The Good Mother by AL Bird

Well all I can say is make sure you have plenty time when you start reading this as you won’t want to put it down until it’s finished! At first I wasn’t sure what was going on. Susan (or Suze) wakens in a locked room with no idea how she got there or how long she’s been there. She’s fairly sure she has been drugged. Most of the story is told in her words, her frantic thoughts as she tries to work out what has happened and how she can escape. There are also chapters told from the point of view of The Captor, an investigator, her daughter Cara and Cara’s friend Alice. To her horror, Susan realises that her daughter is also being held in the room next door and the two begin to communicate secretly to plot their escape.

This book is so cleverly written that it’s not until you have finished that all falls into place and you understand what has been going on with all the characters. As I was reading I was trying to work out what could possibly be happening. Who was The Captor and how did he know Susan? Who had Cara been meeting in secret and why wouldn’t her friend tell the school what she knew? What did The Captor want with Susan and Cara, what were his plans? Was the investigator all he seemed? Would Susan ever escape her prison and what about Cara? These were just a few of the questions buzzing around my head. Each time I thought I had worked out a possible answer, I realised that another part of the story meant I couldn’t be right!

This is a fast-paced read and having read it on Kindle I’m not sure if it’s a short book or I just read it so quickly as I couldn’t wait to find out what happened. You will be constantly wondering what is going on and coming up with ideas – probably mostly wrong – you will be kept guessing right up to the last page! Just when you think all has been explained, there are further shocks and surprises as you near the end of the book. A great read and at only 99p to pre-order, definitely one to snap up. If you have the chance to read it before 18th April you can join in with a Carina #CrimeClub Twitter event with the author @ALBirdWriter

Thanks to Jennifer at Carina UK publishers for the chance to read an advance copy of this book. The Good Mother is published as an e-book on 4th April and you can order a copy here: The Good Mother

From the back of the book

The greatest bond. The darkest betrayal.

Susan wakes up alone in a room she doesn’t recognise, with no memory of how she got there. She only knows that she is trapped, and her daughter is missing.

The relief that engulfs her when she hears her daughter’s voice through the wall is quickly replaced by fear.

The person who has imprisoned her has her daughter, too.

Devising a plan to keep her daughter safe, Susan begins to get closer to her unknown captor. And suddenly, she realises that she has met him before.

The Good Mother is a dark and disturbing psychological thriller for fans of C L Taylor, Kathryn Croft and S K Tremayne.