The Better Mother by Emily Shiner
Genre: Psychological thriller, Domestic thriller, Domestic suspense
Read: 15th October 2023
Published: 22nd October 2023
★★★★★ 5 stars
DESCRIPTION:
Zoe just wanted to help. Now she may have a killer in her home.
Zoe is happily married to Ethan until the day a 13-year-old boy shows up on their doorstep. He says his name is Micah and that Ethan is his father. Distressed because his mother is missing, Micah has come to them for help.
Ethan is wary – he didn’t know anything about Micah - but kind-hearted Zoe feels she can’t possibly turn her back on the boy. She welcomes him into their home and does her best to make him part of the family.
But there’s something off about Micah.
He lies constantly, creeps silently around the house and towers over Zoe, observing her every move. And his growing bond with Anna, Zoe’s young daughter, feels all wrong.
So when his mother's body is found and the police start looking for the murderer, Zoe realizes something terrible…
MY THOUGHTS:
She just wanted to help...now she may have a killer in her home...
A fast paced entertaining quick read and my new favourite by Emily Shiner. While some of her books have been hit and miss with me, this has got to be one of her best. It is fast paced with short snappy chapters and a simple storyline that holds your attention throughout. It may be a tad predictable but it certainly didn't ruin my enjoyment. I loved every minute of this quick read which I devoured in a matter of hours.
Zoe lives a happy life with handsome surgeon husband Ethan and their three year old hurricane Anna. Their lives are perfect...until one day a knock on the door changes everything. As soon as Zoe opens the door, she could see the teenager standing on her porch was her husband's son. There was no denying the similarities between them. What was she to do? She let him in and welcomed him into her home.
Thirteen year old Micah has had a very different life to the one he's just walked into. His drug addict mother would disappear for days on end, returning when her money ran out. But this time was different. She's been gone a week without a word and the power has been cut off. Micah had no choice but to seek out the father she had told him about and see if he would take him in...even for a short while. At least until they found his mother.
Ethan is shocked to see the boy who is clearly his son. But he knows nothing about his life and if he poses a danger to the carefully curated life he has created with Zoe, or their little daughter. But Zoe is kind and compassionate and refuses to turn her back on the child who so clearly needs to be take care of. But to Ethan, he's a stranger. Does he want him here?
It isn't long before little things begin to happen that are a little creepy, if not odd. A missing photograph later reappearing as a crafted photo-chop of Micah and his mother. Rita, his biological mother? Or Zoe, his new mother? A carefully curated collection of photos of Zoe on his laptop sends her into a tailspin. Micah is not what he appears. Why was he stalking Zoe? And what is he hiding?
When Micah's mother Rita is found dead, Zoe's heart goes out to the boy despite her growing fears about him. But does he know more about his mother's murder than he is letting on? His disturbing activities lead her to suspect this to be the case leaving her feeling torn between her committment to Ethan and her family and the realisation she has made a grave mistake in letting this child into her home.
This tale is both heartbreaking and disturbing. I felt for Micah and sympathised with his situation and yet there was also that nagging doubt as to his guilt. But of what? The further you delve into this story the more it reveals. It's shocking in a sense and yet it isn't because of its predictability. But I still lapped up every word of every page because for me it's the entertainment factor. And I was thoroughly entertained from start to finish, though I figured out the twist almost from the start it wasn't hard to, but it was still an addictive and captivating tale.
And then there was that nice little sting in the tale twist at the end...
I would like to thank #EmilyShiner, #Netgalley and #InkubatorBooks for an ARC of #TheBetterMother in exchange for an honest review.
MEET THE AUTHOR:
She lives in the Appalachian Mountains and loves hiking with her husband, daughter, and their two dogs. And loves books that keep you up long after you should be in bed.
Social Media links:
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads
Awesome review - thank you so much for your support x
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