The Secret Mother

By: Shalini Boland

Narrated by: Katie Villa

Length: 6 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's summary

"Are you my mummy?"

Tessa Markham returns home to find a child in her kitchen. He thinks she’s his mother. But Tessa doesn’t have any children.

Not anymore.

She doesn’t know who the little boy is or how he got there.

After contacting the police, Tessa is suspected of taking the mystery child. Her whole life is turned upside down. And then her husband reveals a secret of his own….

Tessa isn’t sure what to believe or who to trust. Because someone is lying. To find out who, she must confront her painful past. But is the truth more dangerous than Tessa realises?

An absolutely pause-resisting psychological thriller with a twist that will make you wonder if you can ever trust anyone again. If you loved Gone Girl, The Girl on the Train, and The Sister this book will have you hooked.

©2017 Shalini Boland (P)2017 Bookouture

Critic reviews

‘Absolutely addictive and brilliant with an end I didn't see coming. This is one book you have to read and it gets 5 huge stars from me!!!!’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

‘Wow, wow, wow! What a fantastic book! The book starts with a bang… from page one and believe me, it doesn’t let up throughout the book and keeps you gripped until the very end!’ Stardust Book Reviews, 5 stars

‘Oh yes, yes, yes, yes this was my kind of read, I really have taken this and added it to my top 10 this year, it’s a screaming from the rooftops fantastic read, if you love a good thriller… if you love to stay up all night reading because you simply can't switch your mind off from a book, this is it, you found it, don't look any further… so fast paced it leaves your breathless. One of the best psychological thrillers that I have read that has shocked me, left me dribbling for me and wanting more from this author.’ Read Along With Sue, 5 stars

Mystery Loves Do Not Like Loose Ends

This story had potential BUT there were parts of the plot that were never addressed. I found this to be quite lazy and amateur style writing.

Also the main plot was WAY too easy to figure out. So overall, this book wasn’t much of a mystery and the main character was pretty clueless. I figured things out way earlier than the actual main character did and that is why I’m giving this one a low score.

What a bargain!

I bought this book because it was the audible book of the day. I usually do not use my credits on books that are six hours or seven hours because that drives me crazy. LOL But since this one was only $2.95 I decided I would try it. It would have been well worth a credit! I really enjoyed the book.

Not as great as a lot other Reviews claim

The story is nothing new. You must have heard the story and watched so many movies on the concept. Even the suspense isn't so great. As soon as you hear DOCTOR you will guess the plot. In my guess I thought the protagonist's husband would be an accomplice. But anyway not as great as the other reviews would have you believe. I guess those reviewers don't watch movies as much as I do. After the 1st hour it's just drag until the suspense is revealed which I guarantee you will guess. It would have been a lot better if it was fast paced. Also I felt all the characters are portrayed as idiots which doesn't bode well in this age. The protagonist is calling her ex husband and asking what to do when someone throws a brick thru her window. She doesn't know to call the police, seriously!!! Perhaps its just me but I didn't like the way she was portrayed a needy, clingy, idiot, and incapable person in this age where women are so independent and competent. And if you are in some stranger's house, when he gets angry, you think to run away because he could be dangerous but when you find he has someone captive in the attic, instead of calling the police, you continue to talk to/confront him and ask him for the keys, seriously!!! Anyway what I mean is all of the main characters have unstable behavior. Only the portrayal of media vultures is perfectly true. The performance is good. She has a good voice and delivers the emotions perfectly.

Meh...not great not bad

Kind of sappy, silly and unbelievable but well performed and reasonably entertaining. Good, just good.

Superb — and to think I almost passed it by!

I’m not a parent. And I much prefer being with pets instead of kids. I therefore almost decided against listening to this title...and am I ever happy I gave it a chance!

The story drew me in from the start, to a world — no, worlds, plural — that I didn’t know. What an entertaining and informative voyage it has been. Many thanks to the author, to the excellent narrator, and to all the staff involved!

More Than the Title

This is a good build toward a known conclusion. Getting inside the head of a mother and father whose children died, or so they thought. Just enough characters for it to be interesting. Narration is excellent.

That ending...wow!

The Secret Mother by Shalini Boland was really, really entertaining. I'll admit that it took me a little bit to get into the story, but once I did, I couldn't stop listening. I think Ms. Boland did an excellent job crafting a real psychological roller coaster with an ending that you'd never expect! Poor Tessa...I don't want to say more because I don't want any spoilers, but read the publishers summary and then be ready for all sorts of crazy! I'm going to be looking at listening to more of her novels and would definitely recommend this one to anyone.

Katie Villa did a great job narrating this story. She brought life to the characters and though she has an English accent, I, as an American, had no problem at all understanding her, as I occasionally do with some heavier English accents. I'd definitely listen to more of her performances in the future.

Like a Hallmark mystery

This one is more like a Hallmark channel mystery. You’d expect the main character to pick up on a bit more than she does. However, it was still a fine listen. IMHO, this author has better books out there.

Very good!

It held my attention through the whole book and, although there weren't crazy plot twists, I thought it was very well written and narrated.

Easy yet thrilling listen

Easy story to follow. Thrilling and exciting listen. Mystery, suspense, emotional, and a dab of romance.