The Mother-in-Law: A Novel

Sally Hepworth

Apr 2019 · Sold by St. Martin's Press

About this ebook

• "Deliciously entertaining!" —People Magazine's "People Pick"
• Entertainment Weekly's "MUST List"
• O Magazine’s "15 Best Beach Books of the Year So Far"
• Bustle "Best Book of April"
• Refinery29 "Best Book of April"
• Cosmopolitan "Best Book of April"
• Woman's Day's "27 Fiction Books of 2019 to Add to Your Reading List ASAP"
• BookBub's "Biggest Books of April"
• PopSugar's "30 Must-Read Books of 2019"

A twisty, compelling new novel about one woman's complicated relationship with her mother-in-law that ends in death...

From the moment Lucy met her husband’s mother, she knew she wasn’t the wife Diana had envisioned for her perfect son. Exquisitely polite, friendly, and always generous, Diana nonetheless kept Lucy at arm’s length despite her desperate attempts to win her over. And as a pillar in the community, an advocate for female refugees, and a woman happily married for decades, no one had a bad word to say about Diana...except Lucy.

That was five years ago.

Now, Diana is dead, a suicide note found near her body claiming that she longer wanted to live because of the cancer wreaking havoc inside her body.

But the autopsy finds no cancer.

It does find traces of poison, and evidence of suffocation.

Who could possibly want Diana dead? Why was her will changed at the eleventh hour to disinherit both of her children, and their spouses? And what does it mean that Lucy isn’t exactly sad she’s gone?

Fractured relationships and deep family secrets grow more compelling with every page in this twisty, captivating new novel from Sally Hepworth.

Praise for Sally Hepworth:

“With jaw-dropping discoveries, and realistic consequences, this novel is not to be missed. Perfect for lovers of Big Little Lies.” —Library Journal, starred review

"Hepworth deftly keeps the reader turning pages and looking for clues, all the while building multilayered characters and carefully doling out bits of their motivations." —Booklist

Ratings and reviews

The Mother-in-Law didn't quite live up to its potential for me. It's more women's fiction than mystery, although there is a mystery involved. However, by the time I made it to the big reveal, my question wasn't who killed Diana, but who didn't want to. The book comes across as preachy, and I quickly grew irritated at the number of times Diana mentions or thinks about what could feed a third-world nation. Charity is a wonderful thing, but I kept thinking maybe Diana should've looked in the mirror before passing judgment about how someone else might spend their own money. And she really needed a lesson about charity beginning at home. That aside, what most of the story boils down to is two women who get off on the wrong foot and can't seem to find their way back with tidbits of who killed Diana thrown in here and there. Maybe my disappointment stems from expecting one thing and finding another, so take my opinion for what it's worth, but this one was clearly not for me.

Wow!!! This is a book that I read in two sittings, could not put it down. So many twists and turns and a surprise ending that will blow you away. Loved how it was told in a dual POV, Lucy the daughter in law and Diana, the mother in law. It also goes from past to present in the POV's. I highly recommend this book!!

Not what I expected at all and very slow for a mystery. The characters in it weren't likable in my opinion. Overall not a book I'd recommend.

About the author

SALLY HEPWORTH is a human resource professional. A graduate of Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, Sally started writing novels after the birth of her first child. Sally has lived around the world, spending extended periods in Singapore, the UK, and Canada, and she now writes full-time from her home in Melbourne, where she lives with her husband and three young children. She is the author of several novels, including The Family Next Door and The Mother's Promise.