Single Mother by Samantha Hayes
Genre: Psychological thriller, Domestic thriller, Suspense
Read: 1st January 2021
Published: 5th January 2021
★★★★ 4 stars
DESCRIPTION:
I will do anything to protect my daughter. She’s all I’ve ever wanted and all I really have, but the moment I opened that letter and accepted the inheritance, I walked us right into a dangerous trap.
I know I should have got her to tell me who she’s been talking to on the phone late at night, and where she was the day I went to pick her up from school and couldn’t find her, but she’s not spoken a word since she found that little pile of bones buried in the garden.
And now she’s missing…
A jaw-dropping, addictive and totally twisty psychological thriller that will have you sleeping with the light on! Perfect for anyone who loved The Girl on the Train, Friend Request or The Wife Between Us.
MY REVIEW:
I am excited to be taking part in the #BooksOnTour #BlogTour for Samantha Hayes' compelling new thriller SINGLE MOTHER.
This is about the third Samantha Hayes book I've read and I've come to the conclusion she is a slow burn writer, building up the tension slowly and yet keeping it palpable throughout. While I am not a fan of slow burns myself, preferring to jump right in and being taken on a thrill ride right from the start, SINGLE MOTHER is still an enjoyable read that is both compelling and addictive.
The story opens with an intriguing prologue that leaves the reader guessing and pondering exactly what was in that bag the anonymous woman walked onto the train and left in the luggage rack. Of course, we don't discover its significance until we're well and truly into the story and trying to figure out how everything else fits as well.
Single mum Mel has not had an easy life. She was abandoned as a baby and went from one children's home to another in between foster families. Then she met Billy and was immediately attracted to him but despite his good looks and charm, Billy was bad news. When he was dealing drugs or taking them, he was beating Mel into submission. When her testimony sent him to prison, it was all she could do to protect her little girl Kate.
Several years later, Kate is now 12 and Billy has been released from prison...and Mel fears a reprisal. Having no family of her own, Mel confides all her thoughts and her fears in the one man she can trust - Michael, whom she met in the children's home where they sort of grew up together. Living hand to mouth financially, Mel lives in fear of Billy finding them...for what he might do to her and for the possibility that he might take Kate away from her. Michael is her conscience and he helps keep her sane.
One day Mel receives a letter from a solicitor's firm stating that she has an inheritance. But that can't be...Mel has no family. How could she inherit anything? But at Michael's urging, she seeks out the solicitor and learns that she has indeed come into an inheritance. A hotel on the coast near Lyme Regis in Dorset and a tidy sum in excess of £300,000!! Mel is skeptical at first...I mean, who wouldn't be? She's learnt not to take things at face value and that you don't get something for nothing in this world. And so she believes it to be a scam...
But then she hears that Billy is now out of prison and she suspects he may try and contact Kate, so with that in mind Mel accepts the inheritance. There are conditions - namely a long time resident of the hotel is to remain free of charge for life, some of the funds bequeathed is to go on much-needed renovations of the premises and that the mysterious benefactor would like to remain anonymous. So packing themselves up in her ancient car, Mel and Kate make the three hour long journey from Birmingham to Dorset.
Once there, it is clear that the Moreton Inn is indeed very much in need of a makeover as well as renovations which Mel doesn't hesitate to begin as soon as she's settled. They meet the mysterious Miss Sarah, the long time resident in Room 12, and soon discover that she does not speak. The woman must be at least in her fifties and no one there has ever heard her utter a word in all the years they've either worked at or frequented the pub. But it isn't long before Miss Sarah begins to give Mel the creeps. She often catches her looking at her strangely, or seemingly spying on her in the backyard overseeing the renovations. What is her deal? Mel endeavours to get to the bottom of it.
The move has done Kate the world of good, who was frequently bullied at her old school in Birmingham. It isn't long before she has made friends and has a bestie named Chloe.
Mel befriends Tom who assists her with the renovations and is soon acquainted with her staff of two - Nikki in the bar and Rose in the kitchen. Together they come up with new menus and drinks to wow the locals into frequenting the Moreton once again. Mel gets stuck in immediately, pulling up carpets and polishing floorboards, painting rooms and hanging curtains. Soon the old hotel has a new lease of life...and then skeletal remains are found around the foundations of their extension.
Suddenly things start going wrong. Building is halted. A journalist comes knocking, then a piece is published regarding the remains found. Someone turns up claiming to be Mel's brother and a man matching Billy's description is seen in the village. And then Kate disappears. And all at once, Mel's world begins to fall apart. Where is Kate? Has Billy taken her?
And the only one who can help them won't utter a single world.
I didn't really like Mel a whole lot. I thought she was a bit of a train wreck and prone to a lot of sniffling considering she was meant to be a hardened nut from having to fend for herself in the foster care system. The way she pandered a little too much to Kate grated on me like she didn't want to upset or trigger one of her mood swings. I mean come on...Mel's the adult here. Pander to a child like that and she will be prone to mood swings because she knows whimpering and whatnot will have mummy eating out of her hand. I did like Michael. He was a lot of fun. As was Tom. But Miss Sarah...she's the one I felt sorry for. I felt there was more of a story there where she was concerned, and it wasn't a happy one I suspected either.
An engaging and addictive story, SINGLE MOTHER is heartbreaking and heartwarming all at once. It is a slow burn, but it holds the reader's interest going just enough to keep them reading. And then the pace picks up around 50% and even moreso around 70% when things begin to unravel and fall into place all at once.
There are a few twists, including a big one at the end even I didn't see coming, in this slightly creepy and rather unsettling tale. I mean, a mute woman who does nothing but stare at you is pretty creepy...as well as the fact Mel was bequeathed this hotel and a tidy sum to boot with no idea who the benefactor was. The undercurrent is definitely creepy and somewhat atmospheric right up to the surprising end.
A thriller that's not really a thriller but is addictive in much the same way, SINGLE MOTHER is a compulsive page-turner that will keep you guessing right up to the end.
I would like to thank #SamanthaHayes, #NetGalley, #Bookouture for an ARC of #SingleMother in exchange for an honest review.
MEET THE AUTHOR:
Samantha Hayes grew up in a creative family where her love of writing began as a child. Samantha has written eight thrillers in total, including the bestselling Until You’re Mine. The Independent said “fantastically written and very tense” while Good Housekeeping said “Her believable psychological thrillers are completely gripping.” Samantha’s books are published in 22 languages at the last count.
When not writing, Samantha loves to cook, go to the gym, see friends and drink nice wine. She is also studying for a degree in psychotherapy. She has three grown-up children and lives in Warwickshire.
Social Media links:
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