The Wrong Mother

A Novel

By: Sophie Hannah

Narrated by: Elizabeth Sastre

A chilling, compulsively readable novel of psychological suspense from the author of Little Face and The Carrier

Sally Thorning is watching the news with her husband when she hears a name she never thought she'd hear again: Mark Bretherick.

It's a name she shouldn't recognize. Last year, a work trip Sally had planned was canceled at the last minute. Desperate for a break from juggling her job and a young family, Sally didn't tell her husband that the trip had fallen through. Instead, she treated herself to a secret vacation in a remote hotel. While she was there, Sally met a man—Mark Bretherick. All the details are the same: where he lives, his job, his wife Geraldine and daughter Lucy. Except that the photograph on the news is of a man Sally has never seen before. And Geraldine and Lucy Bretherick are both dead...

With the international bestseller Little Face, Sophie Hannah established herself as a striking new voice in psychological suspense. The Wrong Mother, a riveting exploration of a mother's unspeakable betrayal, confirms her reputation as a master of the form.

Critic reviews

"Shockingly (and refreshingly) blunt riffs about the violent emotions of motherhood and the familial yearnings of men, along with chilling and darkly funny revelations about lust and loyalty, make this novel one of the season's most absorbing reads."—O, The Oprah Magazine

"Gripping... It's like watching a nightmare come to life."—Tana French, New York Times bestselling author of In the Woods

"Paced like a ticking time bomb with flawlessly distinct characterization, this is a fiercly fresh and un-put-downable read."—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Sophie Hannah just gets better and better. Her plots are brilliantly cunning and entirely unpredictable. The writing is brilliant and brings us uncomfortably close to the dark, ambivalent impulses experienced by the parents of difficult, demanding children."—The Guardian (London)

Loved and hated

Wow. Just finished this book...and let me say, the negatives notwithstanding, I read it pretty steadily all the way through. The pros: excellent writing, excellent narration, excellent pacing. The cons: *I disliked the main protaganist, Sally, from the beginning; none of her decisions/actions, from start to finish (the last one almost made me abandon the book) were logical or comprehensible, and therefore I disliked her. *There were 3 five-year-old girls involved, all of whom were extremely precocious, manipulative and unlikable, (has anyone read that old book "The Bad Seed"?) and it made me wonder what the author's experience with children has been -I've known lots of 5 year old girls, and only one met that criteria and she was much less accomplished). *It started to drag a littlle towards the end, like the author was spinning out the story to get the right number of words.
Overall: very readable, and kept me tuned in right to the end, so it deserves 4 stars.

Britsh Baffling

intriguing. Enjoyed the mystery of 'who-done-it'. Great story line. Kept me guessing. A good 'read'.

Another Great Sophie Hannah!!

Another enjoyable story told by Sophie Hannah! I really like the narrator as well. I believe she has narrated other books by this author.

The Wrong Mother and a Confused Lisitener

The book started off with imagination grabbing interest. The plot really caught my interest. My problem was with the transitions. I found it difficult to know which character was speaking. If some editing could have been used to let the listener know who was speaking it would have helped me. I wish some of the characters had been more developed. I had to use my imagination to fill in some gaps. Maybe that is what the author intended, but it was distracting. The ending did wrap most things up, but was a paragraph or two of to much information for me. The narrator did a great job and was pleasant to listen to. I am null on a recommendation for this book. Please vote and let me know if this review helped.

A cannot stop listening read

What made the experience of listening to The Wrong Mother the most enjoyable?

That it was so very, very well-written and the suspense kept going and building until the very end. I read lots of British mysteries and this one kept me guessing throughout. Great detail and dialogue.

What other book might you compare The Wrong Mother to and why?

Perhaps a P.D. James or a Reginald Hill, but it is unique book and difficult to make a comparison accurately.

What does Elizabeth Sastre bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

She is a brilliant narrator. I have already downloaded the next in the series. By the way, can you please get ALL of Hannah's novels? Three is not enough.

If you could rename The Wrong Mother, what would you call it?

the Dirty Secrets of Motherhood

Any additional comments?

As with any good mystery, the characters were believable and with human frailties. I look forward to more of Simon and crew. The British really know how to write a perfect mystery. I can't get enough.