The Mothers by Sarah J Naughton | Blog Tour Review | #TheMothers (@TrapezeBooks @SarahJNaughton )

Published by Trapeze
Available in Ebook (9 January 2020) | Paperback (30 April 2020)
288 pages
Source: Copy received via Netgalley for review

ABOUT THE BOOK

Five Women

They meet at their NCT Group. The only thing they have in common is they’re all pregnant.

Five Secrets

Three years later, they are all good friends. Aren’t they?

One Missing Husband

Now the police have come knocking. Someone knows something. And the trouble with secrets is that someone always tells.

For fans of Big Little Lies, The Rumour and I Invited Her In, this is first class psychological suspense from the critically acclaimed Sarah J Naughton.

MY THOUGHTS

Five women, Chrissy, Electra, Skye, Jen, and Bella – all very diverse personalities and who, on the face of it, only have one thing in common. Children. They wouldn’t normally be friends if they hadn’t met at an ante natal group. For some reason their friendship has endured and they continue to meet for drinks at each other’s houses, even though it sometimes seems that they actually don’t really like each other very much.

The main focus of the story is Bella and her husband Ewan. Bella reports her husband missing – the police ask some questions but don’t really seem worried as there doesn’t seem to be any suspicious circumstances – that is until something else comes to light and a whole new slant is thrown on the investigation.

The story counts down between the past and the present to tell the events leading up to the disappearance and the time after. It’s not a fast paced read but more of a character driven one as instead we hear from each woman’s perspective – their lives and their relationships (none of them seem to be very happy or content).

I wasn’t sure that I particularly liked any of the Mothers although there were one or two that I felt more sympathetic towards. Knowing each of their stories in more detail gave another dimension into their friendship. It’s not just a straightforward story of motherhood and relationships however. There are secrets and betrayals and although I had an idea as to part of the story, I was totally taken by surprise by what is actually revealed.

The Mothers is a suspenseful and cleverly plotted thriller and is something a little bit different in this genre. I enjoyed it.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Sarah Naughton’s debut novel, The Hanged Man Rises, was shortlisted for the Costa children’s award. It was followed by a second young adult thriller, The Blood List. Her thrillers for adults, Tattletale and The Other Couple (Orion) are Amazon bestsellers. Sarah lives in London with her husband and sons.