The Guilty Mother by Sam Vickery
Genre: Domestic thriller
Read: 1st May 2023
Published: 28th April 2023
★★★ 3 stars
DESCRIPTION:
I know something is wrong the moment the doorbell rings. The smile on my daughter’s face disappears as a police officer places handcuffs around my wrists, and my husband watches in horror as they march me out the door. I’m being arrested for murder… our neighbour is dead and I know why.
Lisa and Mike Grey have the perfect family. They live on a beautiful tree-lined street, behind an impeccably-cut lawn, raising two wonderful children. They never imagined being able to afford such a picturesque house, and as soon as they moved to Dragonfly Close, they felt totally at home.
But when their next-door neighbour Russell is killed, and Lisa is arrested for his murder, chaos takes over the once peaceful street.
How could a doting mother, and a dedicated housewife, do something so terrible?
She says she didn’t do it. But if Lisa didn’t kill Russell, why is she refusing to give her alibi to the police? Who is she trying to protect?
There are lies hidden behind each closed door. And more than one person knows what happened the night Russell died, but everyone watches from the safety of their homes as the police take Lisa away.
Someone on Dragonfly Close is getting away with murder… the question is who? And how far are they willing to go to keep their terrible secret safe?
Fans of Liane Moriarty, Nicole Trope and Linda Green will love this completely gripping page-turner, with a twist that will make your heart stop.
MY THOUGHTS:
Perfect housewife? Or perfect killer?
I wasn't sure what to expect from my first outing with Sam Vickery but I think it was something a little different to what was delivered. That's not to say that it wasn't a good thriller...it was just a little too slow for my liking. But that's just my personal preference. I know many others have devoured this book and loved every single second of it. I found it a little predictable in parts though that never ruins my enjoyment...it's the delivery and execution of a good story that I come for. I'm not entirely sure I got it while at the same time...in a way I think I kind of did.
Lisa and Mike's world is rocked one Sunday evening as they are sitting down to delicious lamb roast I could almost taste, such was the description, when there is a knock at the door. Their son Jack answers the door, thinking it to be some salesman trying their luck, but instead he returns with the police in tow. They have come to arrest Lisa for the hit and run death of their friend and neighbour Russell Fox, killed last weekend. Lisa has expected their impending arrival, has almost prepared for it. Unfortunately, her family didn't get the memo. They are left speechless as Lisa is lead away and driven away in a police car.
Russell and Victoria moved into the house across the street from Lisa and Mike and Lisa was pregnant with their daughter Holly, who is now seventeen. They quickly became friends, sharing backyard barbeques, drinks, laughs and many happy memories. Holly and Jack even call Victoria "Aunty Vic". The families are so closely bound that it comes as a shock to everyone involved when Lisa is arrested for Russell's death. Even Victoria doesn't believe her friend could be guilty.
As Lisa is lead away, she ponders about everything that has lead up to this moment. Her children, her marriage, her family...and the last time she and Russell met and the argument that ensued. She knows the police don't have anything on her and refuses to co-operate, giving a no comment interview on the advice of her lawyer. The police continue to hold her as they continue their investigations, as the hours turn into days and Lisa longs to hold her family once again.
Meanwhile, Victoria knows her friend is innocent and takes it upon herself to make herself available to her family. They need her now more than ever at this terrible time. Plus it will help keep her mind off Russell and the void his death has left behind after twenty two years of marriage. But little by little, we learn that Russell wasn't the perfect husband everyone was lead to believe. Instead he was cruel, coercive, controlling, overbearing and abusive with his timid wife who wanted nothing but his love and a family. Now, she turns to Lisa's family to offer them comfort whilst seeking it for herself also...and one has to wonder, what exactly are her motives? Is she the innocent wife she has lead us all to believe? Which of these two women is the guilty wife?
A domestic thriller told through the alternating perspectives of Lisa and Victoria, THE GUILTY MOTHER is tense and emotionally charged throughout with several twists along the way...albeit somewhat predictable. Not exactly what I was expecting but not entirely unpleasant either, I did find the story a tad drawn out in places and far too wordy with so much description that I was a little lost in it all wondering just where I was up to. But overall, a okayish domestic thriller.
I would like to thank #SamVickery, #Netgalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheGuiltyMother in exchange for an honest review.
MEET THE AUTHOR:
She lives on the south coast of England with her husband, two children and a cat that thinks it's a dog.
Social media links:
Wesbite | Facebook | Goodreads
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