Mum's the Word by Lorraine Turnbull
Genre: Contemporary fiction, Women's fiction, General fiction
Read: 2nd September 2021
Published: 22nd April 2021
★★★★★ 5 stars
DESCRIPTION:
When Ann-Marie Ross murders her abusive husband and feeds him to the pigs, she thinks she's got away with murder and secured the future of her Scottish cider farm. But she soon finds herself having to keep more than one deadly secret to protect those closest to her.
As four women embrace their new-found independence, Ann-Marie is tormented by the threat of discovery.
A darkly comic tale of murder, friendship and Love.
MY REVIEW:
I am so glad I came across this book! It's not my usual genre...in fact I'm not really sure what genre to place it under as it has a little bit of everything in it - a little contemporary, a little of women's fiction and even a little bit of crime. But it's such a fun tale and a tangled web of a different kind. There is humour and wit and even a bit of romance. I loved it! I dare you not to pick up this book and enjoy it!
The story opens quite frankly and shockingly with Ann-Marie and her best friend Elaine carrying out the perfect murder of Ann-Marie's bullying husband Billy aka Bull. From there on in, this dark comedy of sorts takes the reader on a somewhat hilarious journey in which four women bond over love, life and death. Bull is barely cold when Ann-Marie begins making plans for the family farm in which the pigs that feasted on dear hubby are out and her apple orchards and cider making are back in. She soon takes on a couple of staff to do the heavy lifting in the form of Roddy and Duncan who help her with the harvesting, fruit pressing and hay baling. Ann-Marie's big plans also include a taproom and a shop for visitors to sample and purchase their cider and various cuts of meat.
But along the way, Ann-Marie must first go through the motions of a funeral, the dispersing of Bull's ashes and the Fatal Accident Inquiry into his death since it occurred at his place of work. Along the way she attracts the attention of her family's solicitor, Jim Muir, who is on hand to help her through what is essentially a difficult time. Jim has a soft spot for Ann-Marie but she's not keen on another relationship...not when she's finally shot of Bull after thirty years of hellish marriage.
Ann-Marie's mother Isa, who has been recovering from a small stroke, is suspicious. All those whispers between her daughter and Elaine, and then there was the racket in the pig pen the day of Bull's demise, not to mention Ann-Marie's almost skittish behaviour. Of course, Isa couldn't stand Bull and is glad to see the back of him. But then Ann-Marie's daughter Lynda begins to make a fuss over her father's demise, urged on by his brother Bobby and sister Liz.
Meanwhile, Elaine must keep schtum about Bull's "accident" in the pig pen but soon discovers she has bigger problems at hand. Her own husband Malky has something of an eye for the ladies, preferably the youner kind, and after enjoying what she thought was their second honeymoon discovers Malky has given her a gift of a different kind. Humiliated and angered, Elaine plays along with Malky's romantic gestures and a trip to Cornwall before confronting him with the truth. But Elaine isn't prepared for the motive behind Malky's intentions...until it's too late.
However, with the help of Roddy and Duncan...and several puppies...Anne-Marie gets the farm in order, her life on track and as things start to turn around for her and her new extended family, she can't help but look back over how far she has come in such a short time. The farm is back in the hands of herself and her mother, and is being run the way it was intended, attracting tourists and visitors from far and wide. Each women endures some hardships along the way, but come out the other side all the better for it and smelling like apples...instead of pigshit!
Interwoven with humour and wit, MUM'S THE WORD is an entertaining and amusing tale that combines enough love, friendship, cider and puppies to keep the general mood light and enjoyable.
I thoroughly enjoyed MUM'S THE WORD and I encourage you to grab the book and immerse yourself into this delightful story set in a semi-rural area around about Paisley in Scotland. It's a lark! I dare you not to pick this book up and enjoy it!!
I would like to thank #LorraineTurnbull, #FatSheepPress and #RachelsRandomResources for an ARC of #MumsTheWord in exchange for an honest review.
MEET THE AUTHOR:
After removing the Agricultural Occupancy Condition on her home she relocated to a smallholding in France where she continues to make cider, writes books and learns French.
Social Media links:
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