, PUPPET CHILD is a moving tribute to a mother who remains dignified, honest, and loving as she changes the rules.

Puppet Child

  • Chapter One
  • Reviews
  • Press
  • Author Q & A
  • Reader’s Guide
  • Background Info
  • The Protective Parent Reform Act
  • Resources for Protective Parents

Awards

Award 2002

★ "Top 10 Favorite First Novels 2002" BookBrowse

★ Outstanding Author Award 2002! Book Review Cafe

“Fair warning! I never intended to read every word of this book, but once I started I could not stop. Neither will you. Prepare to be stunned by a master storyteller who writes with passion and power in an arena none dared enter before. A gripping story so well written you will wonder if it really happened…and pray to God it didn’t.”
–Nancy Robinson Masters, award-winning author, All My Downs Have Been Ups | Read more rave reviews

Author Talia Carner helped launch The Protective Parent Reform Act. Read more The Protective Parent Reform Act

Copyright © 2026 Talia Carner | Design by Sweet Solutions | All rights reserved | LOGIN