I flew through this book in less than 24 hours! I love a good mystery with twists and surprises and this book delivered! I was shocked by a twist in the story more than once. I love that the chapters are each from different perspectives and that each characters backstory was fully flushed out without being confusing. The ending was surprising, but not in the way I thought it would be. I will definitely be picking up other books by this author!

Very well done! Melissa loses one of her twins apparently to SIDS - is that her fault? Then the second twin dies and the cause is not as clear - is this one her fault?

The author has done a spectacular job of developing her characters and showing the light and dark of each of them. Once you start this one you'll be hard pressed to put it down. The real question here is Do You Believe Her?

I wish I could say that I really enjoyed this book, but I didn't. From the reviews listed already here, I thought I was going to be gripped or left "on the edge of my seat", but I wasn't. While, I understand the concept of this book... It just did not appeal to me as I was reading it. Melissa apparently was suffering from post partum depression, why didn't anyone reach out to her to get her some help after the birth of her twins? Her second husband, Michael, was a waste of air. If he had of given her just the tiniest bit of support with the twins, neither one of them would've died. I just couldn't get into this story. It bothered me tremendously and I'm left disappointed and wanting more from it. 3/5 stars from me. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review for an honest opinion.

What a good story! Gripped me from the first page, really well written and I loved it! Better than other thrillers I’ve read recently.

Melissa lost one baby, not her fault
I believed her
Melissa lost another baby, again not her fault
I didnt believe her

And this sets the tone for this has she?/hasn’t she?, could she?, couldn’t she? book as your emotions, thoughts and ‘reckoning’ go left, right, back, forth and up and down
An extremely clever ‘keeps you on your toes’ psychological thriller where nothing is ‘cut and dried’ and even less is as you think you believe!
Melissa is either the biggest psychopathic child killer ever or the victim of something much more sinister
And now its her appeal, will the people who count believe her?, or will they be as baffled as we, the readers, are
The phrase ‘on the edge of your seat’ was made for this book, once started you wont want to finish until you know the outcome!
Tense and unpredictable, it is a story
full to the brim of drama, great characters, clever plot and sub and sub sub plots as this author does so well....I will leave her fate in your hands....but remember her life and future depends on her appeal......
10/10 5 Stars

This book stole my entire afternoon, I was gripped, i could not put it down! It is brilliantly written, and the many twists and turns were shocking! Definitely worth reading.

Oh, this was a good one. A thoroughly gripping book that I dashed through in more or less a single sitting.

It's told from three main perspectives: Melissa, the mother convicted of killing one of her baby twins; and Jon and Kelly, reporters at the local newspaper. All three have had to deal with tragedy and loss in their lives, and the similarities and differences in their respective experiences are skilfully drawn out. I found all three of them very sympathetic characters and enjoyable to spend time with.

The plot itself is very strong, with bits and pieces of information being revealed at a steady rate that kept me turning pages. I thought I had an inkling of what was going on, but as the various twists and turns unfolded, I was pleased to find myself right and wrong in equal measure – and I didn't see the final twist coming at all.

A cracking read and I will definitely look out for more books by Diane Jeffrey.

Melissa Slade has been in gaol since 2013 and now she is awaiting the decision about whether or not a second appeal will be granted. New evidence has mysteriously turned up and it seems very likely that she will at last be successful. She had been prosecuted in the Slade Babies case and had been found guilty of murder.
Jonathan Hunt is the journalist given the task of finding out the truth of the case for his newspaper, having also reported about the cot death of Melissa’s first twin Amber. When the second twin Ellie also died weeks later the suspicion had fallen onto her mother. The trial verdict saw a life prison sentence handed down. Presently Jon is mentoring a keen young colleague called Kelly, who joins him in the run up to the appeal and so the investigation begins. Jon and Kelly work well together and their enquiries and interviews are soon garnering results. The investigation breaks down into two possibilities. Is Melissa guilty of murder, or has there been a grave miscarriage of justice?
‘The Guilty Mother’ is Diane Jeffrey’s third compelling novel and I have had the privilege of reviewing them all. I didn’t think she could get any better but I was definitely wrong. Diane is a wonderfully accomplished story teller and her characters are full of intrigue and interest. I was hooked from the very first page and literally wanted to continue reading without a break. I hated having to put it down. It was full of blind alleyways, spills and thrills, tension and menace. It was a richly imaginative story. By the time it ended I was fraught with expectancy and I was even more impressed with ‘The Guilty Mother’ than either of the others. It was so thought provoking that I am still in awe of it a few days later. Whatever will she envisage next? I’m very excited by her talent and fluency. The novel had a complicated storyline and she managed it expertly. It was full of excitement and the action was swift and incisive. I can’t wait to read her next novel. Thank you for my review copy. It’s a very well deserved 4.5* review from me.