One of the worst things that can happen to a parent is getting the kind of message Ruth got form her son. He knows he can count on her and that she will be there for him, supporting him through it all. But then, something hat neither of them expected, occured and Ruth is determined to dig until she hits pay dirt.

I usually like thrillers that are faster paced, but this does not mean this one did not have me intrigued. I always finish the books I start (ok maybe one or two exceptions) because I always want to find out how the story will end and I am always rewarded for my patience and persistence. After all the cat is only let out of the bag at the end of the story.

Did I have some suspicions? I did and I was glad my feeling did not let me down. Even then I don't find this annoying, because I want to read about the author's take on it and let them unravel it all.

Overall, a good book with plenty of emotions. 4 stars

Thank you

TRIGGER WARNING: this book centres on the aftermath of suicide
Dr Ruth Bennett is amazingly proud of her only child Thomas who has just qualified as a doctor. She is concenred and confused when she receives a voicemail from him to ask her to attend court. But Thomas never shows up and is found dead, an apparent suicide. Ruth is convinced of her son's innocence and starts to re-trace his final days to search for the truth...
The Silent Mother is an emotional novel about a mother's steadfast belief in her son's innocence. It has both psychological and mystery elements as Ruth begins to plough through the evidence which may have resulted in her son's suicide.
Ruth is a devoted mother. She has heartache in the past due to the death of Thomas' dad before he was even born and now her son's early death. The criminal case baffles her and she is convinced of his innocence. Thomas left behind a diary with tantalising hints about his life which may have had an impact on his death.
As well as Ruth's perspective, we also see chapters written about Rosie, one of Ruth's patients. Her friend has disappeared and Rosie's mental health is suffering, linked to an event in her past as well as her anxiety in the present. Both Rosie and Ruth are portrayed sympathetically and their emotional responses to events are understandable and relatable.
I found the book a little slow paced as Ruth investigates. She shows more self restraint than I would! There are several characters who all had an involvement in Thomas' life and now she needs to link the clues together to find the truth. The convergence of the two plotlines takes a while to happen, leaving plenty of time for the reader to attempt to guess the twists.
The Silent Mother is a slow burning but intensely emotional psychological novel. I have previously reviewed The Next Wife by Liz Lawler.

A good read and I enjoyed it. It's quite an intense read and has plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing.

Every mother’s nightmare! Ruth Bennett receives a horrible shock when she is informed of her doctor son’s sudden death. Ruth will not rest until she uncovers how this could have happened and what she finds may be much more sinister than she imagined and her amateur detective work could put her life in danger. Thank you Netgalley, Bookouture and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. Available now

Ruth moves into her son's apartment, and try to find out who was responsible for his so-called suicide. It makes for a very intense read, because you knew a secret the other characters didn't. Thrilling read.

This had a lot of great thriller qualities including multi perspectives, drama and intensity. The first I have read by this author but it won’t be the last

The Silent Mother by Liz Lawler was another brilliant book by Liz. i loved it especially as it was a good strong story with good strong characters. It had lots of great twists and turns that had you hooked form the beginning till the end. I highly recommend all of Liz's books they never disappoint. I love them

This book had a great storyline with great characters. It is full of emotion and told by different perspectives. Lots of twists and turns to keep you on your toes.

Reading Between the Wines book review #25/135 for 2022:
Rating: 3 🍷 🍷 🍷
Book 📱: The Silent Mother
Author: Liz Lawler
Genre: Mystery & Thrillers
Available now!

Sipping thoughts: Confusion and intrigue. Those were the two feelings I felt as I read this book. I have read other great books by Lawler, and I think the confusion is intentional because about 50-60% into the book, you start to put some puzzle pieces into play. About 70% into the book, I was on the edge of my seat and couldn’t read fast enough. I didn’t think I was going to like this book since the first half was a little draggy but it picked up and made up for it in the second half. Still not better than The Next Wife by Lawler but a good read.

Cheers and thank you to @Bookouture and @NetGalley for an advanced copy of @TheSilentMother.

#TheSilentMother #LizLawler #Bookouture #NetGalley #advancedreadercopy #ARC #Kindle #Booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookstagram #nicoles_bookcellar #bookworm #bookdragon #booknerd #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookaholic #bookreview #bookreviewer #IHaveNoShelfControl #ReadingBetweenTheWines #fiction #thriller #suspense #mystery #MysteryAndThrillers

This was an absolutely brilliant read and I was hooked from
The very first page and read in almost one sitting. The book had a few twists and turns along the way and a few surprises. With each turn of the page the suspense was building up as to the suspects behind who framed dr Bennett’s son and the events which lead to his death and the lengths she went to in order to try and get justice for her son and to clear his name. This was a definite edge of the seat gripping read.

The Silent Mother was a good read, I didn’t know what had happened to Thomas until it was revealed. The story kept me riveted right to the end.

THE SILENT MOTHER is a psychological thriller by Liz Lawler.

Her novels include:
Don't Wake Up (2017)
I'll Find You (2019)
The Next Wife (2020)
The Silent Mother (2021)

Dr. Ruth Bennett’s twenty-five-year-old son, Thomas (also a doctor), contacts her to tell her he is in a bit of a bind, and could do with her support. He explains that he had to go before a magistrate’s court and now must go before a judge tomorrow at Bournemouth Crown Court. His lawyer is Jacob Cadell. Ruth would be there…but she was very worried. She was his “warrior” and would support her son.

Thomas had been arrested for assault and theft of hospital medicines. There wasn’t a trial as Thomas had pleaded guilty.

Ruth arrives in Bournemouth and when Thomas fails to show up in court, someone is sent to check his flat, to find that it appears that Thomas had taken his own life. Ruth is beside herself and doesn’t understand why he would commit suicide. It appears the evidence against him was very strong, with drugs in the locker, in a bag in his rented apartment and a noted change in his behavior at work. The police are informed and he is taken into custody, questioned and charged.

But Ruth is determined to prove her son’s innocence. So in order to do this, she moves to the city where he lived and moved into his empty flat under a different name.

When Ruth discovers her son’s diary, it becomes clear his death wasn’t an accident.

There are two separate parts to the storyline, with alternating chapters by Ruth and Rosie, a patient at the hospital being treated for depression, anxiety an insomnia. Both ladies have something to hide…

This is a well-structured storyline, with well- developed characters, information being released on a need-to-know basis. Lots of red herrings and twists and turns along the way. All threads congregate very well at the end.

Many thanks to the author, Bookouture and Net Galley for my digital copy.

This is Ruth’s story. She is grieving over her son’s death. Tom texted her to be at Bournemouth Court as he was involved in a court case. But Tom never attended as he was found dead at home. Tom was a doctor and his barrister informs Ruth that he had assaulted a security guard and had been found in possession of drugs which had been stolen from the hospital. He had previously pleaded guilty to all the charges. A few months later Ruth decided to move into Tom’s flat in Bournemouth to try to uncover the truth behind his apparent suicide and the charges that were made. Ruth cannot believe that he would commit suicide and receives an anonymous letter claiming that Tom’s death wasn’t suicide. As she begins to look into his death she uncovers secrets that makes her think the letter is correct. Ruth also discovers that Tom’s girlfriend is pregnant and his best friend had betrayed him. So Ruth begins to suspect that Tom could have known his murderer and she could also be in danger. This is a story of how a mother tackles her grief with the loss of a son, I really liked Ruth and felt all her emotions with her. This is a book full of intrigue and twists. A highly recommended read.
Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

Ruth Bennett was very proud of her son. Like her he had gone on to become a doctor. When she received a message from him saying he was due in court she rushed down to Bournemouth. She thought his arrest was the worst thing until he didn't turn up and when the police went to look for him they found him dead. Ruth believed she knew her son & refuses to believe he would take his own life. She takes a few months to sort her affairs & takes a locum job in Bournemouth determined to find the truth- no matter what it costs.

This was an engrossing read. I really liked Ruth & the author kept the reader guessing. It was a good start to my reading year. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

This book tells of Ruth. Her son commits suicide the night before he is due in court. She finds it hard to believe that this is the case and begins to investigate his death. It is a slow burner, but a good read.

Good story that don´t let you to put down the book.
The dinamic of the mother with other characters makes that you don´t get bored. And keep the story interesting.
The mother's determination to find the truth made me wonder if all mothers will be like this in order to clear their son's name.
I also liked how the story was developing. The author gave you clues little by little so that you would never imagine the end.
Well developed. I really enjoyed the principal character and all her doubts and hopes. It was interesting read her and all her debates.
I recommend it if you like good stories with an excellent plot.

A mother searching for answers of her son’s death in circumstances where none was forthcoming. This was a gripping story where the plot had me running around in circles trying to figure out how the two POVs that ran down the book would be connected.

Ruth was told to come to the court for her son’s pre-sentencing. Apparently he had assaulted someone and stolen hundreds of painkillers and other drugs. And had pled guilty of the act. With no trial. The mother now needed answers because she knew her son and believed in his innocence. Then there was Rosie who was hiding a big secret along with her friend, who was missing.

Quite a twisty read, author Liz Lawler wrote a smooth prose, filled with emotions that a mother would feel on being told about her son. Anger, helplessness, desperation, and finally a need to prove his innocence. Ruth’s character touched my heart on all fronts. Contrary to the storyline, Ruth was anything but silent.

The story was slow-paced in some sections with Rosie’s POV adding minimal truths to the storyline. A sharper prose and more twists would have uplifted the thrill. The author tied up the parallel plotlines well, just like I liked, with a neat bow.

An engaging breakfast thriller, I would say.

I have to admit that I gave up on this book. I read the first quarter / half or so but I stopped and haven't been able to bring myself to pick it back up

It is so slow paced that I just had no interest. Instead of progressing the plot through investigation and burrowing into her sons life, we jnstead spend ages reading about Ruth's day to day life. She goes to work and rides her bike. And the whole time I'm reading these bland passages I'm screaming out for some proper action related to the main plot.

I have to say I gave up when she needs to find a woman and the only clue she really has is that her names starts with a C and then she just so happens to be sitting around when a woman with that initial needs medical help and wouldn't you know, it's the mystery woman. Honestly. It was so unbelievable that I put the book down and couldn't go back.

It looks like I'm in the minority for the ratings but this one was 100% too slow for me.

“Your child is dead… Are you next?”

This is my first Liz Lawler book, but it most definitely won’t be my last, although in my mind, I did mark this story down a little, as I had worked out what I thought was happening quite early on. I was still taken on quite a journey of discovery though, as I was left to wonder exactly how Liz was going to unmask the guilty party and tie up all those annoying loose ends, which I failed miserably to do, so I was still more than satisfied with this as a 5 star rating, as I always enjoy a complex plot which has me thinking outside of the box!

There were essentially two separate strands to this storyline, which little by little were drawn inexorably closer together, although they never really completely converged right until the very last minute. This seamless story was narrated in alternating chapters, which were short and well signposted, by Rosie and Ruth. Both ladies with something to hide, although for one there is only grief and loss, the wish to uncover the truth, the need clear and cleanse her son’s name and professional reputation, and her hope to be able to set her own troubled mind to rest. Whilst for the other, there is only jealousy, vengeance, revenge and hatred in her heart and she will go to any lengths to save herself, whatever the cost to anyone else. By the time this is all over, one will be vindicated, the other vilified.

A multi-layered, well structured storyline, which is intense, immersive, slowly evolving and highly textured. Replete with red herrings, one or two shocking revelations and with multiple twists being thrown into the mix right until the very end. Keeping track of all the medical staff involved in a gripping and disturbing plot, where the stakes are so high and where so many personal and professional reputations are at risk, keeps everyone on their toes, eager to say and do the right things to make a good impression.

I don’t want to give away any specific spoilers, however, suffice to say that I felt this story also served to highlight the many guises in which mental health issues can manifest themselves and how unstable individuals can suffer in silence for so long, because of the unseen hidden nature of the illness.

Also brought to the fore, is the way in which most of us will blindly and often misguidedly accept, without question or challenge, the power of those people in trusted professions, who we deem to have authority and integrity over our day to day lives. This storyline blows many of those perceptions out of the water, even though the transgressions might have been taken with the most honest of intentions and motives. How far can you bend the truth before it breaks, leaving misery and devastation in its wake?

Liz has developed a well drawn cast of characters, who whilst all complex, emotionally starved and vulnerable, with little or no synergy or dynamism between them, really divided my feelings and emotions right down the middle. Many were raw and passionate, yet still authentic, genuine and believable. Others were unreliable, volatile, manipulative and duplicitous. I’m not sure that I really connected with, related to, or invested in, any of them totally. Often dour and lugubrious, none of them really offered me a compelling reason to identify with them, which made uncovering and exposing their many hidden motives so difficult, just as I am certain, Liz intended. Not all of them were given a strong voice with which to tell their story either, so there was a lot of reading between the lines to do and emotional attachments to be unravelled and analysed, before any kind of truth or justice was revealed. When two like minds meet, there just might be the spark of a happy ending and new beginnings for two of the protagonists, which I was pleased about, even though my enthusiasm might have been a little tempered by the means and cost taken to get the eventual end and closure.

“Oh! what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive”

I am a big fan of the cover art for this story and if you check out Liz’s previous three novels, you can immediately spot the common theme running through their respective covers, making them a good looking, eye-catching suite of books (no pun intended!)

I am really sor but I could not get to like the book. It was just not for me. Usually I love Bookouture books and I am so thankful for and feel bad not to say I like this book too. Maybe was just the wrong time. Please forgive me.