Book Review: The Mother by Valerie Keogh

I’m so pleased to be welcoming Valerie Keogh back to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her latest novel, The Mother.

A terrible wife…

Sarah Westfield is unhappily married to perfect husband Nick. Handsome, devoted and kind, he should be the ideal man for her, but Sarah knows their marriage is the biggest mistake she’s ever made…and she wants out.

But then Nick offers her one last chance to make their marriage work – a baby.

Sarah is horrified – a baby would tie herself to this man forever…wouldn’t it? Or could it be exactly what she needs?

So Sarah agrees.

A terrible mother?

When the baby arrives, Sarah struggles with motherhood and her resentment towards Nick only grows. Sarah feels more trapped than ever, but she loves her precious daughter…doesn’t she?

And then baby Kaya goes missing…

And everything Sarah has ever believed in comes crashing down around her…

*****

Sarah Westfield has a devoted husband and she’s just given birth to their daughter. However, she has not been happy in the relationship for a long time and she wants out.

Having previously read The Lodger, The Housekeeper and The Mistress, I have become a BIG fan of Valerie Keogh’s novels. Therefore, I was stupidly excited to be invited onto the blog tour for her latest phycological thriller, The Mother.

As usual, you are pretty much plunged into the action by the prologue and it’s a rollercoaster from there. The plot unfolds with twists, turns and then it gives you more twists. I definitely didn’t see the end coming. As a result, I seriously couldn’t stop reading; chores and coursework temporarily forgotten.

Sarah is a mystery and I couldn’t help but suspect her. Then again, the only people I didn’t suspect were the police officers to be honest. The supporting characters were all interesting, bringing their own elements to the story.

There are so many layers to this novel. Valerie Keogh is so talented at threading just the right amount of suspense and tension throughout the book so the reveals come like a thunderbolt.

This book does have some heavy themes, such as birth, infertility, child abduction and cohesive control. Each is handled in a sensitive way but if you are triggered by any of these subjects, I just wanted to give you a little warning.

Overall, The Mother is another great phycological thriller from an author who is one of my favourites in the genre. If you’re going on holiday, want a book for a day in the garden or if you’re just looking for a compelling, thrilling story, I recommend this one.

(Thanks to Netgalley, Boldwood Books and Rachel’s Random Resources for the advanced reading copy in exchange for an honest review.) 

About Valerie Keogh –

Valerie Keogh is the internationally bestselling author of several psychological thrillers and crime series, most recently published by Bloodhound.

She originally comes from Dublin but now livesin Wiltshire and worked as a nurse for many years.

Say hello to Valerie via Facebook, X, Instagram and BookBub. Click here to sign up to her newsletter. 

The Mother was released by Boldwood on 27th June 2024. Click to buy on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Waterstones. 

by

Laura

I’m Laura. I started Novel Kicks in 2009. I wanted a place to post my writing as well as give other writers like me the opportunity to do the same. There is also a monthly book club, a writing room which features writing prompts, book reviews, competitions, author interviews and guest posts.

I grew up by the sea (my favourite place in the world) and I currently live in Hampshire. I am married to Chris, have a cat named Buddy and I would love to be a writer. I’m trying to write the novel I’ve talked so much about writing if only I could stop pressing delete. I’ve loved writing since creative writing classes in primary school. I have always wanted to see my teacher Miss Sayers again and thank her for the encouragement. When not trying to write the novel or writing snippets of stories on anything I can get my hands on, I love reading, dancing like a loon and singing to myself very badly. My current obsession is Once Upon a Time and I would be happy to live with magic in the enchanted forest surrounded by all those wonderful stories provided that world also included Harry Potter. I love reading chick lit. contemporary fiction and novels with mystery.