Rating: 3.5 stars rounded down to 3 stars

As I read the book blurb for Sally Hepworth’s new book, I thought that this would be a twisty thriller. For me it landed more solidly in the genre of Women’s Fiction with a mystery thrown in. This was a well-told story, but not really what I was expecting to read.

The story is told in dual timelines. Lucy narrates her story which traces her arrival as the daughter-in-law in the Goodwin family. This storyline is pretty much told as it happens currently, with some of Lucy’s earlier memories of how she was introduced to the family also included. The book open with the arrival of the police at Lucy and her husband Ollie’s front door. Diane is Lucy’s mother-in-law, and she narrates her own story which goes back about 35 years before the start of Lucy’s narration.

The police arrive to tell Lucy and Ollie that Diane has been found dead. Eventually a suicide note is found, but there are traces of poison in her body and signs of strangulation. There are no traces of cancer in her body as was stated in her suicide note. Was Diane murdered? What does Lucy know that she’s not sharing?

From the discovery of Diane’s body, we go back and forth to see how Diane developed into someone who was seemingly cold and unapproachable, and how Lucy interpreted her mother-in-law’s actions. They both seemed stuck in their own perceptions of each other which in turn informed how they acted and reacted as Lucy and Ollie’s family grew with the addition of three children in fairly quick succession. Diane works tirelessly for the women in the refugee community, but incongruously is uncomfortable helping her own family.

Other characters in the book; Tom, the beloved, warm and funny husband and father; Nettie, Ollie’s sister who is struggling with fertility issues; and Patrick, Nettie’s husband; weave in and out of the story. This is a story of the whole family that happens to be narrated by Lucy and Diane.

For me, the story had too much angst. I didn’t really like Lucy. She seemed a bit flat, and too clingy. But then, I’ve never been a mother of three young children. Maybe getting through the day as best as you can, as messy as it is, really is the best that can be expected. I just wanted Lucy to move on already. I came to appreciate and understand Diane as her story developed. She was someone that was clearly stuck in her own box, which made her life more solitary than it needed to be.

Bottom line, this is a mystery, but it isn’t a thriller. We do learn what happened to Diane, but about two-thirds of the way through I was wishing that that story was done already. However, if you’re looking for ‘Women’s Fiction’ with a mystery angle, this could be the perfect book for you.

‘Thank-You’ to NetGalley; the publisher, St Martin’s Press; and the author, Sally Hepworth; for providing a free e-ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Mother-in-law is a fine domestic thriller that also touches on some hot button social topics.

Lucy’s mother-in-law, Diana, is not her favorite person though she adores her father-in-law, Tom. Diana is not demonstrative, even toward her two children, Ollie and Nettie. She is more concerned with her work with poor immigrants. When Diana dies, Lucy, and much of the family, is clearly the focus of the police’s inquiries.

The Mother-in-law was a good domestic thriller. However, I guessed the killer before I was 10% into the book. I sped through the rest of it to see if I was right and was irrational upset when I was. The killer seemed obvious to me but you may want a mystery that is easy to solve while on a vacation or relaxing before bed so 3 stars.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

Sally Hepworth, Author of “The Mother-in-Law” has written a captivating, intriguing, and suspenseful novel. The Genres for this Novel are Fiction, Mystery, and Suspense. Someone always has something to say about their Mother-in-Law. Various comedy shows portray the Mother-in-Law/ Daughter-in-Law relationships in humor, satire, and intense dislike. “Monster-in-Law”, a movie, with Jane Fonda and Jennifer Lopez is one romantic comedy where the Mother-In-Law will do anything to destroy her son’s relationship.

Sally Hepworth has taken a unique approach to the “Mother-in Law” in her novel. Diana, the Mother-in-Law has been found dead. One of the questions asked is it suicide or murder? The author describes her characters as complex, complicated, greedy, and dysfunctional. Lucy has certainly tried to please her mother-in-law, and has wanted some positive feedback. Nothing does seem good enough.

Both Lucy and Diane “tell” their stories. The other members of the family do as well. I appreciate that Sally Hepworth discusses the importance of family, love and hope, with a sense of humor. I would highly recommend this unpredictable novel to readers, who enjoy a suspenseful mystery.

Lucy and Diana were a mismatch from the start; the only-only-thing they had in common was their love for Ollie. Told in their alternating voices and moving back and forth in time, this is both a domestic drama about the two women and a mystery as someone has murdered Diana. Diana herself is a mystery to Lucy, who finds her cold and unwelcoming and yet a puddle for her grandchildren. Lucy doesn't know about Diana's charity work with immigrant women or that Ollie was born out of wedlock and that Diana was disowned by her parents as a result. Who killed Diana? Who put the pillow over her face? Hepworth will keep you guessing. Both Lucy and Diana are wholly realistic and sympathetic characters and this is a highly readable (gulpable!) novel. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. An excellent read.

This is my second Sally Hepworth book and both have been amazing reads. It was a close 5-star read.

A perfect book to show how money can ruin lives.

Would I recommend this book for a teenage reader? No, as it has many adult situations (not sexual) that might be too much. This would make a perfect book club book. I wish I was in one just to have some animated discussions in the plot.

I received a complimentary copy from St. Martins Press through NetGalley. Any and all opinions expressed in the above review are entirely my own.

This is an interesting book told mainly through Lucy, the daughter-in-law and Diana, the mother-in-law's eyes. Lucy only wants to be accepted and approved of by her mother-in-law. Now Diana is dead. The book is told through flashbacks of the past for both Lucy and Diana as well as the present for Lucy. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher through Netgallery. This is my honest and voluntarily given review. Both Lucy and Diana are well developed complex characters. This makes a very interesting read and mystery. I really liked this read. It was very compelling.

Fractured relationships, complicated Mother-in-law, suicide or murder and family secrets.

The Mother-In-Law is a compelling, multilayered, clever, and suspenseful domestic mystery that felt more like contemporary fiction that explores more the dynamics within the character than the mystery involving a suspicious death. There is a lot to explore and think about here with the depth to these characters.

The story is told in the POV of the mother-in-law Diana and her daughter-in-law, Lucy. We see more of their deeper thoughts through their POV and as we come to understand them and their relationship. Diana is one of the most interesting characters I have read about with a lot to her then what you see on the surface. She made for a great character to explore and talk about.

I devoured this one as fast as I could and was completely drawn into the lives of these characters. I turned those pages as fast as I could and then slowly took in all the depth and layers to the characters.

The Mother-In-Law is a great choice for group reads as it really is a great thought-provoking story that brought out some different views of the characters and their dynamics. For me, that is what makes a story so well layered is the many things it leaves you to think, explore and discuss and the Mother-in-Law sure did that for us. With each comment, it gave me something else to think about. I highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for my copy to read and review

If you are married then you know getting along with your mother-in-law can be complicated at times. In "The Mother-in-Law" by Sally Hepworth we get a glimpse into a relationship that is truly challenging. When someone knocks on the door one evening, Lucy is surprised to find the police with news that her mother-in-law is dead. Told in alternating perspectives of past and present, the story unfolds and Diana's death, originally thought of as suicide, quickly becomes a murder investigation. Lucy has struggled to get along with her mother-in-law, Diana, since the day they met but are their disagreements enough to drive Lucy to commit murder?

I really enjoyed this new book from Sally Hepworth. The story grabbed me immediately and I wanted to stay up late reading it until all the pieces fit together. I found this story relatable. Even the best possible relationship can be complicated when families merge and this was a great example of how complicated those feelings can get. There weren't a lot of huge twists and surprises but I felt like it made the book more realistic and it was fun to read.

"The Mother-in Law" by Sally Hepworth is available tomorrow, April 23, 2019! Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced reader's copy in exchange for my honest review.

Lucy and her mother-in-law, Diana, have never gotten along that well. From their very first meeting, Lucy, who lost her mother at a young age, hoped for a strong relationship. Diana, however, was standoffish and a bit cold. Even after being married to Diana's son, Ollie, for ten years, and the birth of three grandchildren, 7 year old Archie, 4 year old Harriet, and 2 year old Edie, their relationship hasn't improved much. There are just so many misunderstandings and things left unsaid that when Diana unexpectedly dies, everyone will wonder... was it suicide ... or murder? Find out in this suspenseful, twisty, and twisted page turner!

Lastly, I loved the author's dedication because it made me laugh: "For my mother-in-law, Anne, who I've never thought about murdering."

Location: Australia

I received an advance copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

A huge thanks to St Martin's Press and NetGalley for giving me an ARC of this awesome book! I read it a lot later than I planned to but it was soo worth the read!

This was an interesting concept for a book which I’m sure a lot of women can relate to. The mysterious behavioral habits of the Mother-in-Law. It’s always a touchy subject, amirite? The Mother-in-Law by Sally Hepworth is based in Australia, was quite fun to read a book based in Oz, anywho, it follows a young couple Ollie and Lucy. Ollie’s Mother Diana is the total opposite of Lucy, Diana is polite, polished, quite wealthy, and keeps Lucy at arms length, which is a shame, because Lucy had wished for a closer relationship with her mother-in-law Diana, which she soon realizes she will never have. Lucy has tried everything to please her, even the fact that she now has grand kids, still doesn’t bring them closer together. Diana is a do it yourself, tough love kind of person and Lucy is frankly the opposite. Fast forward 10 years, Diana is found dead with a suicide note. The police uncover that the death isn’t what it seems to be, there are no symptoms of poison in her autopsy, and also the autopsy reveals signs of suffocation, which doesn’t add up. It seems that everyone is a suspect in this mysterious death. Ollie and his sister Nettie, who hope to have inherited her mother’s wealth, Lucy, and even Ollie’s business partner Eamon. Everyone seems to have some ulterior motive to Diana’s death.

I have to say, this was a fun, entertaining and easy book to read. It’s one of those books that you would whiz right through! The story is also very relate-able if you happen to have a psycho mother-in-law, not that all people do, but I’m sure a few women can relate to this story. It was quite fun to read actually. I liked how the story was told from the perspective of the mother-in-law Diana, and the daughter-in-law’s perspective, Lucy. You got a more rounded story from both their point of views, so that throughout the book, you actually were on both their sides, very cleverly written. In my mind, neither character were the bad guy, but you could see how they would be one through the other person’s eyes. It also was told from a past and present perspective so your sort of working out the story and the clues within the book as you read it. It was a fun way of reading the book and I really enjoyed it. Sally Hepworth really took the time to make sure you would empathize with both Lucy and Diana, it was very well written. There are definitely two sides to every story, and I think that would be the message or lesson that I would take away from this book.

Sally Hepworth has done it again with another outstanding read! I recently read the family next door, which i loved, then I got approved to review the Mother In Law and let me tell you it does not dissappoint. I devoured it and it definitely gets a 5🌟 from me.



The mother-in-law is told from two prospectives, Diana the mother in law and Lucy the daughter in law.  Its also told in the past and present. I adore books like this.  This one did not dissappoint although if you agree looking for your unusual suspense type thriller this book may not be for you.  I found it more of a family drama. But loved it non the less.


There is a dead body that looks like an apparent  suicide but under more investigation it looks like a murder.  They then delve into discovering who did it. In the process of finding out the killer you unearth many family dramas that have occured over the years.
The Mother-in-law was amazingly written with great story,  mystery and character development and if you enjoyed her other books i highly anticipate you will enjoy this one too. In my opinion a must read this year.



I would like to thank St.Martins Press and netgalley for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.



Review can also be found on my Instagram as of april 22 2019 www.instagram.com/teatime_with_a_book and also on my goodreads

I am so in love with Sally Hepworth’s novels! I am also really excited that she is getting more and more into the mystery genre!

The Mother-in-Law goes into the complex relationship between mothers in law and daughter in laws. The daughter in law may go over the top to try to impress their mother in law, and the mother in law isn’t overly welcoming to their daughter in law.

This is the case with Lucy and Diana. Lucy works extra hard because she lost her mother at a young age. Diana has a different way of expressing her love and it’s comes with a lot of mixed feelings. I loved how the novel flips back and forth between Lucy and Diana and shows each of their perspectives of their relationship over the past 10 years.

And then there was the mystery. Current day, Diana is found dead. It first looks like suicide, but later on, it’s discovered that she was murdered. I loved the mystery and was totally surprised by the ending. It was shocking!

One of my favourite reads so far this year! Great characters that show a different relationship and an unexpected ending!

Sally Hepworth is quickly becoming a go-to author for me when I’m in the mood for domestic dramas and mysteries. Her latest novel, The Mother-In-Law is no exception, with Hepworth delivering both a compelling family drama as well as a riveting mystery.

The novel focuses on two women, Diana and Lucy. Diana is Lucy’s mother-in-law and the two of them have a very uncomfortable relationship, to put it mildly. Even though they have known each other for 10 years, Diana still treats Lucy like a stranger. Lucy can’t figure out why Diana seems to hate her so much and at a certain point, has just given up on trying. Lucy and her husband Oliver have a good life together, only making contact with Diana when necessary, and such is their life. That is, until a phone call from the police informs them that Diana is dead and that it is an apparent suicide based on some evidence found at the scene. Lucy and Oliver are shocked because Diana is the most formidable person they’ve ever known and the last person they would expect to commit suicide. When the coroner’s report comes back, however, the possibility that it was actually murder is suddenly on the table and the police begin investigating.

So many questions immediately start swirling about. If Diana did take her own life, why? If foul play was involved, who could possibly want to hurt her and why?

*****

If you like complicated characters, then this is your book because Diana is about as complicated as they come. She has devoted much of her life to charitable causes and is a beloved and respected member of her community because of this. Diana’s altruistic nature does not apparently extend to her actual family members. Even though she’s a very wealthy woman, Diana expects her children to stand up on their own two feet and make lives for themselves without handouts from her. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but it certainly creates some uncomfortable and tense moments when her children find themselves struggling. It doesn’t make Diana the easiest character to warm up to, but it definitely made me curious about her.

Where Diana is a character that is hard to warm up to, Lucy, on the other hand, is a character I loved immediately. She lost her mother to cancer when she was only 13 years old, so when Lucy falls in love with Diana’s son Oliver and agrees to marry him, she’s over the moon about meeting Diana. She can’t wait to finally have a mother-figure back in her life and goes out of her way to make sure she’s as likeable as possible at their first meeting. Her dream is shattered immediately, however, when it becomes clear Diana has no interest in her. It’s not that Diana is mean to Lucy because that’s not her nature, it’s more that she’s completely standoffish – as polite as she knows she has to be, but otherwise, basically a cold fish. Their relationship starts off that way, and even after 10 years of marriage, it’s still pretty much the same. This made me immediately sympathetic to Lucy and had me shaking my head at Diana and saying “OMG, why are you like this?”

Aside from the way Hepworth draws her characters, one of my favorite parts of The Mother-In-Law is how she weaves together her tale. She effectively moves the story back and forth between the different characters’ perspectives, particularly Diana’s and Lucy’s, and between the past and present to gradually paint for her readers not only a complete portrait of Diana, but also toward the answer that we are ultimately all waiting for: what really happened to Diana. I thought Hepworth’s choice of these elements was a perfect way to unravel both the mystery of Diana herself and of her death. Getting little glimpses into Diana’s earlier life gave me a much greater understanding as to why she’s the way she is, which in turn made me more sympathetic to her.

Other highlights of The Mother-In-Law for me were its quick pacing, its suspenseful plot twists, and the fact that the story was never predictable. The ending, in particular, shocked me because I didn’t see it coming, not even for a single second!

Sally Hepworth’s The Mother-In-Law is a riveting read from start to finish. Unraveling the mystery of Diana and why she is the way she is kept me turning the pages just as much as the desire to know what happened to her and if anyone else was responsible. Hepworth’s books have been compared to those of Liane Moriarty, and I think the comparison is a good one. If you’re into domestic dramas and mysteries with plenty of twists and turns, The Mother-In-Law is the perfect read for you. It definitely made me appreciate how simple and uncomplicated my relationship with my own mother-in-law is.

"Everyone, no matter how old they are, wants their mother's approval. And EVERYONE, no matter who they are, wants their mother-in-law's."

The Mother-in-Law by Sally Hepworth is a dysfunctional family drama turned psychological thriller, which may be my favorite type of book. Lucy is living a happy life with her husband Oliver and their children Archie, Harriet, and Edie, until the police show up at their door to tell Lucy that her mother-in-law, Diana, is dead from an apparent suicide. However, as more details become available and more questions are asked, nothing is adding up and it seems everyone in the family has something to hide.

The story is told in alternating points of view and in alternating time periods. We hear from Lucy in present day and ten years ago as she first meets Diana and attempts to build a relationship with her throughout the years. We also hear from Diana beginning ten years ago as she first meets Lucy up until her death.

I could not put this down and finished it in a day and a half (would have been quicker if my pesky job and toddler didn't get in the way, ha!). I love a juicy family drama, which this certainly is, and a whodunnit on top of that. I was most intrigued by reading both Lucy and Diana's accounts and perspectives of the same situations in the past. It was so interesting how Hepworth crafted each leading lady based on how they thought the other character would want or expect them to act. This book was an incredible study on miscommunication as well. And I definitely didn't see that ending coming!

4 stars and many recommendations for this one. It would make a great summer vacation beach read!

I received a widget for this all the way back in October from St. Martin's Press. Otherwise, I would have never requested an arc of this book. I'm not sure what prompted me to accept the widget, because I've kind of dreaded the thought of reading this book, and here am finally cracking the pages a week prior to its publication. The irony of this is that I really LOVED this book! Maybe it was PTSD from my experience with my own mother-in-law that inspired a feeling of dread. However, quite unexpectedly, I felt a visceral connection with... and empathy...for the mother-in-law Diana. I also admired the character of the daughter-in-law, Lucy. In fact, if you melded together the personalities of Diana and Lucy, it became a composite of my mother, who I feel extremely honored and blessed to have had. For that reason, I understood Diana and was often touched by her musings throughout the book.

When Diana married Tom, she married into money. Even so, Diana is content with simplicity, but indulges Tom who wants the big audacious house. The bottom line is, Diana loves her husband just for being him, and he's the only one who can crack that rather hard and remote facade to her softness below the surface. Diana has a challenging early history that informed the person she is today. She is passionate about her charity where she helps immigrants with baby clothes and trying to help them find jobs with the skills and certifications they've earned in their birth country. To her own children and their spouses, Diana is a hard nut to crack when they ask her for money. The usual response is a measured lecture about trying to make it on their own, and how they will become stronger people because of it. Then the kids try to get it from their father, who will sometimes comply. Diana and Tom's eldest child Ollie married Lucy. Lucy lost her own mother when she was thirteen. Therefore, when she marries Ollie Lucy's hoping Diana can become a mother-like presence in her life. However, Lucy soon learns it will be a dicey relationship to navigate. Like the incident on Lucy's wedding day when Diana produces a celtic knot necklace signifying strength. She gives it to Lucy for "something borrowed", but makes it abundantly clear that something borrowed means she wants it back after the wedding.

Lucy is a stay at home mom to her three kids, and is a very dedicated wife to Ollie. Lucy is a wonderful daughter-in-law to Diana. Even though Diana can be a bit harsh and cold at times, Lucy always does the right thing and and her loving nature shines through. Theirs was actually a beautiful relationship to watch grow. Diana also has a daughter Nettie who struggles with infertility issues and has a cheating husband. But, the fact that Diana is found dead at the beginning of the book is the predicate that this story builds upon. The chapters are narrated in dueling fashion by Diana and Lucy, weaving the past and present to the story's conclusion. There is a question as to whether Diana committed suicide, or if it was murder. This was a wonderfully written book about a sometimes difficult but strong, sensible, hard-working woman and her family, with a murder mystery lurking in the background.

*As I alluded to at the beginning of my review, the character of Diana reminded me of my own mother, who my brother and I revere and feel lucky to have had for a mother. She lived through the great depression and admired FDR for helping the US citizens get through it. At one point when her father was very sick and couldn't work (there was no disability payment system back then), she handed in her weekly paycheck to carry the family, and felt proud to do it. These experiences probably informed her values of personal responsibility which she imparted to my brother and I. We never got an allowance and had to get jobs as soon as we were old enough. When I was sixteen she arranged a part-time job via a neighbor in a local 5 and dime store. When I got my first paycheck it was $42. She told me that I had to give her $10 board out of it. I also had to buy my own clothes and anything else I wanted from then on. When I got married I had to save for the wedding myself along with my future husband, and still had to pay my regular board, which by that time had increased to $200 a month (I had now graduated college and was working a full-time job). I remember being totally surprised upon hearing my supervisor at work talk about buying her daughter's wedding dress. I never even knew that that was a common practice, as I purchased everything myself. My brother got a paper route as a youth when he wanted to purchase an electric guitar and amplifier. It's not like today with my own son who only works a summer job so he can be fully invested in his school work. Once I worked that part-time job in the variety store, I worked it continuously for 7 years through high school and college until I got my full-time job. I've always felt confident in the quality of my work and the satisfaction of making it on my own. I look around and see what I have and my husband and I know that we did it together without help. We also travelled the lonely and expensive road of infertility problems and no one in the family helped us financially, even though there were several that had the money to do so. So, I can relate to a lot of issues in this book, and it may seem like tough love, but I do agree a lot with Diana because I know from experience that self-sufficiency builds a stronger person.

Diana, Lucy's mother-in-law, has died in an apparent suicide. As the police investigate her death, it seems she may have been killed... and everyone in the family is keeping secrets.

Told with alternating points of view, both Lucy and Diana's stories are told. Lucy and her mother-in-law, Diana, have never been close. While Lucy wishes they could have a better relationship, Diana has always kept her distance. Diana is a woman who believes her adult children should manage their own lives, especially their finances, and not rely on her.

I very much enjoyed getting Diana and Lucy's viewpoints. It showed miscommunications and misunderstandings, and how there is often more to the story. Diana's POV shows her background and helps explain why she views things the way she does. Lucy is probably the most likable character in the book, and it was hard for her to have a MIL with a cold and impersonal demeanor. That said, Diana wasn't intentionally mean, but she did have different priorities than others in her family. Sadly, her family could have used her love and support, and she was not providing that.

I wouldn't really consider this novel a mystery or thriller. While there is a mystery involving Diana's death and what happened to her, the majority of the book is family drama. For me, this read as women's fiction. This is my first Sally Hepworth novel, so I had no idea what to expect. Based on the book blurb, I was expecting something more along the lines of a domestic thriller. It's an enjoyable novel and I want to read more by Hepworth, but if you're in the mood for a domestic thriller, look elsewhere.

A compelling read about the complexities of family relationships. Not only MIL/DIL, but other family relationships too. I was drawn into the story, and was curious how things would end.

I received a free eARC of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I wasn't sure what to expect with this book, but I was pleasantly surprised. We've all heard the tales of bad mother-in-laws and this is no exception. And we've heard tales of bad daughter-in-laws and again, this is no exception. However, both people had responsibility in this relationship and it turned into a thriller with twists and turns that I didn't expect. I enjoy psychological thrillers and this was a good one and kept me guessing until the end.

The Mother-in-Law by Sally Hepworth is a novel about families. While the book is set in Australia, it is one that could happen anywhere. We all have preconceived notions about people and what they think and why, but in reality, we truly do not know. Sometimes, we are really wrong.

Lucy was hoping Ollie’s mother would come to cherish her and give her a mother figure. Lucy’s mother died so young. In reality Diana was polite, but wasn’t the dream that Lucy had hoped for. Lucy’s life with Ollie’s family seemed fraught with drama. And then Diana is dead...with a suicide note and poison nearby, but as always nothing is quite as it seems. The police have interviewed and questioned everyone only to determine it is murder.

The novel ramped up the suspense quickly. I loved hearing Diana and Lucy’s stories and found they added just the right elements to the storyline. Quite frankly, I didn’t figure it all out until the ending reveal. The Mother-in-Law by Sally Hepworth was a great drama/mystery that kept me on the edge until the end.

This book is a great exploration of the way we don’t always click with people, no matter how much we want it. Diana is the mother-in-law, seemingly a really great person, who nonetheless seems to play a different role with her family. She is full of contradictions, incredibly warm and loving with the refugees she helps but cold as ice with her children. We see occasional warmth with her husband, but heaven forbid that she allow the daughter in law into her heart. Daughter in law Lucy tries to please Diana, but that seems to be out of reach. The story is told in Lucy’s and Diana’s voices, at different times. It was sometimes confusing, but probably helped keep me off balance and contributed to the curiosity I felt while following the story. The characters were interesting and the suspense was very well drawn. There were several twists that I didn’t see coming. Seeing the same situation from two points of view drew the great message that what we think we are showing is not what others perceive. I couldn’t put this book down once started, and neither will you! Definitely destined for the best-seller list.
Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC.

3 stars: Missing a cock-a-doodle-do!

Didn’t hear a cock-a-doodle-do with this one; more like the splashing of a lounging hippo—which is weird for a supposed thriller. Sigh, yes, another pedestrian read.

The truth is, I own real estate in blah-ville. And apparently it’s a buyer’s market so I’m stuck here. My pogo stick languishes in the closet and I must finally admit to myself that I don’t get to hop yet again. Where are the books that knock my socks off? I can’t find them!

This is a mystery about who killed the mother-in-law. The story is mostly from the point-of-view of the daughter-in-law, Lucy, and her mother-in-law, Diana (in alternating chapters). The mystery didn’t really interest or excite me. There was a little twist, but I wasn’t invested enough to get all wired about it.

Surprise surprise, the mother-in-law is a bitch. It’s infuriating that she doesn’t support her kids in an important way (vague here on purpose), that she chooses to support strangers instead. Her back story doesn’t justify her decisions. The daughter-in-law ends up catering to her, which annoyed me—and it isn’t believable if you ask me.

I would have a lot to say if they asked me to edit this book. (Ha, and you’re going to hear all about it!) It was okay grammatically, but there were logistical and structural problems. Here are some of the things that bugged me (the first item actually entertained me):

-Really? A cop bearing bad news will load your dishwasher? Right off the bat, the author has one of the COPS loading the daughter-in-law’s dishwasher! I can imagine the cop saying, “Oh, sorry to tell you that your mother-in-law is dead. Say, I’m going to help out and load your dishwasher since I realize you’re in pain and shock over this sad news.” WTF?? The most helpful, thoughtful cops ever! The writer is Australian. Is it common there for cops to load dishwashers when they come to give bad news? I even question that the cops would come to the house to notify someone of a death. Wouldn’t it have been a phone call? Maybe this is like the early 1900s when doctors made house visits, though I can’t see a doctor loading anyone’s dishwasher either.

-Mighty precocious 4-year-old. The kid uses the phrase “gathering information.” Yes, I know, this 4-year-old MIGHT say that, but I have a hard time believing it.

-Mighty strong 2-year-old. She throws a ball over a fence. Really? Maybe a future NBA player? Or maybe the fence was just a foot or two high? Get real.

-Bragging parents from another book? Lucy is talking about how a mother-in-law is allowed to say things that aren’t true. All the sudden, I read these sentences, all of which were in quotes: “Richard took his first steps at three months old.” “Mary never cried. Never!” “I started feeding Judy solids while she was still in the hospital.” And a couple more sentences about kids I’d never heard of before.

Wait just a minute. The mother-in-law doesn’t have any kids named Richard, Mary, or Judy. She only has two—Ollie and Nettie—who have major roles in the story. Who are these unknown kids? The quotation marks led me to believe that the sentences spilled out of the mother-in-law’s mouth. Does she have secret children? What the hell is happening here? I was convinced that a paragraph from another book had been dropped into this one by mistake. I was so confused. Yes, of course I had to reread—three times. It was only then that I realized they were SAMPLE brags from imaginary people, not real brags from the mother-in-law here. If I were the editor, I would have killed those sentences in a New York minute. The style is clean in this book and there aren’t random musings, so these “sample” sentences stood out like a sore thumb.

-Uh oh, don’t get sloppy now. The book is very organized and consistent, and transitions are clean and understandable. But there is one time when it isn’t: Diana (mother-in-law) is talking about a time she met with her daughter, Nettie, at a café. Suddenly Diana takes a side trip for three paragraphs and talks about a conversation she had with Lucy (the daughter-in-law) a couple of weeks earlier. Then she switches back to the scene in the café, without any indication that we’re going back to the café with her daughter. Don’t switch to another scene and then return to the first without any transition. Better yet, don’t work in that second scene at all. Find another place for it—it probably warrants its own chapter. Just sloppy, is all.

-The biggest crime: Please please please don’t describe your own death!! This absolutely drives me nuts. Hey, you can’t describe your own death, really you can’t. You can’t describe anything when it’s lights out. (The one exception is when the narrator is already dead and is looking back. We know the setup there; we know it’s not realistic fiction.) This book, however, is totally realistic, so to have a person describe the pillow going over their face just doesn’t work. Author, I repeat: a dead person cannot tell you how they died or how they were feeling as they died, sorry. PLEASE get another person to describe the death. Or even bring in an omniscient narrator for that part. Geez.

Okay, I have really gone cuckoo with the red pencil. If you’re not an editor, I know I’ve probably bored you to tears and for that I am sorry. But it does describe how I was all cringe-y and unchy while reading this.

Title talk: Can’t we please keep “mother” out of a title? Granted, here it’s “mother-in-law,” but I I’m still completely sick that any mother would make an appearance in the precious title. At least it’s a variation on the zillions of insanely boring titles that have “mother”, “wife,” “girl,” or “child” in them (and don’t get me started on the million books that have “she” or “her” in the title!). Argh!

Despite all my editor discomforts, it was a decent read. (I know—hard to believe, huh?). Really, I was mildly entertained. The writing was okay, the plot decent, the characters okay—and I didn’t hate picking the book up. A lot of people loved this book, so check out their reviews for sure.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy.