A Mother's Lie by Jo Crow

ebook, 478 pages
Published November 28th 2017 by Relay Publishing
☆☆☆
About the Book:
Clara McNair is running out of time to save her son, James. When the two-year-old is diagnosed with a rare form of brain cancer, only an experimental treatment can save his life. She desperately needs money to pay for the surgery, but she’ll have to travel back to the site of her darkest memories to get it. Clara has escaped the demons of her youth—or so she thinks. It’s been ten years since the mysterious disappearance of her parents. Widely suspected of murdering her mother and father, Clara fled west to start a new life. Now, a documentary film crew is offering cold, hard cash—enough to pay for James’s treatment—in exchange for the sordid secrets of her past. With no other choice but to delve into a long-ago tragedy, Clara must unravel the lies surrounding that terrible night. Facing hostile gossip, Clara is fighting to clear her name and learn the truth about what really happened. But how far will she go into the dark to save her son—and herself?

When her child’s life is at stake, a mother will do anything to save him.
This book is told in the first person perspective of Clara McNair and she is a superbly drawn character. I had such empathy with her predicament and her fierce love for her child, simply refusing to give up when he needs special surgery. Clara’s narrative kept me reading, I felt her hope and her loss, her despair and her strength. A mother’s love is unlike any other and it is perfectly captured within these pages.

Hate made sensible people do terrible things.
This was a well written book that kept me turning the pages. I stayed up late to finish this book to see if I was right about the true murderer; I was of course right on both counts. I don't know if it was the author's intention to help you solve it before you finished the book or not. He gave obvious clues right from the beginning. I have read a lot of mysteries and thrillers where I have figured who the killer is before reaching the end, but it was a little easy with this book. Even though I figured out the guilty party fairly quickly, it was still an interesting read and I enjoyed the slow unfurling of the opening pages. At the end, just as I thought the story had concluded, there was another twist which I loved. It had such a unique storyline and was very descriptive in its telling.

Some things weren't totally believable but it wasn't enough to have me shaking my head. I look forward to reading book two of The Secrets of Suburbia, The Found Child.