The Mother Upstairs

A totally gripping and addictive psychological thriller packed with twists

A totally gripping psychological thriller packed with twists

She knows your secret. And she’s in your house.

Mellie’s future mother-in-law bursts into the bridal suite, a piece of paper clutched in her hand. ‘I know your secret,’ she says, a satisfied smile on her face. ‘And I will not let you marry my son.’

Two months later, anxiety twists in Mellie’s stomach as she watches the taxi arrive. She knew her mother-in-law would move in after her stroke, her husband Henry had insisted on it. But now they’re under the same roof, she knows she’s in danger…

Because locked is the attic is a piece of paper that could destroy everything. And Mellie knows that Pauline will expose her secret.

As Pauline rests, Mellie frantically searches the house for the key to the attic. But when she finds it and starts tearing through boxes of papers, her blood runs cold at what she finds. Hands shaking, she tries to make sense of the words in front of her, realising with a bolt of terror that Henry has his own dark secret. One that could destroy her.

Then she hears footsteps downstairs. The doctors said Pauline would be bedbound for weeks, but what if they were wrong? Neither woman knows what the other is truly capable of, and just how far they will go to protect their secrets. But who will make it out of this house alive?

An unputdownable and addictive thriller that will leave you on the edge of your seat. Packed with twists, this psychological thriller is perfect for fans of Freida McFadden’s The Housemaid, The Girl on the Train and Colleen Hoover’s Verity.

©2026 Becca Day (P)2026 Bookouture, an imprint of Storyfire Ltd.

Unpleasant

The main character’s story was high intensity without any contrasting moments. It was high pitch and nothing good could happen to her. Her life was horrible growing up and she went right into a horrible marriage. She could have told him she was leaving unless circumstances changed drastically. Why did she keep putting up with him? It didn't make sense. No one would tolerate that treatment. She claimed to be so in love with Henry, but love would never last with the way he treated her. Both the mother and her husband treated her badly. I just couldn’t buy into this story and it was unrelentingly unpleasant to listen to. It was also very repetitive, so boring. There were the "then" and "now" chapters. The "then" chapters were so repetitive. The "now" chapters were the same thing over and over again. I did stick it out to complete the story, but the ending was disappointing also.

Didn't Finish

The story pace is too slow for my style of listening and reading...Audible requires three more words...