The Other Mothers is a mystery that keeps you guessing until the very end. in the beginning, a woman has died but was it an accident or murder, The author back and forth between current time and what happened before the woman died to bring out the true story. Many plot twists and turns. A book that will keep you guessing until the end.

Title: The Other Mothers
Author: Katherine Faulkner
Publisher: Gallery Books
Genre: Mystery Thriller
Pub Date: December 5, 2023
Rating 4 Stars
Pages: 384

Tash James a journalist and is married to Tom Carpenter a doctor and they are parents of two-year old Finn. They are renting an apartment which needs a make-over but it is all they can afford right now. They decide to send little Finn to a day care located in a much nicer area. At first Tash doesn’t fit in with the wealthy mothers but seems to have has found friendships with mothers Laura, Clare and Nicole who have little ones in Finn’s day care.

As a struggling journalist Tash has been waiting to write ‘THE” story. It appears she may found it. As the death of nanny Sophie Blake seems it may not have been an accident.

Tash does write a story about Sophie’s death. It is after the article that she became closer to the other Mothers whose children attend school with Finn.

Hmm is there another reason other than friendship that these mothers have invited Tash into their world?
Story is told from the POV of Tash- present day and Sophie- past
Tash receives a threat to ‘stop ‘digging’. Then one of Tom’s patients makes an accusation and Tash starts to mistrust him. Additionally he is suspicious of some of the things she is doing.
Strange things are certainly happening to Tash since writing the article.


There are a lot of characters in this story and their names keeping popping up like I should know who is who. SO I am going to type them in so I can get it straight ~
Laura and Ed - son Oscar
Claire and Jeremy 'Jez' - son Beau plus stepson Jude
Nicole and John –daughter Charlotte
Tash/Tom's friends Grace and Ben

Complicated story that kept me interested as well as very curious. I was determined to figure it out ~ it was like back at school and I HAD to figure out to an unsolved math problem.

I was taking notes and finally told myself to stop and just enjoy this crazy ride.
It ended up being more enjoyable that way.

This is Katherine Faulkner's second novel and the second for me as well. I really enjoyed her debut novel [book: Greenwich Park]~ and I have been looking forward to her next story.

Want to thank NetGalley and Gallery Books for this uncorrected eGalley.
Original publication was January 2023 .
Publishing ReRelease Scheduled for December 5, 2023

I really enjoyed this book! The characters were well developed and the story was engaging. I recommend that others try this book as well. Well done!

The Other Mothers begins with a bang! We are placed at the police station in Cornwall so we know something terrible has happened. What? We don’t know yet but will soon be dropped right in the middle of the chaos.

Tash is married with a toddler and moves to a new neighborhood. She is a journalist and enjoys a good mystery. In fact, she happens across a suspicious situation within the neighborhood she lives in now. A nanny died the year prior and Tash is in the mix with the family the nanny used to work for! What a great opportunity for her to get down to the bottom of it and write her greatest story yet.

However, she finds herself conflicted off and on because she is in need of some good girlfriend time and kind of likes most of the moms she is meeting. People wander in and out of the friend group and some are quite peculiar. Tash continues pushing for information and it doesn’t go over well with others and puts her on dangerous ground.

I like Faulkner’s style of writing as she never lets too many pages go by without something compelling happening. I stayed up very late to finish this book but it was well worth it. The characters are deep and full of life. The mom group is believable and I know there are people out there just like this (cliquey). The scandalous nature of the story had me within the first few chapters.

Hats off to Faulkner for another great book. Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for the ARC. I appreciate it.

Katherine Faulkner does a great job writing about motherhood, murder and class in a London community. The book takes you on a ride with many other mothers and their problems. Tash just wants to find a good nanny and return to free lance writing along the way she uncovers lots of other drama.

It took a bit for me to get into this book, but once I did I was consumed. The story not only leads us down a pathway to solve who murdered the nanny, but looking at the role of nannies as substitute parents and the impacts of this. Would recommend this to fans of Greenwich Park.

What a crazy ride! This book was like a print version of a Real Housewives season! Twisty and turny, asking myself wtf is happening throughout the book. It was so good! The things women will do to make their lives seem perfect while men are doing typical bad-man things. I read this is a day and a half because I got so caught up in all the drama, characters, and craziness! I also felt so bad for Tash, who's life is kind of out of control and who just wants to get back into the exciting life of journalism she used to have. The other women who brought her into their group were just plain creepy at some points, and some of the husbands really put me on edge throughout--and for good reason, it turns out. Ultimately, this book is about the things we will tolerate when we want to be accepted, but also the red flags that we left go because we don't want to draw attention to ourselves or our problems. I loved this book!

I really enjoyed the author’s first book ‘Greenwich Park’ so eagerly anticipate this one! It’s one of those novels that you resent real life intruding on your reading experience and I put it down with deep reluctance! It’s a very well written, addictive novel with a constantly changing plot, with your suspicion antenna twitching hither and thither. At times, the atmosphere is uneasy or claustrophobic, scary and fear inducing, at others, it’s a bit sinister and there’s tension you could cut with a knife. Katherine Faulkner builds layer upon layer in the storytelling so running alongside the Sophie story and investigation is the theme of motherhood and the hard work of the early years. The mothers that Tasha meets are something else, I definitely advise giving them a wide berth to but she’s so desperate to fit in she joins in. Their world is glamorous and wealthy, and, in that respect, she is not in their league. Most of them are pretty awful characters, and although you admire Tasha ‘s resilience, you want her to stop digging as the unease builds. The mystery deepens, the plot thickens and some of the dynamics contained within makes you want to hide in a corner and curl in a ball. We witness conspiracy, control and much more. This book was fantastic in every aspect except for the ending. It became overly intricate and ultimately lacked impact. Katherine has a unique gift for telling interesting stories that capture and captivate you. Looking forward to whatever come next from this author!

I like Katherine Faulkner's writing style. She knows how to keep you glued to the pages.

In this story, we meet a clique, a dead girl, and the journalist who wants to find the truth that's hiding nearby. Things aren't what they seem here or are they exactly as they seem? There is a bit of speculation but it keeps the story moving because you'll be thinking the same way.

Can't wait for her next book!

Even better than Faulkner’s debut novel, which says a lot! Faulkner grabs you from the first page and keeps you guessing without any unnecessary red herrings or misdirection. Instead, the author does a fantastic job of allowing the reader to uncover information along with Tash, a reporter investigating the suspicious death of a local woman. Tash is adjusting to her decision to leave her full time job and work freelance so she can be a full time mom to her toddler. Juggling work and family impacts Tash’s focus, and her new friendship with a group of mothers from her son’s playgroup may be compromising her objectivity after Tash learns that the woman who died had been working as a nanny for one of these “other mothers” who have welcomed her into their inner circle.

I read this in one day and could t put it down. Katherine Faulkner is cementing herself as a must read psychological fiction author!

I loved this thriller! It pulled me in from the beginning and kept my interest throughout. There was good character development and I enjoyed this storyline which kept me guessing until the last page!

4 stars

Faulkner does it again, with another twisty turny mystery/thriller. I love the multi pov and she seems to do it just right. She is quickly becoming a favorite for me.

This book certainly was a wild ride, but I'm sad to say I did not enjoy it as much as I enjoyed Greenwich Park. I was not invested in the storyline or the characters.

Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC.
Pub date: Dec. 5 2023

When a nanny is found dead and its declared an accident despite the circumstances being suspicious, new mom Tash is intrigued and hopes this could be the story that reinvigorates her journalism career. She's also looking for some friends to help her navigate motherhood. She meets the other mothers through her son's daycare. They're living Tash's dream: beautiful townhomes, exclusive playdates that only certain kids are invited to, and lavish mom bonding time - wine, spa days, and all things luxury.

But all is not well in paradise. Another woman is found dead, and the more Tash investigates, the more she’s led uncomfortably close to the other mothers. Are these women really her friends? Or is there another, more dangerous reason why she has been so quickly accepted into their exclusive world? Who, exactly, is investigating who?

I was in the mood for a neighborhood drama thriller, and this did not disappoint! As a new mom, I could really relate to all of the feelings and themes explored. Pair that with some drama and mysterious deaths, you get a page turner! Thanks so much to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC!

If you're looking for twist and turns you don't see coming, look no further! This author did not disappoint.

This was my first time reading this authors work, HOOKED! Headed to see what other titles I can download!

***Readers you will not be disappointed!***

Faulkner does it again. Satisfying twists and turns. Great job of storytelling through multiple points of view. The pacing is brisk and the writing strong. Devoured it in a single sitting.

Katherine Faulkner is rapidly becoming one of my favorite go-to authors! This is the second book I have read by Faulkner and it was even better than the first! Faulkner does a great job of keeping the reader guessing until the last page, while also leaving you wanting more! Faulkner does a great job developing her characters and weaving connections and plot twists throughout her books! I will be recommending to friends and am super grateful for the Ad a Cw readers copy!!! 5 stars for sure!

This is one you can't put down. The twists and turns of the plot combined with complicated and expertly crafted and believable characters makes The Other Mothers a winner. Told in alternating POVs from the reporter and the murdered woman, the story unravels and it is up to the reader to put the pieces together. The final chapters do seem a little rushed, but this is a great read.

The Other Mothers
Katherine Faulkner
Pub Date: Dec. 5, 2023
Gallery
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion of this book.
This was a winner for me! I strongly recommend it for readers who enjoy thrillers, mystery, domestic suspense.
4 star

Tash is new to the neighborhood. She brings with her Finn, her anxiety prone two year old son Finn and Tom, a doctor at the local hospital. Tash is a freelance journalist and hopes that Finn’s morning playgroup will give her the time to write an article, an article about the suspicious death of Sophie Blake, a young nanny. Without realizing that the local group of popular moms has connections to Sophie, she finds herself surprisingly quickly accepted into their group. Perhaps too quickly. As she researches Sophie’s death, she’s drawn deeply into the glamorous world of these women..and their husbands. While Sophie literally drowned, Tash is drowning in a world of expensive spa treatments, daily cappuccinos and croissants, brand name yoga pants and more. Tash is obsessed with her new friends and Sophie as she moves father away from Tom.

Katherine Faulkner’s new psychological thriller The Other Mothers, told in the voices of Tash and Sophie, is a tour-de-force. It combines a compulsively readable mystery with a look at the underside of motherhood, the fatigue, the endless days, the constant comparison to other children and the desire to fit in with the popular group, no matter what the personal cost. This mystery is a must read for book clubs everywhere.

Thank you to NetGalley, Gallery Books and Katherine Faulkner for this ARC.