This is a bit of a retro review, as “The Mother-in-Law” was first published some years ago. However, it’s still in print, and is well worth tracking down. It’s an absorbing drama come murder mystery, although to me the murder felt almost secondary to the rest of the story.

Lucy lost her mother at a young age, and dreamed of the day she’d have a mother-in-law to fill some of the gap. When she falls madly in love with Ollie, she’s thrilled at the prospect of his family: mother Diana, father Tom, and sister Antoinette.

But far from being warm and welcoming, Diana is reserved and almost unfriendly. At its’ best, her relationship with Lucy is prickly. At its’ worst, both simmer and barely speak to each other.

And yet, when Diana dies and the police begin investigating it as a murder, Lucy is surprisingly upset by the loss.

The novel is told in chapters that alternate between Lucy and Diana as the narrator, and which move back forth in time. The “past” chapters go back to the first time Lucy meets the family, and leapfrog through the years to dwell more fully on events shortly before Diana’s death.

It’s a very effective way of building the story of their relationship. Diana’s chapters help to develop her as a rounded character, not simply an ogre. Lucy’s chapters, in turn, often introduce significant events. It’s easy to empathise with both women’s points of view, although they often conflict.

The novel gradually builds a picture of the whole family, including Antoinette (Nettie) and her husband Patrick. Unsurprisingly in a story that cumulates in a suspicious death, this is not a family where all is rosy and easy. Each member faces multiple, often significant, problems.

To me the story of the family relationships was dominant, although I acknowledge that they were critical to Diana’s death and how it occurred. But I was often so absorbed in the tale of the developing relationships, and the problems the family members were facing, that I kind of forgot that in the present the police were investigating a possible murder.

This is a very clever story plot wise. I didn’t expect the ending, and it felt entirely believable. And although it’s very sad in a lot of ways, this is also a story with a fair bit of optimism.

This should be enjoyed by readers interested in dramatic or character based stories, as well as those looking for crime novels or thrillers. It’s likely to appeal to a wide variety of readers.