The Mothers: Five women. Five secrets. One missing husband.

Sarah J Naughton

Jan 2020 · Hachette UK

About this ebook

FROM THE NUMBER ONE BESTSELLING AUTHOR

'Dazzlingly inventive'
Sunday Times, Crime Book of the Month

'A meticulously plotted exploration of friendship, foe-ship and the lies that bind, which builds to a gripping and powerful conclusion'
Cara Hunter

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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.

THE TROUBLE WITH SECRETS IS THAT SOMEONE ALWAYS TELLS...

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'The perfect dose of thrills and suspense, this will keep you engrossed to the very end' Heat

'Original and stylish... will keep you guessing to the last page'
Sharon Bolton

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.

Ratings and reviews

The seven lines used for the blurb of this story instantly had me intrigued and I couldn’t wait to get stuck into reading this. In this case, less is more in describing what The Mothers is all about. Right from the get go I was completely immersed in this story and I was so invested into each of these women’s lives, that it had me racing through the pages to see how it was all going to unfold. Chock full of mystery and suspense with twists and turns aplenty, The Mothers is a great read to lose yourself in and is one book that will have you reading well into the night. Sarah has created a gripping plot that could easily be transferred to the big screen. It is addictive and a well thought through story that had me completely hooked and did not let me go until the final page. Told through dual timelines between the past and the present, we are given a great insight into each of the women, of their lives, their friendships with each other, secrets they hold that threaten to come to the surface as well as a mystery to solve when one of their husbands goes missing. As I mentioned above less is more with The Mothers, so I won’t go into any further detail on the plot. Sarah has done a great job with the five women in this story and they have all been brought to life beautifully, with each one jumping from the page as if the story was unfolding right before my eyes. They are all very believable, well developed and are very unique in their own ways. There really wasn’t one of them that stood out for me above the other and although they didn’t share a lot in common, with some not at all, Sarah was able to convince me through great writing that they all worked well together. The secondary characters in the story have also been well developed and all play their parts extremely well. I enjoyed the ease of Sarah’s writing, which is very fluid in its approach. While at times I felt that the story did move at a slower pace, this did not hinder my enjoyment of the book and I liked how Sarah took her time with it, giving each of the characters their time in the spotlight, while still keeping me engaged. It can sometimes be overwhelming having so many characters to focus on, which in this story aside from the five women also includes two detectives, a missing husband and some other minor characters, but Sarah does a great job in making sure that everything is very clear and there is never any confusion where each one fits in and what role that they play. In terms of cons to the story, I only have one teeny tiny criticism with the character of Iona. As a gay detective, I just felt there was a little bit too much focus on her sexuality, rather than solving the mystery of the disappearance of one of the ladies husband. Don’t get me wrong, I loved that she was gay as you don’t read many stories where a lead detective is and we need more diversity, but as she is such a strong character who is able to hold her own throughout the story, I just thought that the continued focus on this wasn’t needed. The Mothers is the first book I have read from Sarah and it has been a great introduction to her work for me. Now on my radar, I look forward to more books from her in the future. It was a pleasure to be able to read and review The Mothers which I throughly recommend.

I'm not entirely sure what exactly I expected from this book - but, boy, did it take me by surprise! Five women who met when they were all pregnant and have kept in regular touch. All from very different walks of life, these women - on the surface - have very little in common but they have all pledged to be there for each other, come what may. When one husband goes missing and the police become involved we begin to find out about each and every one of their lives . . . This is a slow starter but, trust me, it is a stunning read. Little by little we get to know each of these women and what their lives are like; with 'before' and 'after' chapters for each of them, we discover what was going on before and after one of their husbands disappeared. I found myself drawn into each of their lives, easily putting myself in their shoes and understanding their joys and concerns. As the story continues, I found out things which I didn't see coming and the word 'wow' was uttered more than once! What a cracking thriller and definitely one which women, in particular, will adore. The title and the cover are just perfect for what comes inside and the characters are awesome, added to which the ending totally took me by surprise! Beautifully planned and executed, this is different to anything else I've read in this genre and cements Sarah J Naughton onto my 'must read' list of authors. Easily a full five stars, and earning each and every one.

About the author

Sarah J Naughton grew up in Dorset, and is the bestselling author of The Other Couple and Tattletale. Her debut children's thriller, The Hanged Man Rises was shortlisted for the 2013 Costa Award. The Mothers is her third novel for adults.