“The Mother in Law” was my first read by Sally Hepworth but you can guarantee, it won’t be my last. Let’s face it, mother-in-laws typically get a bad rep. In this mystery, all Lucy wants is her mother-in-law, Diana’s, acceptance and love….but that will only happen over Diana’s dead body. In this novel, everyone has a secret and almost nothing is how it seems.
I won't go into detail because the last thing I want to do is spoil anything. I can say that this book was fantastic. I loved the characters, the mystery ( that twist!) , the pacing. I can’t wait to read more from this author soon. Definitely a psychological thriller you do not want to miss!

* I received an eArc of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

This is a suburban domestic mystery centered upon relational dynamics between in-laws, particularly mother and daughter. When Diana is found dead, her daughter-in-law becomes a suspect.

Sprinkled with thriller-like scenes, the storylines, presented in crisp chapters from two points of view, falls in line like a recipe for a murderous disaster. As the ingredients for any family disaster begin to appear, each member has secrets, which rise with the tension expressed in the author's witty prose.

As a reader of urban fiction, I am familiar with the portrayal of horrendous mother/daughter-in-law relationships. But, this is the first time I have seen it in mainstream mystery fiction.

The Mother-in-Law is sure to be a hit as a cross-over text, as it presents a glorious array of family drama, contemporary issues, and possesses a criminal element.

Highly recommended to all mystery readers. I especially recommend this book to fans of women's fiction who may be seeking a more mysterious tale.

Dies ist eine wahrhaft vielschichtige Geschichte, die weit mehr als einfach nur ein Thriller ist. Das Buch lebt von der Geschichte und den Beziehungen der Hauptpersonen. Spannend und emotional.

I enjoyed this book from page one. It begins with a visit from the police to inform Lucy that her mother in law is dead and it looks like suicide. Of course, now we all know that cant be the end of it. the book explores the relationships within a family, mother, husband, wife, sister and brother in law. Each chapter is a voice of one of the family members either in the present or past and that is the clever way this story unfolds. Sally Hepworth has long been a favorite of mine...but I believe this book is one of her best... I read the entire book in one day and needless to say neglected everything else I was planning to do ....I think you will enjoy the story and the clever way it is written. Add it to your library.....

This novel has me a little torn. I liked it. I did. But it just seemed a little familiar. The ol' daughter-in-law and mother-in-law conflict mixed with the feeling that perhaps the mother-in-law is a little bit evil, perhaps a bit two-faced. There was even the mention of the mother-in-law claiming cancer. Have you read The Other Woman? This happened with that evil mother-in-law too. But in this case, is the claim true or false? Is the mother-in-law truly against the daughter-in-law or is she just misunderstood? This is the real question of this Hepworth novel. And one I wanted the answer to enough to keep reading. The pages turned quickly with the easy-reading style of writing and I felt pleased upon the conclusion, even if I didn't have that 'please don't end' feeling.

Outstanding domestic suspense story-line; family relationships, parenting, success all factor in to this highly readable book,

Four-and-a-half stars.

The Mother-in-Law by Aussie author Sally Hepworth is an intense, gritty psychological thriller which I thoroughly enjoyed. Told by Diana and Lucy, and in the “past” and “present day”, it melded well and felt seamless. Plenty of twists, lots of red herrings and the trauma of relationships fed this book well.
I recommend this book

The Mother-in-Law by Sally Hepworth is a solid domestic drama with a heaping helping of suspense. When Lucy’s mother-in-law, Diana, is found dead in her home, the evidence initially points to suicide. Of course, an open and shut investigation does not a quality suspense novel make; a closer look by law enforcement increases suspicion that Diana was murdered, along with the belief that the murder was committed by someone close to her.

Hepworth is masterful in her slow reveal of Diana’s character, and the mere title of the book, with the negative connotations surrounding mothers-in-law, may even be a bit unfair to Diana. In the opening of the book, Diana is cold and unlikeable to the point of being cruel. Yet as the novel progresses, more of Diana’s past is learned and her benevolence is shown.

The Mother-in-Law is certainly in the same vein as the novels of Liane Moriarty (I guess well-written Australian domestic suspense is trending?), and highly recommended.
Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and the author for providing an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed this. I thought it was a very good character study of mothers and daughters. I really liked Lucy and hearing Diana' side was very interesting. I thought the actual mystery part had a few twists but was a bit predictable.

This book is twisty, complicated mystery. Told from different perspectives, the plot slowly unwinds and you learn how everyone ended up in the situation they found themselves in. I found myself thinking I had figured everything out until the next chapter. There are so many twists in this story....you may think you know what’s happened but you are in for a surprise! I cannot wait to read more from this author. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced readers copy for review.

WOW! This was the first book I have read of this authors and it will not be my last! Holy conflicts!
I actually thought this was a thriller, and it was but it was much more. The story was told in differing perspectives, which is one of my favorite styles.

In this book we meet Lucy and her mother in law Diana. I experienced a myriad of feeling reading this extremely well crafted book. One minute I was mad and the next I was literally crying.

The writing is stellar. I cannot wait to pick up my next Sally Hepworth novel.

For the first half of the book I just hated Diana for her inability or apparent unwillingness to give her children the support they needed. Then, gradually, I began to see the other side of the story and started thinking about my own parents and parents-in-law, our numerous quibbles as well as happy moments nobody can take away from me.
'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....' Every mother needs to know her children can survive on their own when she is gone. Every mother-in-law finds it impossible to reach a perfect balance in her relationship with her daughter-in-law.
I loved Sally Hepsworth's style: her catchy metaphors and her attention to detail. The mystery element of the story was utterly gripping, I just kept reading compulsively, even though by the end of the book it was clear that there were so many possible culprits with so many motivations, that it was impossible to guess and it probably didn't matter. What mattered was how and why you end up being so misunderstood.

'The casual eye doesn't see everything..'.
This book made me think about my own relationships and the endless potential for miscommunication and misinterpretation of other people's intentions.
Strongly recommended.
Thank you to NetGalley and St.Martin's Press for the ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

The book opens with the police arriving at the home of Ollie and Lucy Goodwin to inform them that Diana Goodwin, Ollie’s mother, is dead of an apparent suicide. As the story develops, we find that the autopsy doesn’t really support a suicide and the breast cancer that Diana told her family she had is nonexistent.. The police begin to investigate Diana’s death as a homicide. The remainder of the book flashes back and forth between Diana’s past and Lucy’s past and present, helping us to understand both women and how their relationship as mother-in-law and daughter-in-law has evolved. This was a very interesting look into relationships within the Goodwin family. The author did a good job of keeping the reader guessing who might have murdered Diana. Everyone in the family could have killed her and all are potential suspects. Well worth reading!

Thank you St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book.

I received this book as an ARC from Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an honest review. I have to say this book wasn't at all how I expected it to be. It was a very good mystery book, and it did keep you guessing theoughout the book who the culprit was. The more you read the more confused you get as to whom it could be as it could be almost anyone . The ending was surprising as it was not only a twist , but had a meaningful message as well which I found so enspiring. Thank you St. Martin Press for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book. It was a good read . I highly recommend it.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I expected a fairly straightforward mystery/thriller - and this was not that at all. The author tells the story of a mother-in-law / daugher-in-law relationship, with all the attendant expectations, hopes and disappointments, and weaving in the back story of both characters, which gives insight into what shaped them, and what drives them to think and act as they do. I liked how the story was told, chapter by chapter, from the two different POVs, and the time hops kept me on my toes and engaged with the development of the story.

To be honest, I did not expect to enjoy this book as much as I did. I found the first half a bit slower going, but once I was into it, I zipped through it because I wanted to know what happened. The twist was perhaps not all that surprising, but the home truths the author packaged into the story were an unexpected bonus.

Gripping and tightly written, this book had me re-considering my own mother-in-law relationship, and forced me to look at it in a new light.

Really enjoyed this book! Was expecting a thriller but also really liked the take away message at the end. Thought the character development was excellent and enjoyed the evolution of the relationship between Lucy and Diana! This is a must read.
Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for an advanced read in exchange for an honest review!

This book. Wow. It took me on such a wild, deep look into one families money drama and struggles. I absolutely love the writing style of this author and I plan on reading everything else that I can from her. This book left me wanting more in all the right ways. I didn’t want it to end. I became so invested in the family that I wanted to see them all out. The ending was perfect and I couldn’t have planned it out better. I took notes as I read this book, and at 50% of the way I had an idea of “who done it” and I was completely wrong. The twist was totally unexpected. This was an amazing 5 star read. The best of the year for me so far!

Lucy, who lost her own mother as a child, craves the attention and acceptance of her mother-in-law, Diana. Unfortunately, Diana thinks Lucy is just "fine." This story begins with Diana's death and alternates chapters between Lucy's narration (past and present) and Diana. Diana's death appears to be a suicide, but something is not quite right. The story that follows is an exploration in family dynamics, infertility struggles, and loss. I was interested in what exactly happened to Diana but a little let down by the ending. I founding myself thinking "oh. that's it?" But, it is a well written story and the characters are well-developed and interesting. I think I was just craving a bigger twist.

The Mother In Law by Sally Hepworth really took me by surprise. This is the first book by the author that I have read and was expecting more of a chick lit vibe. I really enjoyed this story set in Melbourne. Will have Sally on my radar from now on. I read this book in 2 days and was immediately invested in the story of this family and their secrets.

Lucy lost her mother when she was young and is yearning for that female role model in her life. When she meets her mother in law Diana she soon realised that she is not going to have the relationship that she dreamed of. Diana is not the easiest of women to bond with but as we learn more about her life and what she has been through you start to understand why. Early on in the book we find out that Diana is dead in what appears to be a suicide. The more the police look into it the more they start to think that maybe it was murder. But who would want to kill her? She is a pillar of the community with her charity work and loved dearly by her family. Jumping between the ow and the past secrets are unearthed and the family really isn't as it seemed.

This is a book that you will just want to keep reading. It has everything - love, family, death and relationships. I highly recommend this great Aussie book. Thanks to St Martins Press and NetGalley for my advanced copy of this book to read. All opinions are my own and are in no way biased.