I’d like to thank Bookouture Books and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The Other Mothers’ by M M Chouinard in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

At Briar Ridge Elementary School five-year-old Nicole Marchand is missing and when Detectives Jo Fournier and Bob Arnett start searching the school premises they find her body lying between two dumpsters. The girl’s mother, Gia Marchand, doesn’t appear too troubled at her daughter’s death whereas the father, Anthony, doesn’t think it important enough to warrant taking time out of his busy schedule to meet the detectives. Detectives Fournier and Arnett feel something isn’t right but find it difficult to decide what it is.

‘The Other Mothers’, the fourth in the Detective Jo Fournier series, is an addictive police thriller had me gripped from page one. The plot was action-packed with lots of suspense, drama and intrigue, and a number of possible suspects any one of whom could have been involved. There were twists and turns from start to finish that kept me changing my mind as to the identity of the killer. Having previously read ‘Her Daughter’s Cry’, I’ve enjoyed reading more of Jo Fournier and Arnett working together and learning more about Jo’s private life has made a more rounded character. This is an involving thriller that I found compulsive reading as I couldn’t stop reading until I’d found out the identity of the killer. I can wholeheartedly recommend it and look forward to reading more by this author.

The Other Mothers is book four in the Detective Jo Fournier series. I must admit I have not read the previous three books in this series but was able to pick up book four without feeling lost or missing key details to immerse myself in the story. Crime thrillers are not my normal reading but the main character, Jo Fournier, sounded like a strong female character and that peaked my interest to read the novel.

The story opens with Detective Fournier on medical leave from her detective duties in a small New England town. She is on medical leave because of being previously injured during a previous case. The detective was shot in the arm requiring surgery and physical therapy but that's not all. Detective Fournier also suffered a miscarriage from her injuries asking herself to question whether she should continue her career in police work at all. While on recovery she gets a phone call from her department about a homicide case that the reader finds out is near and dear to her heart. A kindergartner at a school her nieces attend was found strangled on the school grounds in the middle of the school day. The detective must put her personal feelings and losses aside to try and find out what happened to this little girl and help put her family, as well as other families within the school at ease by trying to find the little girl's killer before he or she tries to strike again.

What Detective Fournier and her partner discover however is a town that is full of secrets and families that put up false facades in order to appear well put together to others around them. What appears at first glance to be a simple cut and dry, easily solvable case soon turns into a journey down a rabbit hole with so many twist and turns along the way by the end the reader is in complete suspense as to who could possibly be responsible. The mystery of who the killer is in the end is a complete shocker.

I greatly enjoyed The Other Mothers. It was an absolute page turner I could not put down. This is not a genre that I normally gravitate towards but I found the book highly enjoyable. The twist and turns and the many secrets that all the characters held was deeply interesting. I am reminded after reading this novel that people are like books we cannot judge them by their outward appearances and even though they may appear well put together and have a story book looking life, no one really knows what goes on behind closed doors.

At Briar Ridge school, a five year old girl doesn’t return from recess. Her lifeless body is found next to a dumpster. Detective Jo Fournier is summoned back from a required two week leave to lead the investigation even though she has a personal connection to the crime. Her two nieces are students at the school.

Interviews are first on Jo’s agenda. She expects to find a grieving mother but young Nicole’s mother Gia, surrounded by her friends Molly and Karen, is strangely cold. And her husband is nowhere to be found and seems to be deliberately avoiding the police. Since Jo believes the killing was not random, she looks into the background of Gia’s friends and the teachers and staff at the school. Then there are other violent acts linked to Briar Ridge and a shocking act that will threaten Jo’s family and lead her to an unexpected killer.

The Other Mothers is the fourth in a series featuring Detective Jo Fournier but it reads like a standalone thriller. And thriller it is. The conclusion is a total surprise! 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and M.M. Chouinard for this ARC.

FANTASTIC police procedural involving the investigation (by lead detective Jo) of the murder of a little 5 year old girl. Well written, with interesting characters, an unusual plot immersed in lots of suspicion & suspense. First time reading this author but will have to backtrack to catch up on 1-3 in this series. Enjoyed immensely & RECOMMEND highly. Thanks to NetGalley & Bookouture for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A spine-chilling suspense thriller; the climax in this one totally blew me away.

When a 5yr old girl is found dead at a local elementary school, Det. Jo Fournier is called back a day early from her leave to take charge of the case. Having just recently suffered a miscarriage and with her nieces attending the same school, Jo's emotions are all over the place. But with bodies dropping all around, Jo and her team must work fast to apprehend a cold-blooded murderer before her loved ones are put into danger.

This was a fast-paced and intriguing thriller that I finished in a couple of hours. With a crisp writing style, the author has managed to pack in suspense, emotions and camaraderie in what is essentially a cop procedural. I, especially loved the ending. Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined who the killer could have been.

This was such an enjoyable plot that I feel I have missed out by not reading the other Jo Fournier books. Going to change that right away.

A big thank you to Bookouture and Netgalley for providing a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Wow. Brilliant story. I would never have guessed the ending. The whole story is really well put together and full of suspense and twists and turns.

Thank you to NetGalley for my copy.

Wow! What a book. I love this series and I think this is my favourite book so far.
Detective Jo Fournier is due back from leave but returns a day early as a five year old girl’s body has been found and it looks like she’s been murdered.
What’s even more shocking is it happened on school premises, so Jo and Arnett have a real puzzle on their hands.
Suspicions are aimed at teachers and parents as cameras didn’t pick up any other people entering the school but could it really be someone who knew her?
Another body is soon found and again the murder is linked to the school as it happened on a school trip to the local museum. This time it’s a teacher who has lost their life.
Jo is struggling with some things from her past and tries her best not to let it influence the investigation but at times she finds it hard.
When the killer targets someone close to Jo she knows she’ll do anything to save them and has to dig deep to overcome her past, to save a life.
This is a great read as one minute you think you’ve worked it out, then something else happens to make you question it.
A brilliant addition to this great series.
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

This was a compelling mystery. There was plenty of twists and turns to keep me guessing. I also loved the characters and found them interesting and realistic.

This is the 4th in the series but it stands alone. A child is murdered at school and the parents act suspiciously. Dive into suburban drama as the mystery unfolds. I guessed at 75% in. This book allows our detective to be growing through therapy which I appreciate rather than authors who let their detectives keep doing stupid things. Jo is still insecure but she is learning.

Solid police procedural
I was given a copy by Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

The Other Mothers by M.M. Chouinard is the 4th book of a series featuring Detective Jo Fournier. I haven't read the previous three books but that wasn't a problem. This story was dark and twisty and kept my attention until the end. I didn't want to put it down and I didn't want it to finish. I will definitely be reading the previous three books featuring this character.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for my ARC.

This is book four in the Jo Fournier series but can easily be read as a stand alone. The series just keeps improving and I was drawn in from the beginning with this book. A child's body is found in the school playground and Jo is shocked by the horror of the complex case. It's a chilling and gripping psychological read, with plenty of suspense and a killer twist of an ending. I would recommend this series to lovers of the genre. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

Looking for a perfect blend of psychological thriller and police procedural? This is it. Enthralling ,exciting and unexpectedly deep novel is the fourth in a series but is perfectly fine as a stand alone read. We reconnect with detective Jo Fournier, coming back from an emotionally tragic personal leave, thrust into a disturbing murder investigation of a young child in a school playground. We have a cast of characters to choose our suspect from, and our choices change with the chapters as we loose ourselves in this beautifully and carefully structured novel. The group of mothers swirling around are all suspects and Jo has to dig deep to control her newly emerging emotions in this twisty and so satisfying outing.

Less than two weeks after dealing with her own tragic loss, Jo finds herself thrown right back into the mix when dealing with the murder of a young girl. The young girl happens to go to the same school as Jo’s nieces. And if that isn’t stressful enough, little Nicole’s death is just the first to happen at this school.

With many different suspects to consider, you can’t help but consider all the possibilities. But as the death total rises, it becomes clear that there is only one reason why this is happening. Someone is trying to cover their tracks and they won’t let anyone stand in their way.

This story had me hooked from the first word and completely shocked by the end. I personally can’t wait to see what happens next for Jo, her family and her team.

A young child is killed on her school's playground surrounded by children and two adult monitors. How does that happen?
Jo returns a day early from her short leave of absence- dealing with her past loves and their sudden, violent deaths as well as a miscarriage.
Jo and her partner, Arnett are at a total loss - after scouring video tape, key card access, albis, etc, they have nothing.
Just three close women- Karen, Gia, and Molly. Jo just needs to figure out who is lying and why.
Great suspense. Little long but moved quickly.

When five year old Nicole is found murdered at school Detective Jo Fournier is called back from her leave to investigate. Nicole’s mother, Gia, is detached and cold and her two best friends, Molly and Karen are trying to support her but it seems they all have their secrets.
This is another fantastic book in this series and there was a few lines that I found really chilling! Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

I very much enjoyed this excellent police procedural focusing on the disappearance and murder of a school girl. The unspeakable tragedy was the center of this story, along with the quest for the truth.

When Detective Jo Fournier is called into work a day before her enforced medical leave is due to finish she is right in thinking it must be for something serious. The body of five-year-old Nicola has been found at the same elementary school attended by Jo's own nieces leaving everyone there devastated.

Keeping her own secrets she's only told her partner Detective Bob Arnett about  they begin working on the traumatic case only to discover a wall of silence and lies stopping them from making headway. When another suspicious death is linked to the school the need for answers becomes desperate but where will they discover the truth when all those involved are determined to reveal nothing?

This is a brilliant, page turning thriller until the big reveal when for me it became a huge disappointment. Jo Fournier's part of the story is excellent throughout and her relationships with her team and family were compulsive reading as was the main theme until suddenly it wasn't.  I won't give any spoilers as I know many people will love this book but I felt cheated by what I felt was the author taking the easy way out of the complex and compelling case she had envisioned. I will still continue to read this series because for the most part the author gets it spot on and I want to see what happens with Jo next.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the opinions expressed are my own. I would give this 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

Really enjoyed this the 4th book in the Jo Fournier series. The subplot begins with Jo coming back to work following the events in Her Daughter’s Cry. Jo and Arnett are called to the local school, where Jo’s nieces attend, to the discovery of a body of a little girl and so begins a brilliant plot. Lots of twists and turns, and a rollercoaster chase lead to a brilliant ending. Great development in the subplot and the relationships with the characters and a villain I never in a million years would have spotted

This 4th book in the Jo Fournier series does not disappoint. As it opens, Jo is still convalescing at home after being shot and miscarried. Her boss calls her on the day before her return and asks her to come to a crime scene. A little girl has been killed in her school playground with no witnesses. Since the school is where Jo's nieces attend, she has a vested interest in the case, but the pain of a children's death does hit too close to home. During the investigation, there are too many suspects but no obvious killer. When others connected to the school are murdered, the race is on to find the murderer/s. The ending has a twist that will surprise most readers, and I can't wait to see what happens next for Jo.

During my previous review for the author I said that she succeeded three times in a row to write an utterly captivating story. Well, let’s make that 4 times in a row, because this one was hitting bull’s eye as well.
Every parent wants to protect their child(ren). Some are doing a great job. Some, though, don’t exactly choose the right way of doing it. You can easily say they make everything worse, so much worse and the greatest problem is that they don’t even see it like that.
A murder is always shocking, but when a child is involved it touches me even more. How cruel are you when you hurt an innocent child, barely more than a baby? What could it have done to you to deserve this kind of punishment?
Is it a stranger lurking in the neighbourhood or does Detective Jo Fournier and her colleagues have to look for the culprit closer to home?
When the going gets though, the though get going and Jo knows what to do!
A great fourth book In this amazing series. There is a lot going on, but I can assure you, not everything is bad. There are some rays of sunshine peeking through the darkest clouds. Loved it. 5 stars.

Thank you, M.M. Chouinard and Bookouture