A Good Mother by Michelle Dunne

 

                                                 

Ebook:   338 pages      

Genre:  Thriller, Mystery, Fiction                                    

Publisher: Storm Publishing  29th April 2025

Source: NetGalley

First Sentence: The lights from the rescue boats danced across the black water, each sweep bringing Jen Blake closer to the moment her world would end.

Review Quote:  ‘A riveting thriller.’ Reader Review, 

My Opinion: 

Michelle Dunne is an author I discovered thanks to NetGalley and this is the second novel of hers that I have read. 'A Good Mother' is a hard hitting domestic thriller which covers some difficult topics including domestic abuse and bullying carried out by some despicable characters.

Jen Blake and Lia Higgins have known each other for years and were once very close. Their children are still best friends having grown up together, but suddenly it seems something has come between them. Tragedy occurs and as the narrative progresses the tension and anxiety grow.

This is not an easy read but a worthwhile one.  Especially if it does nothing more than make you realise we should make time to listen to the ones we love. With thanks to NetGalley, Storm Publishing and the author.

Previous Review:    The Hotel Maid

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads:

Two mothers. Two daughters. One devastating truth.

Alex Blake was terrified of water, had been since she nearly drowned at age five. So when police find her body in the river and rule it a suicide, her mother Jen knows they’re wrong. But no one will listen to a grieving mother.

The police dismiss her. Her husband thinks she’s in denial. Even their neighbours, the Higgins family, urge her to accept the truth and move on. But something isn’t right. Why was Alex messaging Lia Higgins, Jen’s former best friend, the day she died? And why is Lia now so desperate to shut down Jen’s questions?

The more Jen digs into the perfect family next door, the more she realises Alex was keeping secrets. Dangerous ones. Someone knows what really happened to her daughter. And they’re determined to keep Jen from uncovering the truth.

A breathtaking, stay-up-all-night emotional page-turner about motherhood, friendship and betrayal. Perfect for fans of K.L. Slater, Lisa Jewell and Nicola Sanders.

Author Profile:                

                                         

                                        Courtesy of Goodreads Profile

Michelle Dunne was born in Cork, Ireland, she writes crime and thriller novels. 

This month,  August 2024 The Hotel Maid, will be released as part of a two book contract with Storm Publishing. This follows June Calloway, a maid who finds the body of a murdered woman in her hotel room, just as a child is reported missing on hotel grounds. 

Michelle also wrote While Nobody is Watching and The Invisible, a series of thrillers following former soldier and UN Peacekeeper Lindsey Ryan as she tries to adapt to her new life in the clutches of PTSD. The series is currently in development for television and is inspired by Michelle’s own experiences as an infantry soldier and United Nations Peacekeeper.

Michelle is organiser and programmer of the Spike Island Literary Festival – a crime-themed festival set in Ireland's very own Alcatraz! 

Photographs and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites:

Goodreads Profile.   Twitter Profile.   Amazon Author Profile