The Mother's Phone Call by Victoria Jenkins
Genre: Psychological thriller
Read: 24th June 2025
Published: 16th January 2025
★★★ 3.5 stars
DESCRIPTION:
Gripping the phone, my hands tremble with fear. I look at my son and wonder how my darling blue-eyed boy could have done this. But as my eyes focus down on the body, I know what I must do. I know it will destroy our lives forever. “Hello? I need help. It’s my child. He’s killed someone.”
As my son looks at me, his eyes pleading for help, all I can think in that moment is that I will do whatever it takes to protect him. A young girl’s lifeless body lies on the ground and my heart breaks when I realise I’m already too late to save her.
Our family will never be the same again.
I know I should call for help. But looking towards the phone table I see an old picture of the children playing in the garden. Our children and hers. We used to be so close, I thought our families would be together for a lifetime. But in a moment of rage, the life I imagined has been snatched away.
But if I’m honest, I’ve been kidding myself about how perfect our lives were. I’m a mother. I should be able to keep my children safe. But what I see in front of me cannot be denied. No one else is here. My son’s guilty.
How far will I go to protect him?
A completely gripping and pulse-pounding psychological thriller that will have you turning the pages late into the night. Perfect for fans of The Wife Between Us, The Girl on the Train and anything by Shari Lapena.
MY THOUGHTS:
Not often I read the same author two books in a row but I thought "why not?" Despite its title, there is far more going on than just a phone call. In fact the said phone call doesn't take place until about 20% or so in. But it does pose the question of what would a mother do in such a situation? Mothers, by nature, tend to want to protect their young but at the same time it is also their job to teach them responsibility, accountability and doing the right thing...even if it breaks your heart to do so.
Jo and her husband Rob enjoy a nice life in their quiet little cul-de-sac with their 18 year old twins Alice and Toby. An affluent neighbourhood, they live across the road from their closest friends Eve, her husband Chris and their adult children Dylan (20) and Freya (18). The two families have been friends for years as Jo and Eve navigated motherhood together and they watched their children grow up together. Their lives were picture perfect...until a tragedy pitches them family against family.
The story opens with Jo and her family attending the overtly lavish summer party to celebrate 20 years of wedded bliss between Eve and Chris. Overtly lavish as only Eve could do. And of course only lavish would do for those Insta-pics that depict the carefully curated life she so wishes to convey to the world. As shallow as she can appear at times, Jo loves Eve though I'm not entirely sure why. The women are poles apart. Even their children are chalk and cheese. It is hardly surprising that Eve's daughter Freya is as shallow and fickle as her mother, seemingly taking pleasure in cruel pranks and wondering what the fuss is all about afterwards. I must admit I was surprised that Alice was friends with Freya - the girl was horribly cruel and enjoyed inflicting that cruelty.
It's while at the party, Alice overhears whispers of a conversation between her father and Eve that just didn't sound right... And it leaves her wondering how to confront him or even tell her mum. But even Toby appears to have harsh words with Freya and then Chris seems to let his hands wander a little too close to comfort when saying goodnight to Jo. Just what is going on with this family?
And so the night rolls into Sunday and all's well...and then rolls seamlessly into Monday (that I didn't even notice a change in the days). Jo is scrolling social media when she sees Eve posting a provocative posed pic of herself claiming to be recovering from a two day hangover. But it's a video shared to TikTok of Alice that has everybody seeing red. But is it enough to kill for?
That evening, with the family safely tucked up in their beds, Jo is pondering the provocative photo of Eve when she receives a phone call from Toby. Toby? But isn't he upstairs in bed? He tells her he is across the street at Freya's house and that something awful has happened. When Jo rushes over nothing can prepare her for the scene that greets her. Freya laying in a pool of blood with Toby standing next to her, bloodied and in tears. Then making the hardest decision she calls the police to report the crime her son has committed. The police arrive, he's arrested and the families are pitched against each other.
Alice cannot believe her brother would kill Freya, or anyone. But the evidence clearly points to him and his prints were on the weapon and her blood was all over him. And worse of all, Toby remains silent refusing to comment when questioned or shed any light on what had happened. But would they believe him if he tried? Probably not. After all, his own mother believed it of him after taking one look at the scene so of course the police will do too.
What ensues is a fight to uncover the truth and clear Toby's name while Freya's family are hellbent on showing him up for who he is - a murderer who killed their beautiful and innocent girl. Innocent, my eye. That girl gave as good as she got and was the product of her environment. But who is lying? Who is telling the truth? And what really happened that night when Freya was killed?
An interesting Desperate Housewives-ish tale that unfolds through the alternating narratives of Jo and Alice, this story has secrets and lies in abundance with plenty of toxic characters and layers of deceit to unravel.
Overall, a dark and twisted tale that was both enjoyable and entertaining.
I would like to thank #VictoriaJenkins, #Netgalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheMothersPhoneCall in exchange for an honest review.
MEET THE AUTHOR:
The series of novels features Detective Constable Chloe Lane and Detective Inspector Alex King, who are the lead investigative characters that solve some mysterious murders in their hometown.
Her first psychological thriller, The Divorce, was published in July 2019. The second, The Argument, was published December 10th 2019 and The Accusation was published June 9th 2020, followed by The Playdate, The New Family and The Bridesmaids.
Victoria lives with her husband and daughter in South Wales, where her series of crime novels featuring Detectives King and Lane is based.
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